--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let me explain a little: Certain things…" description: "\"“Let me explain a little: Certain things are bad so far as they go, such as pain, and no one, not even a lunatic, calls a tooth-ache good in itself; bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/g-k-chesterton-224_good-enough_let-me-explain-a-little-certain-things-a_856029.jpg" --- # Let me explain a little: Certain things are bad so far as… ![“Let me explain a little: Certain things are bad so far as they go, such as pain, and no one, not even a lunatic, calls a tooth-ache good in itself; but a knife which cuts clumsily and with difficulty is called a bad knife, which it certainly is not. It is only not so good as other knives to which…” quote by G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/g-k-chesterton-224_good-enough_let-me-explain-a-little-certain-things-a_856029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/g-k-chesterton-224_good-enough_let-me-explain-a-little-certain-things-a_856029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/g-k-chesterton-224_good-enough_let-me-explain-a-little-certain-things-a_856029.jpg) > ““Let me explain a little: Certain things are bad so far as they go, such as pain, and no one, not even a lunatic, calls a tooth-ache good in itself; but a knife which cuts clumsily and with difficulty is called a bad knife, which it certainly is not. It is only not so good as other knives to which men have grown accustomed. A knife is never bad except on such rare occasions as that in which it is neatly and scientifically planted in the middle of one's back. The coarsest and bluntest knife which ever broke a pencil into pieces instead of sharpening it is a good thing in so far as it is a knife. It would have appeared a miracle in the Stone Age. What we call a bad knife is a good knife not good enough for us; what we call a bad hat is a good hat not good enough for us; what we call bad cookery is good cookery not good enough for us; what we call a bad civilization is a good civilization not good enough for us. We choose to call the great mass of the history of mankind bad, not because it is bad, but because we are better. This is palpably an unfair principle. Ivory may not be so white as snow, but the whole Arctic continent does not make ivory black.”” [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our judgments label things as bad only when they fall short of our expectations; standards shape perception of quality **In simple terms:** We deem objects bad when they don't meet our accustomed standards Key Takeaway Reevaluate standards before labeling something as bad Themes perception relativism expectations Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - product design - education - cultural criticism - personal habits Key Concepts Philosophy of value cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do your expectations shape judgments? - Can you find value beyond your standards? A Different Perspective Labels can hinder appreciation of inherent worth ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad Knife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-knife-801912/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Good Knife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-knife-438670/) [Good Knives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-knives-801911/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Knife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knife/) [Knife Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knife-good-801910/) [Sharpening Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sharpening-good-801913/) [Stone age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stone-age/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm pretty good with knives. 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A knife is never bad except on such rare occasions as that in which it is neatly and scientifically planted in the middle of one's back. The coarsest and bluntest knife which ever broke a pencil into pieces instead of sharpening it is a good thing in so far as it is a knife. It would have appeared a miracle in the Stone Age. What we call a bad knife is a good knife not good enough for us; what we call a bad hat is a good hat not good enough for us; what we call bad cookery is good cookery not good enough for us; what we call a bad civilization is a good civilization not good enough for us. We choose to call the great mass of the history of mankind bad, not because it is bad, but because we are better. This is palpably an unfair principle. Ivory may not be so white as snow, but the whole Arctic continent does not make ivory black.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "G.K. 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