--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The pursuit of balance can create…" description: "\"The pursuit of balance can create imbalance because sometimes something is true,\" — Daniel Okrent" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/daniel-okrent-23541_balance_the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbala_59514.png" --- # The pursuit of balance can create imbalance because… ![“The pursuit of balance can create imbalance because sometimes something is true,” quote by Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/daniel-okrent-23541_balance_the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbala_59514.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/daniel-okrent-23541_balance_the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbala_59514.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/daniel-okrent-23541_balance_the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbala_59514.png) > “The pursuit of balance can create imbalance because sometimes something is true,” [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking equilibrium can paradoxically destabilize a system when absolute truths are ignored, revealing hidden tensions. **In simple terms:** Balance can breed imbalance. Key Takeaway True balance requires acknowledging reality. Themes paradox balance truth tension system dynamics Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - strategic planning - personal decision‑making - organizational change - conflict resolution Key Concepts equilibrium cognitive bias complexity Practical Applications - risk assessment - policy design Questions to Reflect On - When does striving for balance create new problems? - How can we recognize when a 'true' premise is being overlooked? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) ## Related quotes > [“Happiness is a temporary chemical imbalance of the true state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-hayes/happiness-is-a-temporary-chemical-imbalance-of-the-true-state-of-mind/) [Drew Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-hayes/) > [Feeling bad is caused by an imbalance. Don't lash out at the world. It makes you more unstable. Look for the cause in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/feeling-bad-is-caused-by-an-imbalance-don-t-lash-out-at-the-world-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“anyone who smiled all the time clearly suffered from a mental imbalance”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-l-jensen/anyone-who-smiled-all-the-time-clearly-suffered-from-a-mental/) [Danielle L. Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-l-jensen/) > [“the primary purpose of sermon introductions is to produce imbalance for the sake of engagement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-l-lowry/the-primary-purpose-of-sermon-introductions-is-to-produce-imbalance/) [Eugene L. Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-l-lowry/) > [In order to address world economic imbalances, countries around the world should make joint efforts to adjust their economic structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-jintao/in-order-to-address-world-economic-imbalances-countries-around-the/) [Hu Jintao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-jintao/) > [Too often, attention is diverted from the needs of populations, insufficient emphasis is placed on work in the fields, and the goods of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/too-often-attention-is-diverted-from-the-needs-of-populations/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [To be ordinary is the greatest virtue - because when you are just ordinary, nothing to claim, of this world or that, the ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/to-be-ordinary-is-the-greatest-virtue-because-when-you-are-just/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I loved her more than she loved me, that was the problem. A basic imbalance. Relationships like that never last, however hard you try.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-loved-her-more-than-she-loved-me-that-was-the-problem-a-basic/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [The balance of trade is an article of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-balance-of-trade-is-an-article-of-faith/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [I have an amazing spouse; we're a team. He works, and I work, and we sort of do this dance with each other so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rafferty/i-have-an-amazing-spouse-we-re-a-team-he-works-and-i-work-and-we-sort/) [Sarah Rafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rafferty/) > [You said love, I say chemical imbalance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kelsey/you-said-love-i-say-chemical-imbalance/) [Ian Kelsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kelsey/) > [“you cannot obtain balance by also seeking imbalance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brody/you-cannot-obtain-balance-by-also-seeking-imbalance/) [Jessica Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brody/) > [Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it is not cured by medication. Depression may not even be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/depression-is-not-caused-by-a-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain-and-it/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More by Daniel Okrent > [The Times' new credibility committee report that was issued on Monday very specifically said they will be putting in a policy that reporters must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/the-times-new-credibility-committee-report-that-was-issued-on-monday/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [Is the New York Times a Liberal Newspaper? Of course it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/is-the-new-york-times-a-liberal-newspaper-of-course-it-is/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [It's a very complicated issue about when is a fact not a fact in the context of opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/it-s-a-very-complicated-issue-about-when-is-a-fact-not-a-fact-in-the/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [That first week, I also went to Washington. That was really tough. I sympathize with those Washington figures who have to face 40 Times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/that-first-week-i-also-went-to-washington-that-was-really-tough-i/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [If there had been three public editors before me, the body might have absorbed it a little bit better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/if-there-had-been-three-public-editors-before-me-the-body-might-have/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [I know there are reporters who ridicule pundits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/i-know-there-are-reporters-who-ridicule-pundits/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [If you can't enjoy the game unless you are pretty sure your team is going to win, baseball is not the game for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/if-you-can-t-enjoy-the-game-unless-you-are-pretty-sure-your-team-is/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [Right, but there's expertise and then there's inside information. And I think we have to make a distinction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/right-but-there-s-expertise-and-then-there-s-inside-information-and-i/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [I think it's one of the Times' problems that they haven't made it clear to readers what various formats mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/i-think-it-s-one-of-the-times-problems-that-they-haven-t-made-it/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [Gail didn't want me commenting on the opinion pages. I was hired by the news department and, despite the rabid assertions of the Times'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/gail-didn-t-want-me-commenting-on-the-opinion-pages-i-was-hired-by/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [“Ten thousand grateful people jammed Sunday’s enormous tabernacle to hear him announce the death of liquor and reveal the advent of an earthly paradise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/ten-thousand-grateful-people-jammed-sunday-s-enormous-tabernacle-to/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [I believe the Times is a great newspaper, but a profoundly fallible one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/i-believe-the-times-is-a-great-newspaper-but-a-profoundly-fallible-one/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [I was probably being a little cocky, which I do when I feel that I don't know what I'm talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/i-was-probably-being-a-little-cocky-which-i-do-when-i-feel-that-i-don/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [But I think it's undeniable that the Times is a liberal paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/but-i-think-it-s-undeniable-that-the-times-is-a-liberal-paper/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) > [I'm saying that the WMD reporting was not consciously evil. It was bad journalism, even very bad journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/i-m-saying-that-the-wmd-reporting-was-not-consciously-evil-it-was-bad/) [Daniel Okrent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) [Explore all 25 Daniel Okrent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The pursuit of balance can create imbalance because sometimes something is true,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Okrent" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbalance-because-sometimes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbalance-because-sometimes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/daniel-okrent-23541_balance_the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbala_59514.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/daniel-okrent-23541_balance_the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbala_59514.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e9/daniel-okrent-23541_balance_the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbala_59514.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The pursuit of balance can create imbalance because sometimes something is true,” — Daniel Okrent", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Daniel Okrent", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-okrent/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The pursuit of balance can create...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbalance-because-sometimes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-okrent/the-pursuit-of-balance-can-create-imbalance-because-sometimes/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```