Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

We live in a very superficial society. It is very easy to fall into the trap of looking only at the surface of people, things, and ideas without taking the time and effort to delve deeper into them. This is where the adage "Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover" comes from. Literally, you cannot tell the quality of the contents of a book just by looking at the material used to hold it together. A book with a plain cover and simple title may be more important, more entertaining, or more useful than a book bound in a flashier manner.

This metaphor can be extended to many situations in life. Perhaps the best example is the relationships between people. If you see a beautiful woman (or man), would you immediately pursue them before an average looking person? In many cases, a person looking for a significant other would. Unfortunately, the more average person may have a better sense of humor and a more interesting outlook on life. The prejudice of deciding what to do based solely on outward appearance could cost the pursuer the chance of a meaningful relationship.

It is difficult to change being so superficial, though. Our sense of vision is very strong and it is easy to fall in the trap of believing the most beautiful, shiny, or flashiest object is inherently "better." Only by maintaining strict self-discipline can we force ourselves to put these prejudices aside and look deeper into everything we do. Who knows? The more beautiful woman may turn out to be a better match for you. But you will never know if you always base your decision on what looks the best. Only by looking at the less obvious features can we know what is truly the most outstanding person, object, or idea. And then we will know it with confidence.