"Only a kind person is able to judge another justly and to make allowances for his weaknesses. A kind eye, while recognizing defects, sees beyond them"
About this Quote
Kindness here isn’t softness; it’s presented as a prerequisite for accuracy. Lovasik, writing from a clergyman’s moral universe, smuggles a sharp claim into gentle language: the harsh judge isn’t just uncharitable, he’s incompetent. “Only a kind person” frames justice as a moral skill, not a cold procedure. The line quietly flips our usual hierarchy, where judgment comes first and mercy is an optional add-on. In this formulation, mercy is the condition that makes judgment truthful.
The phrase “make allowances” does heavy lifting. It suggests an accountant’s precision, but aimed at human frailty. Weaknesses are not excuses; they’re variables in the equation of responsibility. That’s the pastoral subtext: people are accountable, but never reducible to their worst data points. A “kind eye” “recognizing defects” rejects denial or naive optimism; it’s not sentimental blindness. The virtue is the second half: it “sees beyond them,” insisting that a person’s identity exceeds their failures.
Context matters: as a clergyman, Lovasik is echoing a Christian ethics of charity and humility, with a sideways warning against moral pride. The hidden target is the righteous spectator, the person who confuses moral clarity with moral superiority. The intent isn’t to abolish judgment but to sanctify it, turning evaluation into an act that demands self-awareness: if you can’t imagine the pressures, histories, and limits shaping someone else, you’re not judging at all - you’re just condemning.
It works because it recasts kindness as disciplined perception, not indulgence.
The phrase “make allowances” does heavy lifting. It suggests an accountant’s precision, but aimed at human frailty. Weaknesses are not excuses; they’re variables in the equation of responsibility. That’s the pastoral subtext: people are accountable, but never reducible to their worst data points. A “kind eye” “recognizing defects” rejects denial or naive optimism; it’s not sentimental blindness. The virtue is the second half: it “sees beyond them,” insisting that a person’s identity exceeds their failures.
Context matters: as a clergyman, Lovasik is echoing a Christian ethics of charity and humility, with a sideways warning against moral pride. The hidden target is the righteous spectator, the person who confuses moral clarity with moral superiority. The intent isn’t to abolish judgment but to sanctify it, turning evaluation into an act that demands self-awareness: if you can’t imagine the pressures, histories, and limits shaping someone else, you’re not judging at all - you’re just condemning.
It works because it recasts kindness as disciplined perception, not indulgence.
Quote Details
| Topic | Kindness |
|---|
More Quotes by Lawrence
Add to List
