“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is a common phrase most people have heard. Simply, this term means don’t judge people based on how they look, but can this really be applied in daily life? At times, you have to judge someone on how they look in order to stay safe.
This term originated from the novel The Mill on the Floss. According to the Grammarist, “The expression “don’t judge a book by its cover,” sometimes rendered as you can’t judge a book by its cover, is traced to the novel The Mill on the Floss, written by George Eliot in 1860. In the novel, the reference is to a physical book when the character, Mr. Tulliver, uses it when discussing Daniel Defoe’s The History of the Devil.” (Danielle McLeod 2024).
In literary terms, this cliche statement applies when looking for a book. When searching for a book, there are endless options. How do you decide on what book you want to read? You have to judge a book by its cover. Many do not have the time to read each and every book and decide which one they want!
Now look at the statement the way many people view it metaphorically. Judging someone based on the way they look is downright wrong. In some cases, it is. For example, if someone approaches you wanting to be your friend, but they are wearing “uncool shoes”, they should not be judged because of the shoes they are wearing. Likewise, if someone is wearing “uncool clothes” they may not have enough money to buy “cool” clothes and they should not be judged by that.
In the case I mentioned before, it is rude to judge someone badly based on what they are wearing. However, judging people based on what they’re wearing does not always have a negative implication. For example, if someone you see in the hallway is wearing bright colors, a person can infer that they are a bubbly person and full of life. So this way of judging someone is not all that bad.
In my opinion, I would justify judging someone when it comes to safety. When someone randomly begins to approach you, your likely thought would probably be, “Why are they approaching me? Who is this person and what do they want? Do they look safe?” There’s no time to think, “I’m not going to judge them because I’m not supposed to judge people.” In our world right now, you never know what someone may do when they approach you. Sadly, this is the world we live in today. So I would say that in general, it’s best to be open-minded, but this may not always be the safest option.
The cliché term “don’t judge a book by its cover” is taught. But is this accurate? It is not okay to judge people, but at times, should it be? Overall, is the term “don’t judge a book by its cover” true in today’s world? That is for you to decide.
