Minds Differ Just as Faces Do

Minds Differ Just as Faces Do

“Minds differ just as faces do” comes from the Zuo Commentary, Duke Xiang, year thirty-one. It means that people's thoughts and judgements vary as visibly as their faces.

Zipi wanted the inexperienced Yin He to govern an estate. Zichan objected that real government should not be used as the place where someone first learns to govern. After Zipi accepted the criticism, Zichan added that he could not assume their minds were alike; he was simply reporting the danger as he saw it.

The sentence does not mean that everyone has their own truth and argument is pointless. It acknowledges difference while preserving a duty to speak candidly: do not present one's judgement as a shared mind, but do not remain silent merely because another person may disagree.

https://ctext.org/chun-qiu-zuo-zhuan/xiang-gong-san-shi-yi-nian/zh


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