Very few men are wise by their own counsel, or learned by their own teaching; for he that was only taught by himself had a fool as his master.
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637) English Dramatist, Poet, Actor
He that never changes his opinion never corrects mistakes and will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today.
—Tryon Edwards American Theologian
We must dare to think ‘unthinkable’ thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world. We must learn to welcome and not to fear the voices of dissent. We must dare to think about ‘unthinkable things’ because when things become unthinkable, thinking stops and action becomes mindless.
—J. William Fulbright (1905–95) American Political leader, Politician
It is not wise to be wiser than necessary.
—Philippe Quinault (1635–88) French Dramatist, Composer
Be eager to acquire knowledge; it does not come to thee by inheritance.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Who is a wise man? He who looks into the future.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Wisdom is nothing more than healed pain.
—Robert E. Lee (1807–70) Confederate General during American Civil War
When you make a mistake, don’t look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.
—Hugh Lawson White
Death is our eternal companion. It is always to our left, an arm’s length behind us. Death is the only wise adviser that a warrior has. Whenever he feels that everything is going wrong and he’s about to be annihilated, he can turn to his death and ask if that is so. His death will tell him that he is wrong, that nothing really matters outside its touch. His death will tell him, I haven’t touched you yet.’
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
Having obtained power, a fool (usually) corrupts himself, and so hurts himself as well as others through his action.
—Buddhist Teaching
Knowledge of sin is the beginning of salvation.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.
—Warren Buffett (b.1930) American Investor
A man’s life is interesting primarily when he has failed, I well know. For it’s a sign that he tried to surpass himself.
—Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) French Head of State, Physician, Publisher, Political leader
Wisdom is a variable possession. Every man is wise when pursued by a mad dog, fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion.
—Robertson Davies (1913–95) Canada Journalist, Playwright, Academic, Critic, Novelist
The world is incomprehensible. We won’t ever understand it; we won’t ever unravel its secrets. Thus we must treat the world as it is: a sheer mystery.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
Any one can get angry — that is easy — or give or spend money; but to do this to the right person, to the right extent, at the right time, with the right motive, and in the right way, that is not for every one, nor is it easy.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
Among mortals second thoughts are wisest.
—Euripides (480–406 BCE) Ancient Greek Dramatist
His labour is a chant,
His idleness a tune;
Oh, for a bee’s experience
Of clovers and of noon.
—Emily Dickinson (1830–86) American Poet
What is the first business of one who practices philosophy? To get rid of self-conceit. For it is impossible for anyone to begin to learn that which he thinks he already knows.
—Epictetus (55–135) Ancient Greek Philosopher
Not the intensity but the duration of high feelings makes high men.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Wisdom is a tree and active virtue is its fruit.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The sage never tries to store things up. The more he does for others, the more he has. The more he gives to others, the greater his abundance.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.
—Herbert Spencer (1820–1903) English Polymath, Philosopher, Sociologist, Political Theorist
Who is the wisest man? He who neither knows or wishes for anything else than what happens.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power. If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
It is more easy to be wise for others than for ourselves.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
Wisdom is to the mind what health is to the body.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
We cannot advance without new experiments in living, but no wise man tries every day what he has proved wrong the day before.
—James Truslow Adams (1878–1949) American Historian, Writer
One learned, who is not inwardly as outwardly, is not to be looked upon as learned.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
A man only becomes wise when he begins to calculate the approximate depth of his ignorance.
—Gian Carlo Menotti (1911–2007) Italian-born American Composer
If thou hast acquired knowledge, what canst thou lack? If thou lackest knowledge, what canst thou acquire?
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
In order to improve the mind, we ought less to learn, than to contemplate.
—Rene Descartes (1596–1650) French Mathematician, Philosopher
The world is only saved by the breath of the school-children.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The greatest scholars are not usually the wisest people.
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400) English Poet, Philosopher, Diplomat, Bureaucrat
Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
Wisdom we know is the knowledge of good and evil — not the strength to choose between the two.
