Great minds think alike ?

Question

my boss and i both said something at the same time and I said " great minds think alike "..to which she replied " fools seldom differ "

what the h**l does this mean and was she being rude when she said it??

Answer 1

It doesn't appear that she was being rude.  On the contrary, it seems that she was replying playfully and/or reflexively by placing herself with you in the coincidence of your thinking the same thing.

"Great minds think alike, but fools seldom differ" is an English proverb.  "Great minds think alike" is an idiom found in many languages, and it has been used for many years to note the coincidence of two people reaching the same conclusion or observation at the same time.  The addition of the opposite idiomatic phrase, "but fools seldom differ," is  comparatively recent.   However, the use of the latter phrase, particularly in Britain, is very nearly a reflex.

When she replied, "[but] fools seldom differ," as you describe the circumstances, it seems that she was either replying reflexively by using the phrase or saying that the coincidence was more like "fools seldom differ" IN OUR CASES; and in doing so, she was joining with you in both senses:  "great minds" and "fools."  

Had her remark been been intended as an insult or to be rude, she would have been insulting both you AND HERSELF.  That seems unlikely.

Answer 2

that you guys are both fools. its right in front of you...

Answer 3

I always say the same thing.She wasn't being rude just giving the opposite adage.

It just demonstrates that for most of these sayings there is another that states the opposite, i.e.

Many hands make light work.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.