Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.

Balaji Viswanathan
Aug 23, 2017 · 2 min read

This is the famous quote by Eleanor Roosevelt [wife of FDR]. What does it mean? Should we not talk about people at all? Let us take Roger Federer as an example.

If we discuss Federer’s forehand, mental acumen, fitness and training, we are discussing ideas. It could help refine our tennis skills or even become better humans. We become less religious/fanatical when discussing our heroes this way. The emphasis is less on Federer but more on the attributes that makes a champion. It could get us somewhere.

If we discuss the Federer’s grand slam wins (such as the 2003 Wimbeldon), the individual matches, the rankings, faults, winning percentages, etc we are discussing events. Essentially it is trivia that keeps us entertained. The events are the compiled version of the ideas & potential. However, it is hard to decipher/decipher the ideas from the events. Although it is not harmful, it might not be useful to our lives though.

If we discuss Federer’s wife, girlfriends, family, the color of shorts, public utterances, brawls, fights, number of kisses he got etc, we are neither discussing the ideas that made a champion nor the events that displayed the strengths. We are just bitching and filling our minds with useless stuff.

In all the 3 cases, the subject is Federer, but the emphasis & directions are different. It is quite easy to gossip about people & requires very little mental skill. It requires some memory & attention to details to discuss events. But, when it comes to ideas, you have to know the stuff & this forces you on the path of learning.

Like every good quote, this one relies on simplicity & succinctness. It is impossible to discuss exclusively on ideas or people or events. I’m pretty sure the quote implies:
“Great minds are more likely to enjoy discussing ideas. Average minds are more likely to enjoy discussing events. Small minds are more likely to enjoy discussing people.”

)

Balaji Viswanathan

Written by

CEO of Invento Robotics. I help build the Mitra robot. Top Writer on Quora. Former Microsoftie and an active traveler.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade