Good sense about trivialities is better than nonsense about things that matter.

Beerbohm’s aphorism deflates the prestige of “important” subjects by insisting that clarity and proportion matter more than grandeur. He suggests that a modest topic handled with sound judgment is preferable to muddled thinking applied to politics, morality, religion, or other weighty matters—because confusion there can mislead, inflame, or do real harm. The line also satirizes intellectual posturing: people often reach for big themes to seem profound, yet reveal only vagueness. In Beerbohm’s characteristic spirit, it is a plea for precision, restraint, and honest competence—valuing the quality of thought over the status of the subject.