measure the stature of great men by the yardstick of small men ; A knave thinks of others in terms of his own desires. ; gauge the heart of a gentle man with one's own mean measure ; He has no idea of what the princely man aspires. ; like a knave who uses his own yardstick to measure the motive of an upright man ; try to estimate what's in the heart of the great with the heart of the mean