—John Cheever (1912–82) American Novelist, Short-story Writer
There is a difference between happiness and wisdom: he that thinks himself the happiest man is really so; but he that thinks himself the wisest is generally the greatest fool.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
—Naguib Mahfouz (1911–2006) Egyptian Novelist
The world depends on its school-children.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The beginning of pride and hatred lies in worldly desire, and the strength of your desire if from habit. When an evil tendency becomes confirmed by habit, rage is triggered when anyone restrains you.
—Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207–73) Persian Muslim Mystic
People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little.
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–78) Swiss-born French Philosopher
The fool wonders, the wise man asks.
—Benjamin Disraeli (1804–81) British Head of State
The extreme limit of wisdom — that’s what the public calls madness.
—Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) French Poet, Novelist, Dramatist, Playwright, Artist
Beware of an over-pious ignoramus and of one badly trained.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
It is necessary to have a knowledge of the world, besides a knowledge of the Holy Law.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Seeing that perfect happiness can be attained by sacrificing the inferior one, a wise man should abandon it for the sake of the perfect one.
—Buddhist Teaching
Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor vexation. Where there is poverty and joy, there is neither greed nor avarice. Where there is peace and meditation, there is neither anxiety nor doubt.
—Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) Italian Monk, Founder of the Franciscan Order
Culture in a woman is better than gold.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
You read of but one wise man, and all that he knew was — that he knew nothing.
—William Congreve (1670–1729) English Playwright, Poet
[So] Mingle some brief folly with your wisdom.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet
It’s the height of folly to want to be the only wise one.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.
—Niels Bohr (1885–1962) Danish Physicist
As we grow in wisdom, we pardon more freely.
—Anne Louise Germaine de Stael (1766–1817) French Woman of Letters
Culture of heart is better than culture of learning.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Don’t allow your animal nature to rule your reason.
—Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207–73) Persian Muslim Mystic
Good education is the essential foundation of a strong democracy.
—Barbara Bush (1925–2018) American First Lady
The teachers are the guardians of a State.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
A man doesn’t begin to attain wisdom until he recognizes he is no longer indispensable.
—Richard Evelyn Byrd (b.1888) American Aviator, Explorer, Military Leader
The reading of all good books is indeed like a conversation with the noblest men of past centuries who were the authors of them, nay a carefully studied conversation, in which they reveal to us none but the best of their thoughts.
—Rene Descartes (1596–1650) French Mathematician, Philosopher
He who learns the rules of wisdom without conforming to them in his life is like a man who ploughs in his field but does not sow.
—Sa’Di (Musharrif Od-Din Muslih Od-Din) (1184–1283) Persian Poet
Wisdom comes by disillusionment.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
A wise man can manage (his life) even though he lacks wealth. But lacking wisdom, no fool can hold his ground.
—Buddhist Teaching
I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts of wisdom and knowledge.
—Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) Russian-born American Composer, Musician
Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men; for the wise men shun the mistakes of fools, but fools do not imitate the successes of the wise.
—Cato the Elder (Marcus Porcius Cato) (234–149 BCE) Roman Statesman
The Lord is not with him who, while possessing great knowledge, has no sense of duty.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.
—David Starr Jordan (1851–1931) American Zoologist, Educator, Peace Activist
The wise learn many things from their enemies.
—Aristophanes (447–386 BCE) Greek Comic Playwright
He who acquires knowledge, without imparting it to others, is like a myrtle in the desert, where there is no one to enjoy it.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
That is true wisdom, to know how to alter one’s mind when occasion demands it.
—Terence (c.195–159 BCE) Roman Comic Dramatist
Nothing so obstinately stands in the way of all sorts of progress as pride of opinion; while nothing is so foolish and baseless.
—Josiah Gilbert Holland (1819–81) American Novelist, Poet
The most effective way to live is as a warrior. A warrior may worry and think before making any decision, but once he makes it, he goes his way, free from worries or thoughts; there will be a million other decisions still awaiting him. That’s the warrior’s way.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
The wisdom of the wise is an uncommon degree of common sense.
