Imagine that human nature can be perfected, and the human failings all around you—others’ and your own—will infuriate you. You might even find yourself tempted to think, like Robespierre, that people must be bullied or terrorized into goodness. Recognize, as realists do, that life has a tragic character—that human beings are flawed, and that both the natural and the human world are beyond your power to control, and you’ll have a better chance of serving effectively.
