Itiscuriousthatourownoffensesshouldseemsomuchlessheinousthantheoffensesofothers. Isupposethereasonisthatweknowallthecircumstancesthathaveoccasionedthemandsomanagetoexcuseinourselveswhatwecannotexcuseinothers. Weturnourattentionawayfromourowndefects, andwhenweareforcedbyuntowardeventstoconsiderthem, finditeasytocondonethem. ForallIknowwearerighttodothis; theyarepartofusandwemustacceptthegoodandbadinourselvestogether.

Butwhenwecometojudgeothers, itisnotbyourselvesaswereallyarethatwejudgethem, butbyanimagethatwehaveformedofourselvesfrowhichwehaveleftouteverythingthatoffendsourvanityorwoulddiscreditusintheeyesoftheworld. Totakeatrivialinstance: howscornfulwearewhenwecatchsomeoneouttellingalie; butwhocansaythathehasnevertoldnotone, butahundred?

Thereisnotmuchtochoosebetweenmen. Theyareallahotchpotchofgreatnessandlittleness, ofvirtueandvice, ofnobilityandbaseness. Somehavemorestrengthofcharacter, ormoreopportunity, andsoinonedirectionoranothergivetheirinstinctsfreerplay, butpotentiallytheyarethesame. Formypart, IdonotthinkIamanybetteroranyworsethanmostpeople, butIknowthatifIsetdowneveryactioninmylifeandeverythoughtthathascrossedmymind, theworldwouldconsidermeamonsterofdepravity. Theknowledgethatthesereveriesarecommontoallmenshouldinspireonewithtolerancetooneselfaswellastoothers. Itiswellalsoiftheyenableustolookuponourfellows, eventhemosteminentandrespectable, withhumor, andiftheyleadustotakeourselvesnottooseriously.