"What do you say about the distinction between 'mistake' and 'stupidity', Ling?"
"A mistake is a correct action upon a wrong idea, whereas stupidity is the opposite action to what is logical upon any idea, correct or wrong."
"That is mere description or definition [12. I did not mean
that. Don't you realise that in the case of mistakes, everybody
is aware of that they occur, everybody knows that everybody makes
them, therefore they take them into account, they develop forms
and ways of checking and, ... they are forgiven. Not so with stupidity!
Nobody admits them or take them into account. No ways of
checking up, denial that they EVER occur, and when one shows up
unmistakingly, it is unforgivable. Thus, nobody is on the lookout for them,
yet we find them everywhere." [12]