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Eleanor Roosevelt once said “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”† I have seen this statement quoted — and misquoted — many times over the past six months or so, usually in the context of the presidential election or the writer’s view of one political party or the other.

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I could quibble with Ms. Roosevelt’s grammar; minds don’t discuss anything, people with minds discuss.† We sometimes refer to a person possessing a great mind as being simply “a great mind.”† I have never, however, seen one of small mind similarly denominated.† Rather, we refer to him or her as “small minded.”† I will assume that Ms. Roosevelt intended each sentence to begin with an understood “those with.”

The statement has an elitist tone to it.† It conjures up visions of the great minds (see?) of the Enlightenment spending their days in the coffee houses of London thinking and discussing Great Thoughts such as the perfect form of government, the intersection of science and religion or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.† Based on my recent experiences, discussion of ideas encompasses much more.

I had the recent luxury of spending several days with friends I see too infrequently.† This week when I read Ms. Roosevelt’s words for the almost-one-too-many-eth-time, I reflected on the conversations we had with these friends.† Those conversations were filled with ideas — not Great Thoughts or Big Ideas, simply a collection of little thoughts, ideas and observations about our lives and the world around us.† I realized that the difference between gossip and a discussion full of ideas is one of degree and nuance.† Are people and events the focus, or are they the jumping off point for something less tangible, yet more real?

I returned from my time with these friends rested both physically and mentally.† That’s the power of ideas, to invigorate and refresh.† One of my resolutions for 2009?† I will spend more time with people who think.