Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

All my life I have constantly heard the expression “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Growing up, I took this expression literally and thought it was only about books, but as I got older I realized that it pertains to a whole lot more than just books. I have always “judged books by their covers” whether it is books, foods, movies, and even people. It was not until I went on a retreat my junior year of high school that I realized how important that expression is.

            This retreat that I went on was a retreat about finding yourself, getting big things in your life off of your chest, and trying to become a new, better, and more understanding person. While on this retreat, I was around people who were not exactly my best friends. However, by the time I left, if I was not friends with them I at least had an understanding for that person and what they have been through. Being on this retreat made me realize that I have no idea what other people have gone through in their life and that I have no right to judge them.

            Because of this retreat, I have a new belief and perspective on life and have been more open to meeting people and less judgmental. Since the retreat, I have always gotten to know somebody before I make assumptions of who they are without knowing them. A quote that I heard while on this retreat that really enforced this new belief was: “Sometimes it’s the people with the biggest smiles that are the ones who are hurting the most”. It is retreats and quotes like these that have made me strong in my beliefs and trying to better myself in the way I treat people.

Belief: I believe that you should not judge a book by its cover and that you should really try things out before you form an opinion.

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