---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Total consistency is an appalling virtue."
description: "\"“Total consistency is an appalling virtue.”\" — Laurence Lerner"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/laurence-lerner-90779_consistency_total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue_2221902.jpg"
---

#  Total consistency is an appalling virtue.

![“Total consistency is an appalling virtue.” quote by Laurence Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/laurence-lerner-90779_consistency_total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue_2221902.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/laurence-lerner-90779_consistency_total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue_2221902.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/laurence-lerner-90779_consistency_total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue_2221902.jpg)

> ““Total consistency is an appalling virtue.””

Laurence Lerner

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Absolute consistency is unrealistic and can be detrimental; flexibility is needed.

**In simple terms:** Total consistency is an unrealistic virtue.

Key Takeaway

Balance consistency with adaptability.

Themes

philosophy logic ethics pragmatism critical thinking

Mood

analytical skeptical pragmatic

Type

Appalling:1 Consistency:1 Consistency Appalling:1 Total Consistency:1 Appalling Virtue:1

When to use this quote

- decision making
- software development
- legal reasoning
- personal habits
- team dynamics

Key Concepts

rigidity over‑idealism practicality contextual judgment

Questions to Reflect On

- When is flexibility more important?
- Can consistency be harmful?

A Different Perspective

Strict consistency may ignore nuance and lead to poor outcomes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consistency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistency/)

## Related quotes

> [The neglect this implied, the suffering and wasted quality of human life were appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hollows/the-neglect-this-implied-the-suffering-and-wasted-quality-of-human/)

[Fred Hollows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hollows/)

> [The economic and social decline of Zimbabwe is shocking and appalling. Life there is unrecognisable from that of the recent past. Each day is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/the-economic-and-social-decline-of-zimbabwe-is-shocking-and-appalling/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [New York is appalling, fantastically charmless and elaborately dire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/new-york-is-appalling-fantastically-charmless-and-elaborately-dire/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [“I’m tired of the news. I’m tired of the way it makes things spectacular that aren’t, and deals so simplistically with what’s truly appalling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/i-m-tired-of-the-news-i-m-tired-of-the-way-it-makes-things-2/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [All of television's appalling, but this is hardly a new statement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/all-of-television-s-appalling-but-this-is-hardly-a-new-statement/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“Life is short and the number of books is appalling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/life-is-short-and-the-number-of-books-is-appalling/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [Every other writer's process is sort of vaguely scary and appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/every-other-writer-s-process-is-sort-of-vaguely-scary-and-appalling/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [All my friends' mothers were appalling women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/all-my-friends-mothers-were-appalling-women/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [The quality of writing attracts me to films, also who the other actors are, who the director is, where it's being shot. Any or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/the-quality-of-writing-attracts-me-to-films-also-who-the-other-actors/)

[Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/)

> [Regret is an appalling waste of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/regret-is-an-appalling-waste-of-time/)

[Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/)

> [You never know with politicians what they are really saying. And I don't say that in a negative way-they have an appalling job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/you-never-know-with-politicians-what-they-are-really-saying-and-i-don/)

[James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/)

> [The fictional narratives that television, film, and the news provide for girls and young women are appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/the-fictional-narratives-that-television-film-and-the-news-provide/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [What is this life but the sound of an appalling love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/what-is-this-life-but-the-sound-of-an-appalling-love/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [This new thing about liking yourself, I find that absolutely appalling. Anyone who likes themselves, I just can't go too close to them. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-bouquet/this-new-thing-about-liking-yourself-i-find-that-absolutely-appalling/)

[Carole Bouquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-bouquet/)

> [A female friend who caught me watching Fashion TV reckons its audience is largely made up of slobbering men who are just taking a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/a-female-friend-who-caught-me-watching-fashion-tv-reckons-its/)

[Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/)

## More by Laurence Lerner

> [“To be in Lyonesse, that is the question To justify the otters, is the question The dropping of the meadows, is the question I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-lerner/to-be-in-lyonesse-that-is-the-question-to-justify-the-otters-is-the/)

Laurence Lerner

Explore all 2 Laurence Lerner quotes

## More Appalling quotes

> [The neglect this implied, the suffering and wasted quality of human life were appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hollows/the-neglect-this-implied-the-suffering-and-wasted-quality-of-human/)

[Fred Hollows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hollows/)

> [This new thing about liking yourself, I find that absolutely appalling. Anyone who likes themselves, I just can't go too close to them. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-bouquet/this-new-thing-about-liking-yourself-i-find-that-absolutely-appalling/)

[Carole Bouquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-bouquet/)

> [What is this life but the sound of an appalling love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/what-is-this-life-but-the-sound-of-an-appalling-love/)

[Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/)

> [The fictional narratives that television, film, and the news provide for girls and young women are appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/the-fictional-narratives-that-television-film-and-the-news-provide/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [You never know with politicians what they are really saying. And I don't say that in a negative way-they have an appalling job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/you-never-know-with-politicians-what-they-are-really-saying-and-i-don/)

[James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/)

> [Regret is an appalling waste of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/regret-is-an-appalling-waste-of-time/)

[Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/)

> [The quality of writing attracts me to films, also who the other actors are, who the director is, where it's being shot. Any or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/the-quality-of-writing-attracts-me-to-films-also-who-the-other-actors/)

[Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/)

> [All my friends' mothers were appalling women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/all-my-friends-mothers-were-appalling-women/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [Every other writer's process is sort of vaguely scary and appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/every-other-writer-s-process-is-sort-of-vaguely-scary-and-appalling/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Life is short and the number of books is appalling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/life-is-short-and-the-number-of-books-is-appalling/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [All of television's appalling, but this is hardly a new statement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/all-of-television-s-appalling-but-this-is-hardly-a-new-statement/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

> [“I’m tired of the news. I’m tired of the way it makes things spectacular that aren’t, and deals so simplistically with what’s truly appalling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/i-m-tired-of-the-news-i-m-tired-of-the-way-it-makes-things-2/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [New York is appalling, fantastically charmless and elaborately dire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/new-york-is-appalling-fantastically-charmless-and-elaborately-dire/)

[Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/)

> [The economic and social decline of Zimbabwe is shocking and appalling. Life there is unrecognisable from that of the recent past. Each day is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/the-economic-and-social-decline-of-zimbabwe-is-shocking-and-appalling/)

[Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/)

> [A female friend who caught me watching Fashion TV reckons its audience is largely made up of slobbering men who are just taking a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/a-female-friend-who-caught-me-watching-fashion-tv-reckons-its/)

[Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/)

Browse all 95 Appalling quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Total consistency is an appalling virtue.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laurence Lerner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-lerner/total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Appalling"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-lerner/total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/laurence-lerner-90779_consistency_total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue_2221902.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/laurence-lerner-90779_consistency_total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue_2221902.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/laurence-lerner-90779_consistency_total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue_2221902.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Total consistency is an appalling virtue.” — Laurence Lerner",
                "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": "Laurence Lerner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-lerner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Total consistency is an appalling virtue.”",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-lerner/total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-lerner/total-consistency-is-an-appalling-virtue/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```