ProverbWisdomEnglish origin17th c.

Great minds think alike

Meaning: Intelligent people often reach the same conclusions.

Origin: The older form was "good wits jump" — clever minds leap to the same conclusion — recorded in the early 17th century. Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy (1761) has "great wits jump," and "great minds think alike" replaced it in the 19th century. The skeptical rider "and fools seldom differ" is a later addition.

Equivalents in French and German

  • French: Les grands esprits se rencontrent (literally: Great minds meet)
  • German: Zwei Dumme, ein Gedanke (literally: Two fools, one thought)

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