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That is a very important point, in that people tend to want absolutes, dichotomies, in their view of things. In some cases, like moral absolutes, they exist; but in others, they are more dynamic, with tendencies in one direction or another that can change over time.

This is why strength and weakness are good measures of men.

For example, Napoleon observed that “Fatigue makes cowards of us all”. And that is quite correct, except fatigue under the same stresses, is not evenly divided.

In the strong, fatigue can be addressed as something to be overcome, within limits. But in the weak, fatigue can be reinforced, made stronger, by “indulging” in it, using up one’s energy in fretting about how tired you are.

A strong person might “tough it out” through intense pain; but a weak person can be laid low by a paper cut.

Strength and weakness are also relative to age, gender, knowledge, and many other motivations. A person accumulates things that make them strong and weak over the course of their life, and they parcel out their strengths and weaknesses. A person surrounded by strong people may offer only weakness, but when the strength of the strong fails them, the person exhibiting weakness can step into the gap and ‘save the day’, since their strength is reserved.

Some people indulge so much that all that is left in them is weakness. But a real argument can be made, for example, to question “does drink make us weak, or do we drink because we are weak?” It is likelier that weak people can be more easily addicted, and find it harder to break their addictions.

Strength can also be problematic, as it can lead to arrogance, or cause dependency in others. While a strong person might be able to do a task ‘best’, they might step aside and let others try their might, to discover if they can succeed or fail.

We are complex creatures, and it may be best to “know strength and weakness when I see it”, not being too quick to judge them in others. Those who are truly strong or weak will make themselves known.