“A bad person will never be a good professional.” The phrase, said by Howard Gardner — father of the theory of multiple intelligences

— in an interview with the newspaper La Vanguardia, is uncomfortable at first glance, but it provokes a deep reflection on what truly sustains professional excellence.

Gardner states that there is no excellence where there is no ethics. According to him, no matter how much someone may achieve a high level of technical ability, that person will never be truly excellent if he or she lacks human values that transcend his or her own ego. Excellence, therefore, is measured not only by skill, but by moral commitment to something greater than one’s own ambition.

"Learning is the only antidote to old age, and I practice it daily at Harvard with my students. It is foolish to classify human beings as intelligent or stupid, because each one of us is unique and unclassifiable. You can live without philosophy, but you will be worse off. Recently, I received an honorary doctorate in Pedagogy from Ramon Llull University."

"Aprender é o único antídoto para a velhice, e eu o pratico diariamente em Harvard com meus alunos. É tolice classificar os seres humanos como inteligentes ou estúpidos, porque cada um de nós é único e inclasificável. Você pode viver sem filosofia, mas estará em pior situação. Recentemente, recebi um doutorado honorário em Pedagogia pela Universidade Ramon Llull."

"Aprender es el único antídoto contra la vejez y yo lo tomo cada día en Harvard con mis alumnos. Es tonto clasificar a los humanos en listos y tontos, porque cada uno de nosotros es único e inclasificable. Puedes vivir sin filosofía, pero peor. Soy flamante honoris causa en Pedagogía por la Ramon Llull"

https://www.lavanguardia.com/lacontra/20160411/401021583313/una-mala-persona-no-llega-nunca-a-ser-buen-profesional.html

Good and bad people: a complex distinction

It is evident that classifying human beings as “good” or “bad” is a simplification. We are a complex mixture of luminous qualities and inevitable shadows. However, by observing how these characteristics manifest themselves at work, it becomes possible to perceive when the dark side weighs more heavily than the bright side — and it is precisely this that prevents true excellence.

The three pillars of excellence: technical excellence, commitment, and ethics

Gardner summarizes what he found in his research with a simple concept: the best professionals are ECE — excellent, committed, and ethical.

Without these three elements, excellence cannot sustain itself.

The interview makes this clear:

— Why are there excellent professionals who are bad people?

— We discovered that such people do not exist. Perhaps they have technical expertise, but they are not excellent.

— You cannot be a brilliant professional and, at the same time, a bad person?

— No. True excellence requires going beyond one’s own ego. It requires commitment to something that benefits everyone. This requires ethics.

The logic is clear: wealth and skill can be achieved without principles; excellence cannot.

The temptation of the shortcut

Gardner also points to a current phenomenon: many young people recognize the value of ethics, but believe that it is a “luxury” only possible after success. Before that, they say, it would be necessary to “elbow others aside.”

It is a mistake that reveals a distorted paradigm: the idea that ethics slows one down, when, in truth, it is what sustains what endures.

The human soul as a working tool

Carl Gustav Jung reinforces this perspective with an emblematic phrase:

“Know all the theories. Master all the techniques. But when you touch a human soul, be just another human soul.”

There is no professional competence that can be completely separated from the person who performs it. We are shaped by our emotions, values, dilemmas, joys, and pains — and all of this molds the way we work, decide, and relate to others.

Before being professionals, we are people.

And it is this fact that balances, deepens, and gives meaning to what we do.

The human palette: white, black, and a thousand colors

We are complex beings: sometimes bright, sometimes shadowed, and often multicolored. Excellence arises when we manage to direct this palette toward what builds, what adds value, and what improves our surroundings.

Cultivating goodness, ethics, balance, and sensitivity is not only an ideal; it is a concrete condition for becoming complete professionals — and more upright human beings.

I found the original interview.

Original source:

La Vanguardia — La Contra

Title: Howard Gardner: “A bad person never becomes a good professional”

Interviewer: Lluís Amiguet

Date: April 11, 2016, according to internal references from La Vanguardia itself; the page appears as published on 04/10/2016 in the site’s current record.

Direct link:

https://www.lavanguardia.com/lacontra/20160411/401021583313/una-mala-persona-no-llega-nunca-a-ser-buen-profesional.html

The central phrase appears like this in the Spanish original:

> “We discovered that there are none. In reality, bad people cannot be excellent professionals. They never become so. Perhaps they have technical expertise, but they are not excellent.”

And the part about ECE appears like this:

> “What we have verified is that the best professionals are always ECE: excellent, committed, and ethical.”

Reference in ABNT format:

AMIGUET, Lluís. Howard Gardner: “Una mala persona no llega nunca a ser buen profesional”. La Vanguardia, La Contra, Barcelona, 11 Apr. 2016. Available at: https://www.lavanguardia.com/lacontra/20160411/401021583313/una-mala-persona-no-llega-nunca-a-ser-buen-profesional.html. Accessed on: 26 June 2026.

I also found republications/commentaries, but the main source is La Vanguardia itself. The Psyciencia article confirms that the interview was done by La Vanguardia and summarizes its central points.

Entrevista original.

Fonte original:
La Vanguardia — La Contra
Título: Howard Gardner: “Una mala persona no llega nunca a ser buen profesional”
Entrevistador: Lluís Amiguet
Data: 11 de abril de 2016, conforme referências internas da própria La Vanguardia; a página aparece publicada em 10/04/2016 no registro atual do site.

Link direto:
https://www.lavanguardia.com/lacontra/20160411/401021583313/una-mala-persona-no-llega-nunca-a-ser-buen-profesional.html

A frase central aparece assim no original em espanhol:

“Descubrimos que no los hay. En realidad, las malas personas no puedan ser profesionales excelentes. No llegan a serlo nunca. Tal vez tengan pericia técnica, pero no son excelentes.”

E a parte sobre ECE aparece assim:

“Lo que hemos comprobado es que los mejores profesionales son siempre ECE: excelentes, comprometidos y éticos.”

Referência em formato ABNT:

AMIGUET, Lluís. Howard Gardner: “Una mala persona no llega nunca a ser buen profesional”. La Vanguardia, La Contra, Barcelona, 11 abr. 2016. Disponível em: https://www.lavanguardia.com/lacontra/20160411/401021583313/una-mala-persona-no-llega-nunca-a-ser-buen-profesional.html. Acesso em: 26 jun. 2026.

Também encontrei republicações/comentários, mas a fonte principal é a própria La Vanguardia. O artigo da Psyciencia confirma que a entrevista foi feita por La Vanguardia e resume seus pontos centrais.