—William Ralph Inge (1860–1954) English Anglican Clergyman, Priest, Mystic
Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old; seek what they sought.
—Matsuo Basho (1644–94) Japanese Poet
Knowledge without religion blesses not its possessor.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value. He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give more than he receives.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
It is not good for all our wishes to be filled; through sickness we recognize the value of health; through evil, the value of good; through hunger, the value of food; through exertion, the value of rest.
—Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958) American Novelist
Wisdom, say the intelligent persons, is the best, as is the moon among all the stars. Discipline, glory and other virtuous natures follow the wise man.
—Buddhist Teaching
Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of the nonessentials.
—Lin Yutang (1895–1976) Chinese Author, Philologist
To wisdom belongs the intellectual apprehension of things eternal; to knowledge, the rational apprehension of things temporal.
—Augustine of Hippo (354–430) Roman-African Christian Philosopher
There can be no real freedom without the freedom to fail.
—Eric Hoffer (1902–83) American Philosopher, Author
The most manifest sign of wisdom is continued cheerfulness; her estate is like that of the things in the regions above the moon, always clear and serene.
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) French Essayist
A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) Irish Satirist
To know that which before us lies in daily life, is the prime wisdom; what is more is fume, or emptiness, or fond impertinence, and renders us, in things that most concern, unpracticed and unprepared.
—John Milton (1608–74) English Poet, Civil Servant, Scholar, Debater
I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
He who wishes to be rich in a day will be hanged in a year.
—Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Italian Polymath, Painter, Sculptor, Inventor, Architect
Do not be wise in words alone, but also in deeds, for the wisdom of deeds will be necessary for the world to come, while the wisdom of words remains on earth.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
He who is virtuous is wise; and he who is wise is good; and he who is good is happy.
—Boethius (c.480–524 CE) Roman Statesman, Philosopher
Wisely and slow; — they stumble that run fast.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Wisdom is like electricity. There is no permanently wise man, but men capable of wisdom, who, being put into certain company, or other favorable conditions, become wise for a short time, as glasses rubbed acquire electric power for a while.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
A town which has no school should be abolished.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Let thy house be a resort of the wise.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
If a man does not go after wisdom, wisdom will not come to him.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Common-sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) English Poet, Literary Critic, Philosopher
The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.
—Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–80) French Philosopher, Playwright, Novelist, Screenwriter, Political Activist
If wisdom and diamonds grew on the same tree we could soon tell how much men loved wisdom.
—Lemuel K. Washburn
The wisdom of the wise and the experience of ages may be preserved by quotation.
—Isaac D’Israeli (1766–1848) English Writer, Scholar
As electricity is a great power in the world, so the inner mind is the greatest power available to you. Neither operates independently; both depend upon a separate agency to ignite them to action, and both bring helpful or harmful results according to the wisdom or ignorance with which they are directed.
—Roger McDonald (b.1941) Australian Novelist, Poet, Screenwriter, Writer
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
Who are you whose prayers alone have prevailed? I am a teacher of little children.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
For one word a man is deemed wise and for one word he is deemed foolish. We should be careful indeed what we say.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
What is the price of experience?. Do men buy it for a song?. Or wisdom for a dance in the street?. No, it is bought with the price of all the man hath, his house, his wife, his children.
—William Blake (1757–1827) English Poet, Painter, Printmaker
Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits.
—Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American Inventor, Scientist, Entrepreneur
It is always easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them.
—Alfred Adler (1870–1937) Austrian Psychiatrist
Even for the rebuilding of the Temple the instruction of the children must not be interrupted.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Ignorance and conceit go hand in hand.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The search for truth is more precious than its possession.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.
—Chinese Proverb
A wise man will make more opportunities, than he finds.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
A good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Wisdom is divided into two parts: (a) having a great deal to say, and (b) not saying it.
