--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am willing to allow that smoking is a…" description: "\"I am willing to allow that smoking is a moral weakness, but on the other hand, we must beware of the man without weaknesses. He is not to be trusted. H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/lin-yutang-2491_existence_i-am-willing-to-allow-that-smoking-is-a_1240093.png" --- # I am willing to allow that smoking is a moral weakness… ![“I am willing to allow that smoking is a moral weakness, but on the other hand, we must beware of the man without weaknesses. He is not to be trusted. He is apt to be always sober and he cannot make a single mistake. His habits are likely to be regular, his existence more mechanical and his head…” quote by Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/lin-yutang-2491_existence_i-am-willing-to-allow-that-smoking-is-a_1240093.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/lin-yutang-2491_existence_i-am-willing-to-allow-that-smoking-is-a_1240093.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/lin-yutang-2491_existence_i-am-willing-to-allow-that-smoking-is-a_1240093.png) > “I am willing to allow that smoking is a moral weakness, but on the other hand, we must beware of the man without weaknesses. He is not to be trusted. He is apt to be always sober and he cannot make a single mistake. His habits are likely to be regular, his existence more mechanical and his head always maintains its supremacy over his heart. Much as I like reasonable persons, I hate completely rational beings.” [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) ## 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 warns that flawless rationality can mask hidden moral flaws, making such people untrustworthy despite their apparent perfection. **In simple terms:** Perfect rationality may hide moral weakness. Key Takeaway Beware of those who seem too perfect. Themes trust rationality humanity morality perfection Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical critical cautionary When to use this quote - leadership assessment - personal relationships - team building - ethical decision making Key Concepts philosophy psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - Can absolute rationality coexist with moral integrity? - How do we balance reason and emotion? A Different Perspective A perfectly rational person may lack empathy and be prone to rigidity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Smoking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smoking/) [Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sober/) [Supremacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supremacy/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) ## Related quotes > [A man's weaknesses may intrude on his faith but they do not diminish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/a-man-s-weaknesses-may-intrude-on-his-faith-but-they-do-not-diminish/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [That was one of the things that worried me – to be raised to the position of a semi-god – because then you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/that-was-one-of-the-things-that-worried-me-to-be-raised-to-the/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“The mind becomes much more beautiful, when man could see his own weaknesses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/the-mind-becomes-much-more-beautiful-when-man-could-see-his-own/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“difficulty is not lack of knowledge, but moral weakness. 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Why not change the system and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/fear-coercion-punishment-are-the-masculine-remedies-for-moral/) [Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/) > [There is always a certain glamour about the idea of a nation rising up to crush an evil simply because it is wrong. Unfortunately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/there-is-always-a-certain-glamour-about-the-idea-of-a-nation-rising/) [W. E. B. 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Any county's moral strength, or its moral weakness, is quickly measurable by the street attire and attitude of its women - especially its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/any-county-s-moral-strength-or-its-moral-weakness-is-quickly/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“essential moral weakness of this narcissist had been clearly shown in the manner in which he had subdued his indignation at the betrayal ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-tusa/essential-moral-weakness-of-this-narcissist-had-been-clearly-shown-in/) [Ann Tusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-tusa/) ## More by Lin Yutang > [There are no books in this world that everybody must read, but only books that a person must read at a certain time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/there-are-no-books-in-this-world-that-everybody-must-read-but-only/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [And if the reader has no taste for what he reads, all the time is wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/and-if-the-reader-has-no-taste-for-what-he-reads-all-the-time-is/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [“Much as I like reasonable persons, I hate completely rational beings. For that reason, I am always scared and ill at ease when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/much-as-i-like-reasonable-persons-i-hate-completely-rational-beings/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [An educated man is one who has the loves and hatreds together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/an-educated-man-is-one-who-has-the-loves-and-hatreds-together/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [The best that we can hope for in this life is that we shall not have sons and grandsons of whom we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/the-best-that-we-can-hope-for-in-this-life-is-that-we-shall-not-have/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [By association with nature's enormities, a man's heart may truly grow big also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/by-association-with-nature-s-enormities-a-man-s-heart-may-truly-grow/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [Art is both creation and recreation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/art-is-both-creation-and-recreation/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [Now it is characteristic of play that one plays without reason and there must be no reason for it. Play is its own good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/now-it-is-characteristic-of-play-that-one-plays-without-reason-and/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [The wise man reads both books and life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/the-wise-man-reads-both-books-and-life-itself/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/i-like-spring-but-it-is-too-young-i-like-summer-but-it-is-too-proud/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/hope-is-like-a-road-in-the-country-there-was-never-a-road-but-when/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [Is it not tragic, for example, that while in the last World War almost everyone believed it was the war to end all wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/is-it-not-tragic-for-example-that-while-in-the-last-world-war-almost/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [All I know is that if God loves me only half as much as my mother does, he will not send me to Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/all-i-know-is-that-if-god-loves-me-only-half-as-much-as-my-mother/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [Let him cry whoever feels like crying, for we were animals before we became reasoning beings, and the shedding of a tear, whether of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/let-him-cry-whoever-feels-like-crying-for-we-were-animals-before-we/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [There is a great probability that our loss of capacity for enjoying the positive joys of life is largely due to the decreased sensibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/there-is-a-great-probability-that-our-loss-of-capacity-for-enjoying/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) [Explore all 162 Lin Yutang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am willing to allow that smoking is a moral weakness, but on the other hand, we must beware of the man without weaknesses. He is not to be trusted. He is apt to be always sober and he cannot make a single mistake. 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