When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil. – Max Lerner, Actions and Passions, 1949

Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their terrible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that went before—consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves. And it is best to fix our minds on that certainty, instead of considering what may be the elements of excuse for us. – George Eliot, Adam Bede

Everyone complains of his memory, but no one complains of his judgment. – Francois de La Rochefoucauld, Maxims, 1665