—Anonymous
The more knowledge, the more spiritual life.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
If you don’t get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don’t want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can’t hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is a law, and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.
—Dan Millman (b.1946) American Children’s Books Writer, Sportsperson
Without knowledge there can be neither true morality nor piety.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Science gives us knowledge, but only philosophy can give us wisdom.
—William C. Durant (1861–1947) American Industrialist
Immortal gods! How much does one man excel another! What a difference there is between a wise man and a fool.
—Terence (c.195–159 BCE) Roman Comic Dramatist
A villain’s cleverness is only for his own destruction. It corrupts his brains and kills his virtuous nature.
—Buddhist Teaching
Wisdom is not in words; Wisdom is meaning within words.
—Khalil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
Wise men, though all laws were abolished, would lead the same lives.
—Aristophanes (447–386 BCE) Greek Comic Playwright
The chief thing is not learning, but the deed.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Wisdom thoroughly learned, will never be forgotten.
—Pythagoras (570–495 BCE) Greek Philosopher
The end of all wisdom is love, love, love.
—Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950) Indian Hindu Mystic
Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
—Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English Philosopher
It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf.
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) American Journalist, Political Commentator, Writer
When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.
—German Proverb
How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise.
—Homer (751–651 BCE) Ancient Greek Poet
If you interrupt your studies for one day, it will take you two to regain what you have lost.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
A hundred years’ living of an ignorant, wavering person is not worth one day of a wise man whose mind is concentrated.
—Buddhist Teaching
A wise man thinks what is easy is difficult.
—John Churton Collins (1848–1908) English Literary Critic
The most important of my discoveries have been suggested to me by my failures.
—Humphry Davy (1778–1829) British Chemist, Inventor
Wisdom is oft times nearer when we stoop than when we soar.
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850) English Poet
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
There often seems to be a playfulness to wise people, as if either their equanimity has as its source this playfulness or the playfulness flows from the equanimity; and they can persuade other people who are in a state of agitation to calm down and manage a smile.
—Edward Hoagland (b.1932) American Essayist, Novelist
Be wise; soar not too high to fall, but stoop to rise.
—Philip Massinger (1583–1640) English Dramatist
The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Anceient Greek Philosopher
God looks to the heart of man and then to the mind.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.
—James Oppenheim (1882–1932) American Poet, Novelist, Editor
There is this difference between happiness and wisdom, that he that thinks himself the happiest man really is so; but he that thinks himself the wisest is generally the greatest fool.
—Charles Caleb Colton (c.1780–1832) English Clergyman, Aphorist
Wisdom is the daughter of experience.
—Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) Italian Polymath, Painter, Sculptor, Inventor, Architect
Cherish wisdom as a means of travelling from youth to old age, for it is more lasting than any other possession.
—Bias of Priene (fl. 6th century BCE) Greek Orator
Repeat, “repeat,” that is the best medicine for memory.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
How can you be a sage if you’re pretty? You can’t get your wizard papers without wrinkles.
—Bill Veeck (1914–86) American Sportsperson, Businessperson
Many of the things you can count, don’t count. Many of the things you can’t count, really count.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
Learn a little here and a little there, and you will increase in knowledge.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Wisdom begins in wonder.
—Socrates (469BCE–399BCE) Anceient Greek Philosopher
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
For the blind in mind there is no physician.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
—Helen Keller (1880–1968) American Author
Who is a wise man? He who learns of all men.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
There is no wisdom save in truth. Truth is everlasting, but our ideas about truth are changeable. Only a little of the first fruits of wisdom, only a few fragments of the boundless heights, breadths and depths of truth, have I been able to gather.
—Martin Luther (1483–1546) German Protestant Theologian
Teach the children of the poor without compensation, and do not favor the children of the rich.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
If a man has knowledge, he has all things; if he has no knowledge, he has nothing.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
A scholar is greater than a prophet.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
When we know how to read our own hearts, we acquire wisdom of the hearts of others.
