"A strong mind sees things in their true proportions; a weak one views them through a magnifying medium, which, like the microscope, makes an elephant of a flea: magnifies all little objects, but cannot receive great ones."

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Politicians from EnglandFreemasonsNon-fiction authors from EnglandPeople from LondonBritish Ambassadors to the Netherlands
Original Language: English

Sources

Sometimes quoted as: "A weak mind is like a microscope, which magnifies trifling things but cannot receive great ones." The first publication of this form yet located is in a section of proverbs called "Diamond Dust" in Eliza Cook's Journal, No. 98 (15 March 1851)