We should always keep a corner of our heads open and free, that we may make room for the opinions of our friends. Let us have heart and head hospitality.

Being able to change your mind requires keeping some room unoccupied. A head filled entirely with settled conclusions has nowhere to put what a friend offers, so the offer gets argued with automatically rather than considered. The same goes for the heart, which can be so full of its own concerns that another person’s do not fit. Hospitality is a good word for it, since it means making space before the guest arrives.

Go into your next serious conversation with one question you genuinely do not know the answer to. Leave the other person’s view intact for a day before deciding what you think of it.