No man can justly censure or condemn another, because indeed no man truly knows another.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People should not judge others because true knowledge of another person is impossible. Judgment requires understanding that no one possesses.
- In plain terms
- You should not criticize other people because you do not really know them.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid judging others since you cannot fully know their hearts or minds.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What limits do we have in knowing others?
- When is judgment necessary?
Another view
This view might discourage holding people accountable for harmful actions.
More from Sir Thomas Browne
They that endeavour to abolish vice destroy also virtue, for contraries, though they destroy one another, are yet the life of one another.
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