  We obtain a relationship between the hierarchies of mixing angles and of
masses pertinent to the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) quark mixing matrix and
the Pontecorvo-Maki-Nakagawa-Sakata (PMNS) lepton mixing matrix. Using this
relationship, we argue that the more severe hierarchy of the
charge-$\frac{2}{3}$ quark masses requires that the CKM matrix be close to a
unit matrix whereas the milder hierarchy of the neutrino masses allows the PMNS
matrix to depart markedly from the CKM matrix and contain large mixing angles
of the type that are observed.
