quote · Legacy record
There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.
There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.
Approximate author period: c. 1966 AD · modern
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Doris Lessing
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1966 AD · modern
Approximate author-period anchor from life dates 1919 to 2013; Wikidata Q40874, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q40874 (accessed 2026-10-08). Not a quotation composition date.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided quotation collection
Supplied reference C; CSV row 404647; supplied attribution, independently unverified
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.