The saying "a penny for your thoughts" is an English idiom simply asking people to volunteer their opinions on an issue being discussed. In modern usage, it is often stated as an indirect way of asking what someone is thinking about. This phrase is basically a proposal  , and the speaker is offering to pay to hear the listener's thoughts. It is an idiom, of course, and not meant literally   so no real payment generally takes place. When the saying originated, a penny was worth a lot more than it is in the 21st century. Therefore, "a penny for your thoughts" likely indicated the thoughts were more valuable to those asking the listener for them than they are by today's standards. This loss of value can be used ironically , however, through tone  of voice; it can be used to indicate that someone's idea is bad or worth a penny in modern value. The phrase is generally credited to a man by the name of John Heywood, who was born sometime just before the 16th century. During his life, he was a writer who penned many plays and a book in 1546, later known as The Proverbs of John Heywood. It is likely Heywood did not actually come up with the phrase "a penny for your thoughts". Rather, he was simply the first person to have set the phrase down in written form. The actual origins of the term are unknown, and since his book was simply a collection of common idioms and expressions, it was probably familiar to people in the mid 1500s. Another phrase similar to "a penny for your thoughts" is offering "your two cents" after making a statement. Someone might give his or her opinion and then say, "that's my two cents," to indicate the value of his or her idea. While, much like a penny, "two cents" is relatively low in value now, it would have been more valuable at one time and the expression is used in much the same way. When someone says "a penny for your thoughts", he or she   _  .
wants to ask you for advice considers your thoughts unique is curious about what's on your mind will pay for what you're thinking about