People hasten to judge in order not to be judged themselves. — Albert Camus

People hasten to judge in order not to be judged themselves.

Author: Albert Camus

Insight: We're often quicker to label someone else than to sit with our own contradictions. That snap judgment—the coworker who's "lazy," the friend who's "selfish," the stranger whose politics are "ridiculous"—actually serves a purpose. By pronouncing sentence on them, we temporarily escape the discomfort of being scrutinized ourselves. It's easier to point outward than inward. The thing is, this reflex catches us in a trap. The moment we're harshly judging others, we're usually bracing ourselves against being judged the same way. We think if we're the one doing the evaluating, we're safe from evaluation. But it doesn't work that way. The opposite often happens: people sense that quickness to judge and become more guarded around us, which means we never get to be truly known either. There's a quieter path available. When we notice that urge to immediately categorize someone, we can pause and ask what we're protecting ourselves from. That breath of hesitation—that willingness to sit with uncertainty about someone else—is actually how we become people worth knowing. It sounds like weakness, but it's the opposite. It takes real strength to let yourself be judged while holding back judgment of others.

Source: The Fall, 1956