Consistency is a virtue until it becomes inconvenient. Then, suddenly, it’s time to quote Emerson.
That is correct. Any principle, carried to its logical extreme, results in absurdity. "Consistency" btw is not a virtue in itself, only a useful principle. It has no moral standing. And as Emerson said when correctly quoted, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
Emerson was right. A man much wiser than I once said, "There are times when it is necessary to rise above principle and do the right thing." He was right too.