Apples and Oranges

“You can’t compare apples to oranges.” Or, “That’s like comparing apples to oranges.”

That’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Because… yes, you actually can compare apples and oranges.

They’re both fruit. They both grow on trees. They both have a peel or skin. They both have seeds. They both provide nutrition. I just compared them.

I think that phrase sometimes becomes a conversation stopper. I’ll be trying to make a connection between two ideas, and instead of thinking it through, someone says, “Well, that’s like comparing apples to oranges.”

But comparison doesn’t mean two things have to be identical. It means you’re looking for similarities, differences, patterns, or lessons. That’s how we learn.

So go ahead and compare apples to oranges. And while you’re at it, compare anything else. Sometimes the most interesting insights come from comparing things that seem completely different.

What’s something you’ve compared that other people said couldn’t be compared—but doing so helped you understand it better?