Jefferson grasps something most moral advice misses: that principles and aesthetics operate by entirely different rules, and confusing them wastes both your integrity and your influence. The deeper wisdom here isn't just "be stubborn about what matters"—it's recognizing that *adaptability in trivial things actually strengthens your credibility* when you do plant your feet. A politician who insists on wearing last decade's fashion while compromising on civil rights looks foolish, but one who wears what the moment calls for while refusing to abandon democratic ideals becomes someone others might actually follow. The rock only matters because everything around it shifts.