The above quotation comes from the esteemed hand of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and is as apt today as it was back when it was first written. This insight is so valuable, that each of us needs to take time to reflect upon the meaning of it, which seems to signify that who and what we really are, affects our perceptions of the other, so that those, for instance, that are jealous-hearted have a strong tendency to see the same sort of characteristic in the other; whereas, those that see the other as being generous of spirit, typically have that quality, themselves. In other words, we attribute to the other or project onto the other, our perception of the world, in which we believe that the other somehow also has the same sort of perception as we do, which as true as we might believe this to be, is basically false, for each of us comes from our own unique background and different circumstances, thereby signifying that our goals, our thoughts, and our desires, are typically not going to align perfectly with one another, which means that what we see in others, is more often a reflection of our own prejudices and experiences, and not so much, theirs, because we do not know them at the level that we know our own self.
So then, those that have strong opinions about what they believe to be the characteristics of the other, which includes their virtues as well as their vices, may so find that after further deep reflection there is a lot of commonality in their own persona with those characteristics seemingly displayed by the other, that thereby signifies that perhaps what we believe about the other, may not be a true reflection of who and what that they really are. Indeed, as much as may want to believe that we are consistently unbiased, fair, and just in our treatment of those that we interact with, it has to be admitted, that it is difficult for many of us, to let go of those traits that color our perspective of how we perceive not only the society that we are an integral part of, but also how we judge the other, without actually acknowledging to ourselves that our judgment is done through the prism of our own mind, which includes the frailties and faults of our own being, and thereby may not be a true reflection of the other, whatsoever.
Perhaps in life, it would behoove us to judge less harshly the other, or to accord to the other far fewer negative characteristics, but instead to give the other the benefit of the doubt, as we so desire to receive from the other, as well, for each of us is made up of good and bad traits, in which, on our worse days we desire that we be not only not harshly judged for such, but also we would strongly prefer that the other would not fixate upon that particular bad behavior, but rather would remember us as we usually are or try to be, and the forgiveness and understanding that we receive in return, we should place prominently in our own hearts, as well.