It is a dangerous complacency to prove one’s excellence with poor tools.
from The Art of Worldly Wisdom Use good tools. lxii
There are those who seek to have the cleverness of their wisdom proved by the meagerness of their instruments. This is a dangerous complacency and deserves fatal punishment. The excellence of a minister does not detract from the greatness of his lord. All the glory of his achievements returns to the principal, but at the same time he receives all the blame. Fame only deals with the principal actor. She does not say, “This had a good servant and that had a bad servant;” she says, “This was a good artist and that was a bad artist. Therefore, choose your assistants and let them test you. You must trust your assistant for the immortality of your fame.
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