Learn English – What does “so many men, so many minds” mean

quotes

I've come across the phrase "So many men, so many minds".

Apparently, the full quote is from Leo Tolstoy, and is "If so many men, so many minds, certainly so many hearts, so many kinds of love."

What does the quote mean?

I'm interested in both the original meaning, and also how it's used nowadays, if the two differ.

Best Answer

Apparently, the full quote is from Leo Tolstoy, and is "If so many men, so many minds, certainly so many hearts, so many kinds of love."

The original saying/proverb if from Terentius (Terence), and was made popular by Cicero: "quot/tot capita/ homines, tot sententiae" = "there are as many opinions as there are men".see here, and its meaning hasn't changed: every man is unique and has individual judgement/ideas/opinions.

Tolstoj extented it to the heart: every man has a unique way of loving.

This classical saying is not used a lot, and if it is quoted is quoted in Latin. It's so 'cool'. The italics indicate the most popular version of the saying.

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