--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds…" description: "\"If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then fully apt, since it is not only apt but also aptly apt. But the full aptness of such an attempt i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/ernest-sosa-12656_agents_if-a-shot-aimed-at-aptness-succeeds-aptl_228441.jpg" --- # If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then… ![“If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then fully apt, since it is not only apt but also aptly apt. But the full aptness of such an attempt is entirely compatible with its being a horrible murder, if the "hunter" is an assassin and the prey his victim. That hunter's shot may still be…” quote by Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/ernest-sosa-12656_agents_if-a-shot-aimed-at-aptness-succeeds-aptl_228441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/ernest-sosa-12656_agents_if-a-shot-aimed-at-aptness-succeeds-aptl_228441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd3/ernest-sosa-12656_agents_if-a-shot-aimed-at-aptness-succeeds-aptl_228441.jpg) > “If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then fully apt, since it is not only apt but also aptly apt. But the full aptness of such an attempt is entirely compatible with its being a horrible murder, if the "hunter" is an assassin and the prey his victim. That hunter's shot may still be outstandingly, fully apt, if it manifests the agent's competence in both archery dexterity and shot selection.” [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights that an action can be technically perfect yet morally reprehensible, separating skill from ethical judgment. **In simple terms:** Skill can be perfect even when immoral. Key Takeaway Assess competence and morality separately. Themes ethics skill morality competence Mood conflicted thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - archery competition - legal judgments - professional performance - military actions Key Concepts instrumental rationality moral evaluation Questions to Reflect On - Can a flawless act be ethically acceptable? - How do we judge competence when outcomes are harmful? A Different Perspective Perfect execution does not justify harmful intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Archery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archery/) [Assassins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assassins/) [Dexterity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dexterity/) [Hunters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunters/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) ## Related quotes > [You attain aptness by judging while in good shape and in a good situation (good light, good distance, etc.), through the exercise of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/you-attain-aptness-by-judging-while-in-good-shape-and-in-a-good/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Given its more substantial aim, a judgment is apt only if its constitutive alethic affirmation is not only apt but aptly apt. The subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/given-its-more-substantial-aim-a-judgment-is-apt-only-if-its/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [“When the shot rang out, she jerked as if the ball had plowed into her own body. The blast echoed and reechoed, loud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/when-the-shot-rang-out-she-jerked-as-if-the-ball-had-plowed-into-her/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [In an aphorism, aptness counts for more than truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-an-aphorism-aptness-counts-for-more-than-truth/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [In my view there is a level of human knowledge that involves just getting it right aptly. This "animal" epistemic level is an inferior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/in-my-view-there-is-a-level-of-human-knowledge-that-involves-just/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [“True artists do not create to fish for compliments and praises. They create to express the love they have for their craft.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/true-artists-do-not-create-to-fish-for-compliments-and-praises-they/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [With Head Off & Split, Nikky Finney establishes herself as one of the most eloquent, urgent, fearless and necessary poets writing in America today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-dawes/with-head-off-split-nikky-finney-establishes-herself-as-one-of-the/) [Kwame Dawes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-dawes/) > [He who asks fortune-tellers the future unwittingly forfeits an inner intimation of coming events that is a thousand times more exact than anything they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/he-who-asks-fortune-tellers-the-future-unwittingly-forfeits-an-inner/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Some aim to be deft, others to be laboriously careful. Neither dexterity nor conscientiousness is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chai-lu/some-aim-to-be-deft-others-to-be-laboriously-careful-neither/) Chai Lu > [This great increase of the quantity of work which, in consequence of the division of labour, the same number of people are capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/this-great-increase-of-the-quantity-of-work-which-in-consequence-of/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [It is only with prudence, sagacity, and much dexterity that great aims are accomplished, and all obstacles surmounted. Otherwise nothing is accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/it-is-only-with-prudence-sagacity-and-much-dexterity-that-great-aims/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [I hate to paint portraits! I hope never to paint another portrait in my life. Portraiture may be all right for a man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-singer-sargent/i-hate-to-paint-portraits-i-hope-never-to-paint-another-portrait-in/) [John Singer Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-singer-sargent/) > [“It is almost possible to measure a writer's skill by the dexterity with which he repeats, and yet avoids monotony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-g-williams/it-is-almost-possible-to-measure-a-writer-s-skill-by-the-dexterity/) George G. Williams > [Art, if it is successful in the task of questioning reality, if it is good painting and not merely a performance of dexterity, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swift/art-if-it-is-successful-in-the-task-of-questioning-reality-if-it-is/) [Patrick Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swift/) ## More by Ernest Sosa > [Philosophers need not much use the word 'intuition' or the concept of intuition, except when they happen to be working on the epistemology of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/philosophers-need-not-much-use-the-word-intuition-or-the-concept-of/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [When you dream, your perceptual (and other) competence is affected. You are then unable to get it right competently with the beliefs in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/when-you-dream-your-perceptual-and-other-competence-is-affected-you/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Ultimately, my more significant agreement is with a virtue tradition that features Aristotle and Descartes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/ultimately-my-more-significant-agreement-is-with-a-virtue-tradition/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [It is bad to want something that not even God could attain, especially when the impossibility becomes obvious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/it-is-bad-to-want-something-that-not-even-god-could-attain-especially/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [I am mainly concerned with unqualified knowledge, by contrast with the varieties of expert knowledge: scientific knowledge of various sorts, legal knowledge, medically expert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/i-am-mainly-concerned-with-unqualified-knowledge-by-contrast-with-the/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [It is also certain that when we assent to some piece of reasoning when our perception of it is lacking, then either we go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/it-is-also-certain-that-when-we-assent-to-some-piece-of-reasoning/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [We need some standard that will determine how likely a belief is to be true given just that it is stored in one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/we-need-some-standard-that-will-determine-how-likely-a-belief-is-to/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Descartes's epistemology is a special case of Aristotle's virtue ethics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/descartes-s-epistemology-is-a-special-case-of-aristotle-s-virtue/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [There isn't a formal definition of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/there-isn-t-a-formal-definition-of-success/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Success is better than failure; an attempt is a better attempt, it is better as an attempt, if competent than if incompetent; and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/success-is-better-than-failure-an-attempt-is-a-better-attempt-it-is/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Judgment is affirmation with the intention to thereby affirm competently enough, and indeed aptly. That distinguishes judgments from mere guesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/judgment-is-affirmation-with-the-intention-to-thereby-affirm/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Any defense of common sense must allow that it is revisable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/any-defense-of-common-sense-must-allow-that-it-is-revisable/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Given its more substantial aim, a judgment is apt only if its constitutive alethic affirmation is not only apt but aptly apt. The subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/given-its-more-substantial-aim-a-judgment-is-apt-only-if-its/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [We can pursue the Cartesian project without restricting ourselves to theology and a priori faculties. A better, broader perspective is properly sought if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/we-can-pursue-the-cartesian-project-without-restricting-ourselves-to/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [One does not avoid incompetence if one makes an attempt whose likelihood of success is too low. This seems little more than analytic: when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/one-does-not-avoid-incompetence-if-one-makes-an-attempt-whose/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) [Explore all 54 Ernest Sosa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) ## More Agents quotes > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. 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If you’re a good writer, you’re a good writer.” And if not, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-gessen/honestly-he-says-i-judge-writers-on-how-they-write-queries-if-you-re/) [Keith Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-gessen/) Browse all 1,567 Agents quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a shot aimed at aptness succeeds aptly, it is then fully apt, since it is not only apt but also aptly apt. But the full aptness of such an attempt is entirely compatible with its being a horrible murder, if the \"hunter\" is an assassin and the prey his victim. 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