My Big Mistake

It’s not that you should do it because it makes sense; it’s that what you should do makes sense after the fact. With the former, you are absolving yourself of responsibility by invoking higher—presumably more objective—authority. You might speak loudly, but your true voice can be hidden, never exposed to risk. In this, it makes no difference whether this authority is God or reason. This is what is perceived as arrogance, even if you act as a humble servant of God or reason.

This was my big mistake.