--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our greatest troubles spring from…" description: "\"Our greatest troubles spring from something that is as admirable as it is dangerous ... our impatience to better the lot of our fellows.\" — Karl Popper" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/karl-popper-2167_admirable_our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-someth_1991680.jpg" --- # Our greatest troubles spring from something that is as… ![“Our greatest troubles spring from something that is as admirable as it is dangerous ... our impatience to better the lot of our fellows.” quote by Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/karl-popper-2167_admirable_our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-someth_1991680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/karl-popper-2167_admirable_our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-someth_1991680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/karl-popper-2167_admirable_our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-someth_1991680.jpg) > “Our greatest troubles spring from something that is as admirable as it is dangerous ... our impatience to better the lot of our fellows.” [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our impatience to improve others' lives can be both noble and risky, leading to unintended consequences. **In simple terms:** Impatience to help can be dangerous. Key Takeaway Balance urgency with caution. Themes ethics politics humanity Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical pragmatic When to use this quote - policy making - activism - community projects - education initiatives - philanthropy Key Concepts risk idealism social reform Questions to Reflect On - How can we temper urgency with foresight? - What safeguards prevent well‑meaning actions from backfiring? A Different Perspective Good intentions may cause harm if not well‑thought. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Impatience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impatience/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) ## Related quotes > [ I see now more clearly than ever before that even our greatest troubles spring from something that is \[as\] admirable and sound as it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/i-see-now-more-clearly-than-ever-before-that-even-our-greatest/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [There has been a constant struggle on the part of the military element to keep the end- fighting, or readiness to fight-superior to mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-thayer-mahan/there-has-been-a-constant-struggle-on-the-part-of-the-military/) [Alfred Thayer Mahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-thayer-mahan/) > [N. S. Khrushchev established his supremacy in the U.S.S.R. after post-Stalinist alarums and excursions (1958-64). This admirable rough diamond, a believer in reform and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hobsbawm/n-s-khrushchev-established-his-supremacy-in-the-u-s-s-r-after-post/) [Eric Hobsbawm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hobsbawm/) > [Charles Darwin made arguably the greatest discovery any human has ever made. He was a man of great persistence. He wasn't probably a natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/charles-darwin-made-arguably-the-greatest-discovery-any-human-has/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I think it's perfectly acceptable and rather admirable to be moderately delusional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-gray-gubler/i-think-it-s-perfectly-acceptable-and-rather-admirable-to-be/) [Matthew Gray Gubler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-gray-gubler/) > [No method nor discipline can supersede the necessity of being forever on the alert. What is a course of history, or philosophy, or poetry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/no-method-nor-discipline-can-supersede-the-necessity-of-being-forever/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ I didn't get a chance to meet Glen \[Beck\] for this movie. I did meet him a few years ago, coincidentally, before any of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-didn-t-get-a-chance-to-meet-glen-beck-for-this-movie-i-did-meet-him/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [Of what use is it to please the herd? They are simply coarse animals - for all that is admirable in man is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/of-what-use-is-it-to-please-the-herd-they-are-simply-coarse-animals/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Mexico is sex and Canada is mind. 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He is incapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/what-is-pure-bill-or-excellent-or-admirable-the-death-of-a-million/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [It is admirable to consider how many millions of people come into, and go out of the world, ignorant of themselves and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/it-is-admirable-to-consider-how-many-millions-of-people-come-into-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Worthy is the one who remembers to thank the Lord for all His blessings; but admirable is the one who still thank God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/worthy-is-the-one-who-remembers-to-thank-the-lord-for-all-his/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Happiness is a rare plant that seldom takes root on earth-few ever enjoyed it, except for a brief period; the search after it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/happiness-is-a-rare-plant-that-seldom-takes-root-on-earth-few-ever/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [Education is very admirable but let us not forget that anything worth knowing cannot be taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/education-is-very-admirable-but-let-us-not-forget-that-anything-worth/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More by Karl Popper > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“As indicated by our example, methodological nominalism is nowadays fairly generally accepted in the natural sciences. The problems of the social sciences, on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/as-indicated-by-our-example-methodological-nominalism-is-nowadays/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [Science is perhaps the only human activity in which errors are systematically criticized and, in time, corrected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-perhaps-the-only-human-activity-in-which-errors-are/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [A system is empirical or scientific only if it is capable of being tested by experience. 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One might think that it is a matter of choice or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/i-am-opposed-to-looking-upon-logic-as-a-kind-of-game-one-might-think/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [The history of science, like the history of all human ideas, is a history of irresponsible dreams, of obstinacy, and of error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/the-history-of-science-like-the-history-of-all-human-ideas-is-a/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/good-tests-kill-flawed-theories-we-remain-alive-to-guess-again/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [There is no pure, disinterested, theory-free observation,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/there-is-no-pure-disinterested-theory-free-observation/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [We have the right not to tolerate the intolerant. We should tolerate even them whenever we can do so without running a great risk;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/we-have-the-right-not-to-tolerate-the-intolerant-we-should-tolerate/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [Better our hypotheses die for our errors than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/better-our-hypotheses-die-for-our-errors-than-ourselves/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [“Every time we proceed to explain some conjectural law or theory by a new conjectural theory of a higher degree of universality, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/every-time-we-proceed-to-explain-some-conjectural-law-or-theory-by-a/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) [Explore all 181 Karl Popper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) ## More Admirable quotes > [Consumer wants can have bizarre, frivolous, or even immoral origins, and an admirable case can still be made for a society that seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/consumer-wants-can-have-bizarre-frivolous-or-even-immoral-origins-and/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Education is very admirable but let us not forget that anything worth knowing cannot be taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/education-is-very-admirable-but-let-us-not-forget-that-anything-worth/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Happiness is a rare plant that seldom takes root on earth-few ever enjoyed it, except for a brief period; the search after it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/happiness-is-a-rare-plant-that-seldom-takes-root-on-earth-few-ever/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [Worthy is the one who remembers to thank the Lord for all His blessings; but admirable is the one who still thank God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/worthy-is-the-one-who-remembers-to-thank-the-lord-for-all-his/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [It is admirable to consider how many millions of people come into, and go out of the world, ignorant of themselves and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/it-is-admirable-to-consider-how-many-millions-of-people-come-into-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [What is pure Bill? 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They say it gives a tang, a savour, which is peculiar and fascinating. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/but-there-are-people-who-take-salt-with-their-coffee-they-say-it/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) Browse all 398 Admirable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Our greatest troubles spring from something that is as admirable as it is dangerous ... our impatience to better the lot of our fellows.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karl Popper" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-something-that-is-as-admirable-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Admirable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-something-that-is-as-admirable-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/karl-popper-2167_admirable_our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-someth_1991680.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/karl-popper-2167_admirable_our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-someth_1991680.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/karl-popper-2167_admirable_our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-someth_1991680.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our greatest troubles spring from something that is as admirable as it is dangerous ... our impatience to…” — Karl Popper", "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": "Karl Popper", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our greatest troubles spring from something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-something-that-is-as-admirable-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/our-greatest-troubles-spring-from-something-that-is-as-admirable-as/#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 } } ] } ```