We're far more ingenious at diagnosing others' mistakes than our own—not from malice, but because distance grants clarity that proximity denies. When your friend complains about staying in a dead-end job, you see the obvious escape hatch; when you face the same choice, fear and habit cloud your vision. The real sting here is that Coelho isn't simply noting our hypocrisy, but suggesting something lonelier: that wisdom about ourselves may be harder to access than wisdom about anyone else on earth. A therapist can listen to a stranger's troubles with perfect objectivity for an hour, then go home unsure whether to call an old friend or let the friendship fade.