The quotation uses the image of a vessel or object with different handles to suggest that difficulties can often be approached in more than one way. Taking something by its “smooth handle” means choosing the perspective or method that makes a situation easier to manage, rather than needlessly focusing on its most difficult or aggravating aspect.

Jefferson included the saying among his practical rules for conduct in his letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith. In that context, it encourages judgement, composure and adaptability in everyday life. The advice does not mean ignoring genuine problems or pretending that difficulties do not exist. Instead, it recommends approaching them in a way that reduces unnecessary friction and makes sensible action more possible. More broadly, the maxim suggests that a person’s manner of interpreting and handling circumstances can influence how burdensome those circumstances become.