—Denis Diderot (1713–84) French Philosopher, Writer
The wise man in the storm prays God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness.
—Sophocles (495–405 BCE) Ancient Greek Dramatist
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
—Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971) American Christian Theologian
The man who questions opinion is wise; the man who quarrels with fact is a fool.
—Frank A. Garbutt (1869–1938) American Inventor, Movie Pioneer
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.
—Charles Spurgeon (1834–92) British Baptist Preacher, Theologian, Hymn writer
Cause and effect, means and ends, seed and fruit, cannot be severed; for the effect already blooms in the cause, the end preexists in the means, the fruit in the seed.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
The rivalry of scholars advances learning.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The greatest wisdom is to realize one’s lack of it.
—Constantin Stanislavski (1863–1938) Russian Actor, Theater Personality
Never try to reason the prejudice out of a man. It wasn’t reasoned into him, and it cannot be reasoned out.
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845) English Anglican Writer, Critic
Some folks are wise and some are otherwise.
—Tobias Smollett (1721–71) Scottish Poet, Novelist, Author
Jerusalem was destroyed because the instruction of the young was neglected.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The ultimate end of all knowledge and wisdom is man’s inner purification and the performance of good and noble deeds.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever must be learned must be learned the hard way.
—Carlos Castaneda (1925–98) Peruvian-born American Anthropologist, Author
In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.
—Aeschylus (525–456 BCE) Greek Poet
It is easier to find a score of men wise enough to discover the truth than to find one intrepid enough, in the face of opposition, to stand up for it.
—Archibald Alexander Hodge (1823–86) American Presbyterian Theologian
The life of wisdom must be a life of contemplation combined with action.
—M. Scott Peck (1936–2005) American Psychiatrist, Author
As a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, wise people falter not amidst blame and praise.
—The Dhammapada Buddhist Anthology of Verses
It is astonishing with how little wisdom mankind can be governed, when that little wisdom is its own.
—William Ralph Inge (1860–1954) English Anglican Clergyman, Priest, Mystic
The disciples of the wise are engaged all their days in building up the world.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Committing a great truth to memory is admirable; committing it to life is wisdom.
—William Arthur Ward (1921–94) American Author
Kindness is more important than wisdom, and the recognition of this is the beginning of wisdom.
—Theodore Isaac Rubin (1923–2019) American Psychiatrist, Author
If you have not desired wisdom in your youth, how will you acquire her in your old age?
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The height of human wisdom is to bring our tempers down to our circumstances, and to make a calm within, under the weight of the greatest storm without.
—Daniel Defoe (1659–1731) English Writer, Journalist, Pamphleteer
You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing.
—Arthur Ashe (1943–93) American Tennis Player
Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.
—Martin H. Fischer
Wisdom is meaningless until your own experience has given it meaning, and there is wisdom in the selection of wisdom.
—Bergen Evans
An intelligent person, with the gift of discernment, knowing how to manage affairs, and clever at (selecting) the proper time and season, can be in the government service.
—Buddhist Teaching
Learn first and philosophize afterwards.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The results of life are uncalculated and uncalculable. The years teach much which the days never know. The persons who compose our company, converse, and come and go, and design and execute many things, and somewhat comes of it all, but an unlooked for result. The individual is always mistaken. He designed many things, and drew in other persons as coadjutors, quarrelled with some or all, blundered much, and something is done; all are a little advanced, but the individual is always mistaken. It turns out somewhat new, and very unlike what he promised himself.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Wise people may say what they will, but one passion is never cured by another.
—Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773) English Statesman, Man of Letters
Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
I believe that traditional wisdom is incomplete. A composer can have all the talent of Mozart and a passionate desire to succeed, but if he believes he cannot compose music, he will come to nothing. He will not try hard enough. He will give up too soon when the elusive right melody takes too long to materialize.
—Martin Seligman (b.1942) American Psychologist, Author
The uneducated, like an old Bull, gradually fade away. Their flesh increases but not their wisdom.
