Whenever someone says, “Great minds think alike,” usually after two people arrive at the same solution to a problem, I’m reminded of a conversation with my grandfather many years ago.
I was quite pleased with myself when I proudly announced to him that great minds think alike.
He agreed.
Then, with the wisdom that only a grandfather seems able to deliver so effortlessly, he reminded me of another saying:
“Fools seldom differ.”
I don’t remember what we had agreed upon that day. But I’ve never forgotten his response.
Two people reaching the same conclusion doesn’t necessarily make either of them right. Consensus can reflect good judgment, but it can just as easily reflect shared assumptions, incomplete information, or a failure to question what seems obvious.
My grandfather managed to teach me that lesson without a lecture, an argument, or even disagreeing with me.
He simply offered another perspective.
And decades later, whenever I hear those four words, I still hear his voice.
Great minds think alike. Fools seldom differ.