Sideways Sayings # 2: Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover
Published by Andrew Leigh September 13th, 2007 in Sideways Sayings.| Creative Development for Artists, Writers and all Artistic Creativity |
# 2 of the series in which I take a swipe at daft sayings
Don’t even get me started on this one.
This saying is so wrong I scarcely know where to begin. Now I know that sayings are often metaphors, but here even the metaphor doesn’t work. I mean - of course you should judge a book by its cover - the cover’s been specially designed to tell you what kind of book it is. So if you get cowboys on the front you’ve got a pretty good chance that the good guy will wear a white hat and some character or other is going to sidle up and say howdy.
Then again, lots of other things have covers besides books. Fish fingers for instance. Fish fingers I can go with. Don’t judge a fish finger by its cover is much more useful. Have you noticed how some brands of fish finger are definitely not as full of fishy goodness as the box would have you believe?
Note: Fish fingers: are they a purely British thing or an international phenomenon? This blog needs to know - so non-UK readers please comment. I realise that a worldwide fish finger survey has little to do with creativity, but I’ll make a good creative point later - promise. And if you don’t have fish fingers in your part of the world, they are thin cuts of fish, sometimes improbably so, covered in breadcrumbs.
Anyway, fish finger packaging can be deceptive and rarely a reliable indicator of the quality inside.
And… okay… it’s true also that book covers occasionally make claims about readability that aren’t strictly true.
But don’t we make a judgement even then? I know I do. I look to see who the glowing reviews on the cover have been written by. If it’s from something like my local weekly freebie there’s a fair chance the publisher had to look quite hard to find the required tribute. So if the review reads: Brilliant! - Worksop Guardian, I think: Rubbish! - Everyone else.
I should add here that when I finally publish my first book and it says Brilliant on the cover, you’d better believe it.
Of course, this saying isn’t about books or even fish fingers, it’s about people. I suppose you could translate it as Don’t judge people by how they look and dress - and I’ll grudgingly admit there’s some truth in that.
After all, research has shown that we do judge attractive looking people as being more likeable and intelligent. Tall people do get the top jobs regardless that there may be shorter, abler candidates available. And for some reason the world’s foremost democracies generally agree that there is a direct link between a good head of hair and the ability to lead a country. And wearing a snappy suit helps too.
What that shows, perhaps, is that regardless of whether we should or should not, we habitually do judge a book by its cover - though despite the examples above, it’s mostly fairly helpful. It helps us show the world who we are, and it helps us judge the kind of people we are meeting. Not judging simply makes no sense
Yes, we can be deceived at times, but we can also be very accurate - especially if we are aware enough to look for the tell-tale signs of insincerity.
And in our own creative life and creative output it’s vital that we take both sides of the saying into account. Be aware of how you present both yourself and your work, because regardless of the quality within, people will be judging by the cover. On the other hand, do remember that people with lots of ability don’t always come across that way, while many people without much to shout about make sure that their cover tells a very different story.
So - Don’t always judge a book by its cover?
And ignore it at your own risk.
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See also:
Hi Andy
I like your post and must confess to judging many books (and people) by their covers and you are right - it is not usually a good idea. There are many times that I have made a snap decision based on appearance/mannerisms etc. only to have those conceptions shattered when I sit down with that person one-on-one.
So I would have to say that I don’t think one should judge a book by it’s cover. However I have to admit that it is inevitable that we do so given the pace of life and the number of people we meet. Sometimes we need to make snap judgements or we get swamped. I think that’s OK but we need to have antennae up all the time and make time for other people - after all you never know.
As for the fish fingers - we have them here but my kids (who are better judges of these things) don’t rate them as highly as those in the UK. I am in the US and my kids grew up on British fish fingers and so are probably biased!
Hi Jerry
Yes - I suppose we have to do a balance between simultaneously judging and not judging - maybe making a first impression but then being willing to modify that upon further evidence.
And the fish fingers survey is up and running - anyone like to concur with Jerry about the quality of UK and US fish fingers?
I don’t think there’s a human who walks this earth who doesn’t judge book by its cover to some degree, and the ones who say they don’t are probably liars. I think the most we can hope for is for people to be aware that is what they are doing and to be open-minded enough to allow themselves to change that initial perception.
As for fish fingers, I’ve not had any for about 2 years since giving up fish and OH! how I miss them. Their carefully honed bread-crumbed bodies providing a sumptuous exo-skeleton for the creamy and succulent (assuming you didn’t leave it under the grill for too long) fishy goodness that lies beneath. Marry that up with the softest white bread you can find and a good dollop of ketchup and you have perfection in a sandwich.
So no, I don’t miss them. Not at all.
All credit to you, John, for staying off the fish fingers for so long when you obviously enjoyed them so much. That’s the best description of a fish finger sarny I’ve ever read (well, it’s the only one I’ve ever read, but that doesn’t lessen its accuracy). Sorry for setting off any pangs of desire. If it’s any consolation, they’re just as good as you remember.
Note to any/all voters around the World………Amy Winehouse would NOT make a great leader.
Fishfingers! I love the crunchy little devils (and OHHHHH, how the recipe has improved over the last 24 months….sorry John).
I agree with Jerry and John. It’s impossible to stop yourself judging people ‘on sight’, however a quick scan of the first page or the back cover can quickly help with those initial assumptions. Sometimes a little gem may be found by simply taking those extra few seconds. I’m lucky….I can’t afford a big, World destroying car, but I CAN afford LOTS of ‘extra few seconds’. I’ve met some fantastic people that otherwise would have never enriched my life. That car?……Depreciating in value the moment it leaves the showroom. My life and experiences?…..Appreciating by the hour (or every few seconds in some instances!).
You’re doing a great and very worthwhile job here Andy. Keep it up. I wish I’d discovered it sooner (I knew it was here……but today is the first time I’ve ‘discovered’ it…….a bit like ‘listening and not hearing’ etc etc, if you know what I mean.
Thanks for the kind words - and some deep wisdom there too, Rob. Sorry I didn’t reply sooner to this one (6 months!) but I only just found it.