Meaning of “It were not best that we should all…”

The epigram provocatively suggests that adopting public opinion can sometimes substitute borrowed judgment for the harder work of forming one’s own view.

The Old Man claims that opinions can change, but attributes the change to new evidence, conversation, study, and other influences entering from outside the individual.

Milton treats disagreement as a natural consequence of serious learning: intellectual activity produces competing arguments because knowledge is still being worked out.

Bacon describes reading as active judgment rather than passive agreement or reflexive opposition, making careful consideration the central habit of serious study.

Definitions clarify ideas but can also narrow them, especially when a label is treated as the complete reality of a person or experience.

Education should produce independent judgment rather than polished imitation, so the ability to think becomes more important than accumulating accomplishments for display.