--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The acceptance of ambiguity implies more…" description: "\"The acceptance of ambiguity implies more than the commonplace understanding that some good things and some bad things happen to us. It means that we kn..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc9/sydney-j-harris-1578_acceptance_the-acceptance-of-ambiguity-implies-more_2729353.jpg" --- # The acceptance of ambiguity implies more than the… ![“The acceptance of ambiguity implies more than the commonplace understanding that some good things and some bad things happen to us. It means that we know that good and evil are inextricably intermixed in human affairs; that they contain, and sometimes embrace, their opposites; that success may…” quote by Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc9/sydney-j-harris-1578_acceptance_the-acceptance-of-ambiguity-implies-more_2729353.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc9/sydney-j-harris-1578_acceptance_the-acceptance-of-ambiguity-implies-more_2729353.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc9/sydney-j-harris-1578_acceptance_the-acceptance-of-ambiguity-implies-more_2729353.jpg) > “The acceptance of ambiguity implies more than the commonplace understanding that some good things and some bad things happen to us. It means that we know that good and evil are inextricably intermixed in human affairs; that they contain, and sometimes embrace, their opposites; that success may involve failure of a different kind, and failure may be a kind of triumph.” [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ambiguity means good and evil coexist, success can contain failure, and failure can be a form of triumph. **In simple terms:** Life mixes good and bad, success and failure. Key Takeaway Embrace complexity and paradox. Themes philosophy ethics human experience duality growth Mood contemplative insightful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - decision making - conflict resolution - personal growth - creative projects Key Concepts interdependence paradox resilience Questions to Reflect On - When have you seen failure become success? - How do you balance opposing forces? A Different Perspective Simplifying this view may overlook clear moral judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Acceptance Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance-ambiguity-2943440/) [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Ambiguity Implies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity-implies-2943441/) [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Bad things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things-happen/) [Commonplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commonplace/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Different kinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-kinds/) [Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Triumph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triumph/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-good-289939/) ## Related quotes > [“. 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How can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-derrickson/if-we-re-not-compelled-to-gain-a-deeper-understanding-of-good-and/) [Scott Derrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-derrickson/) > [“...if we follow the traces of our own actions to their source, they intimate some understanding of the good life. This understanding may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-b-crawford/if-we-follow-the-traces-of-our-own-actions-to-their-source-they/) [Matthew B. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-b-crawford/) > [Truth is the object of our understanding, as good is of our will; and the understanding can no more be delighted with a lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/truth-is-the-object-of-our-understanding-as-good-is-of-our-will-and/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [I'm learning. Watching video. 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There's always room for improvement. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/my-mother-gave-me-an-understanding-that-as-good-as-you-think-you-are/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [What the ordinary person means by a 'miracle' is some gross distortion or suspension of the laws of nature... but life itself strikes him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/what-the-ordinary-person-means-by-a-miracle-is-some-gross-distortion/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## More by Sydney J. Harris > [This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/this-is-a-lesson-mankind-has-not-yet-learned-we-identify-and-stratify/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/character-is-something-you-forge-for-yourself-temperament-is/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Middle Age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, 'Why bother?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/middle-age-is-that-perplexing-time-of-life-when-we-hear-two-voices/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [The profound immoralities of our time are cruelty, indifference, injustice and the use of others as means rather than ends in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-profound-immoralities-of-our-time-are-cruelty-indifference/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/marriages-we-regard-as-the-happiest-are-those-in-which-each-of-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“...it calls for deciding things on their own merit, not because you read it or were told it or grew up believing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/it-calls-for-deciding-things-on-their-own-merit-not-because-you-read/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Ignorance per se is not nearly as dangerous as ignorance of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/ignorance-per-se-is-not-nearly-as-dangerous-as-ignorance-of-ignorance/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/patriotism-is-proud-of-a-country-s-virtues-and-eager-to-correct-its/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-his/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/time-is-love-above-all-else-it-is-the-most-precious-commodity-in-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Just about the only interruption we don't object to is applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/just-about-the-only-interruption-we-don-t-object-to-is-applause/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-facade-whereas-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/any-philosophy-that-can-be-put-in-a-nutshell-belongs-there/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“Like all persecuted minority groups, they strike back by forming cabals, by “taking over” certain spheres of activity (in the arts, for instance), and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/like-all-persecuted-minority-groups-they-strike-back-by-forming/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Intolerance is the most socially acceptable form of egotism, for it permits us to assume superiority without personal boasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/intolerance-is-the-most-socially-acceptable-form-of-egotism-for-it/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) [Explore all 226 Sydney J. Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. 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