It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

The saying praises intellectual maturity: a well-trained mind can consider an idea—test its logic, imagine its implications, and weigh evidence for and against it—without immediately committing to it as true or acting on it. It distinguishes inquiry from assent, and curiosity from credulity. In practice, it points to habits central to philosophy and science: suspending judgment, entertaining hypotheses, and engaging opponents’ arguments fairly. Although often attributed to Aristotle because it fits his reputation as a systematic thinker, the line functions more as a modern aphorism about critical thinking than as a demonstrable Aristotelian dictum.

1) “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
2) “The educated mind is able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
3) “An educated mind can entertain an idea without accepting it.”