Some minds remain open long enough for the truth not only to enter but to pass on through by way of a ready exit without pausing anywhere along the route.

Kenny’s aphorism plays on the common ideal of being “open-minded,” warning that openness without engagement can be as unhelpful as stubbornness. A mind may admit new facts or arguments yet fail to retain them—letting “truth” pass straight through because it is not examined, tested, or integrated into belief and practice. The image suggests intellectual passivity: information enters, but nothing changes. In debates over medicine, policy, or ethics, the line underscores that genuine receptivity requires attention, reflection, and willingness to revise one’s views, not merely polite exposure to new ideas.