—Buddhist Teaching
It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
Knowledge, a rude unprofitable mass, the mere materials with which wisdom builds, till smoothed and squared and fitted to its place, does but encumber whom it seems to enrich. Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much; wisdom is humble that he knows no more.
—William Cowper (1731–1800) English Anglican Poet, Hymn writer
The wise have always said the same things, and fools, who are the majority have always done just the opposite.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
Everything I know I learned after I was thirty.
—Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929) French Head of State, Physician, Publisher, Political leader
Facts don’t cease to exist because they are ignored.
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English Humanist, Pacifist, Essayist, Short Story Writer, Satirist
Whosoever tries to make gain by the crown of learning perishes.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Not on one strand are all life’s jewels strung.
—William Morris (1834–96) British Designer, Craftsman, Poet, Writer
No greater thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
—Epictetus (55–135) Ancient Greek Philosopher
Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
—William C. Durant (1861–1947) American Industrialist
A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.
—Chinese Proverb
Wisdom increases with years; and so does folly.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
The aim and end of all wisdom are repentance and good works.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
You are goodness and mercy and compassion and understanding. You are peace and joy and light. You are forgiveness and patience, strength and courage, a helper in time of need, a comforter in time of sorrow, a healer in time of injury, a teacher in times of confusion. You are the deepest wisdom and the highest truth; the greatest peace and the grandest love. You are these things. And in moments of your life you have known yourself to be these things. Choose now to know yourself as these things always.
—Neale Donald Walsch (b.1943) American Spiritual Writer
He that can compose himself, is wiser than he that composes books.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Sometimes, simply by sitting, the soul collects wisdom.
—Zen Proverb Japanese School of Mahayana Buddhism
Some men are wise, and some are otherwise.
—Tobias Smollett (1721–71) Scottish Poet, Novelist, Author
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is th beginning of wisdom.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
Labor to keep alive that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.
—George Washington (1732–99) American Head of State, Military Leader
Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
Where wisdom is called for, force is of little use.
—Herodotus (c.485–425 BCE) Ancient Greek Historian
Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. It may not be difficult to store up in the mind a vast quantity of facts within a comparatively short time, but the ability to form judgments requires the severe discipline of hard work and the tempering heat of experience and maturity.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–92) British Poet
Ninety percent of all human wisdom is the ability to mind your own business.
—Robert A. Heinlein (1907–88) American Novelist, Short story Author, Essayist, Screenwriter
He is wise who knows the sources of knowledge — who knows who has written and where it is to be found.
—Archibald Alexander Hodge (1823–86) American Presbyterian Theologian
All search is vain, until we begin to perceive that wisdom is within ourselves … then we may know the sun is rising, that the morning is breaking for us.
—Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) Indian Hindu Mystic
An old man (i.e., one entitled to veneration) is only he who has acquired wisdom.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Loosen the bonds of avarice from your hands and neck.
—Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207–73) Persian Muslim Mystic
Of course all life is a process of breaking down, but the blows that do the dramatic side of the work – the big sudden blows that come, or seem to come, from outside – the ones you remember and blame things on and, in moments of weakness, tell your friends about, don’t show their effect all at once. There is another sort of blow that comes from within – that you don’t feel until it’s too late to do anything about it, until you realize with finality that in some regard you will never be as good a man again. The first sort of breakage seems to happen quick – the second kind happens almost without your knowing it but is realized suddenly indeed. Before I go on with this short history, let me make a general observation – the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940) American Novelist
He who has the least understanding has the most questions.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
If only we were wiser or better people, perhaps the gods would explain to us the mad, unbearable things they do.
—Orson Scott Card (b.1951) American Author, Critic, Political Activist
Wisdom begins at the end.
—Daniel Webster (1782–1852) American Statesman, Lawyer
He who instructs a child is as if he had created it.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Study is more meritorious than sacrifice.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Honor the sons of the poor; it is they who bring science into splendor.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith