537 Wisdom Quotes: Largest Library With Amazing Collections

WISDOM QUOTES VIDEO

BEST WISDOM QUOTES

Doubt is the origin of wisdom. Augustine of Hippo

The truest wisdom is a resolute determination. Napoleon Bonaparte

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant

Foolishness is a twin sister of wisdom. Witold Gombrowicz

Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it. Albert Einstein

Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to the proper use. Thomas J. Watson

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. Seneca

A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself. Michel de Montaigne

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom. Francis Bacon

Discipline is wisdom and vice versa. M. Scott Peck

The fool wonders, the wise man asks. Benjamin Disraeli

Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. Confucius

Where there is shouting, there is no true knowledge. Leonardo da Vinci

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Benjamin Franklin

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. Jimi Hendrix

To attain knowledge, add things everyday. To attain wisdom, remove things every day. Lao Tzu

Wisdom is nothing but a preparation of the soul, a capacity, a secret art of thinking, feeling and breathing thoughts of unity at every moment of life. Hermann Hesse

We can know only that we know nothing. And that is the highest degree of human wisdom. Leo Tolstoy

There is only a finger’s difference between a wise man and a fool. Diogenes

Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end. Leonard Nimoy

What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait. Leo Tolstoy

A fool is known by his speech; and a wise man by silence. Pythagoras

Never say no twice if you mean it. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us. Marcel Proust

Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself. Kahlil Gibran

Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give. William A. Ward

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children. Kahlil Gibran

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. David Elton Trueblood

The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom; to serve all, but love only one. Honore De Balzac

He gossips habitually; he lacks the common wisdom to keep still that deadly enemy of man, his own tongue. Mark Twain

Memory is not wisdom; idiots can by rote repeat volumes. Yet what is wisdom without memory? Martin Farquhar Tupper

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment. Lao Tzu

The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness. Michel de Montaigne

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. Will Rogers

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. Thomas Jefferson

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. Socrates

Wisdom and deep intelligence require an honest appreciation of mystery. Thomas Moore

WHAT IS WISDOM?

Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise. Paul Engle

Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences. Norman Cousins

Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two. John Cheever

The two powers which in my opinion constitute a wise man are those of bearing and forbearing. Epictetus

Wisdom is not finally tested in the schools. Wisdom cannot be passed from one having it to another not having it. Wisdom is of the soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof. Walt Whitman

Wisdom and understanding can only become the possession of individual men by travelling the old road of observation, attention, perseverance, and industry. Samuel Smiles

Wisdom is keeping a sense of fallibility of all our views and opinions. Gerald Brenan

Much wisdom often goes with fewest words. Sophocles

INSPIRATIONAL WISDOM QUOTES

He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes a book. Benjamin Franklin

Stronger by weakness, wiser men become. Edmund Waller

Be there a will, and wisdom finds a way. George Crabbe

Reality – Dreams = Animal Being. Reality + Dreams = A Heart-Ache (usually called Idealism). Reality + Humor = Realism (also called Conservatism). Dreams – Humor = Fanaticism. Dreams + Humor = Fantasy. Reality + Dreams + Humor = Wisdom. Lin Yutang

Fast thinking looks cool but it’s deep thinking that makes all the difference. And deep thinking is always slow thinking. The Ancient Sage

Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself. Horace

He who would begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin. Horace

Man is wise and constantly in quest of more wisdom; but the ultimate wisdom, which deals with beginnings, remains locked in a seed. There it lies, the simplest fact of the universe and at the same time the one which calls forth faith rather than reason. Hal Borland

Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, which is the ending of fear. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Do what you will, withdraw to the mountains, sit in a forest, you cannot live in isolation. You can live only in relationship, and as long as relationship is not understood, there can be no right action. Right action comes in understanding relationship, which reveals the process of oneself. Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, it is a field of affection, warmth, and love, therefore a field rich with flowers. Jiddu Krishnamurti

First of all, to understand truth you must stand alone, entirely and wholly alone. No Master, no teacher, no guru, no system, no self-discipline will ever lift for you the veil which conceals wisdom. Wisdom is the understanding of enduring values and the living of those values. No one can lead you to wisdom. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Our concern in meditation is to know oneself, not only superficially, but the whole content of the inner, hidden consciousness. Without knowing all that and being free of its conditioning, you cannot possibly go beyond the mind’s limits. That is why the thought process must cease, and for this cessation there must be knowledge of oneself. Therefore meditation is the beginning of wisdom, which is the understanding of one’s own mind and heart. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Men who know themselves are no longer fools. They stand on the threshold of the door of wisdom. Havelock Ellis

Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as knowing what to do next. Herbert Hoover

If you have the guts to keep making mistakes, your wisdom and intelligence leap forward with huge momentum. Holly Near

The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom. James Allen

One part of wisdom is knowing what you don’t need anymore and letting it go. Jane Fonda

Seek wisdom along with knowledge. Knowledge is words. Wisdom is silent. Knowledge is understanding what is seen. Wisdom is knowing what is not seen. Without knowledge, one could not play the violin. Without wisdom, one could not play the music. Thibaut

We’re all going to change. Otherwise, it’s boring. Alicia Keys

Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain. Kahlil Gibran

The gateways to wisdom and learning are always open, and more and more I am choosing to walk through them. Barriers, blocks, obstacles, and problems are personal teachers giving me the opportunity to move out of the past and into the Totality of Possibilities. Louise L. Hay

Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself. Oprah Winfrey

Turn your wounds into wisdom. Oprah Winfrey

Every journey that is successful has culs-de-sac and speed bumps. I carry a wisdom gene through my life through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Peter Guber

Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech. Plutarch

There is a universal, intelligent, life force that exists within everyone and everything. It resides within each one of use as a deep wisdom, an inner knowing. We can access this wonderful source of knowledge and wisdom through our intuition, an inner sense that tells us what feels right and true for us at any given moment. Shakti Gawain

Seek your own reality, that is what a wise man should do. Sri Sathya Sai Baba

If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise. William Blake

SHORT WISDOM QUOTES

Knowledge shrinks as wisdom grows. Alfred North Whitehead

Memory is the mother of all wisdom. Aeschylus

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. Alfred Lord Tennyson

One principle eliminates a thousand decisions. Johnny Uzan

Wisdom begins at the end. Daniel Webster

Wise it is to comprehend the whole. Edward Young

Wisdom comes by disillusionment. George Santayana

Wisdom never lies. Homer

Wisdom sails with wind and time. John Florio

Wisdom has never made a bigot, but learning has. Josh Billings

Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another. Juvenal

The wisest of the wise may err. Aeschylus

Knowledge is marvelous, but wisdom is even better. Kay Redfield Jamison

Pain is the doorway to wisdom and to truth. Keith Miller

No man was ever wise by chance. Seneca

It is wiser to find out than to suppose. Mark Twain

Wisdom is knowledge which has become a part of one’s being. Orison Swett Marden

Kindness is wisdom. Philip James Bailey

Cunning… is but the low mimic of wisdom. Plato

Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired. Plautus

Wisdom begins in wonder. Socrates

The beginning of wisdom is to desire it. Solomon Ibn Gabirol

Wisdom outweighs any wealth. Sophocles

The wise are those who know the Self. Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Caution is the eldest child of wisdom. Victor Hugo

Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Zhuangzi

BEAUTIFUL WISDOM QUOTES

The sum of human wisdom is not contained in any one language, and no single language is capable of expressing all forms and degrees of human comprehension. Ezra Pound

As one grows older, one becomes wiser and more foolish. Francois de La Rochefoucauld

More helpful than all wisdom is one draught of simple human pity that will not forsake us. George Eliot

Wisdom is the oneness of mind that guides and permeated all things. Heraclitus

Because in the school of the Spirit man learns wisdom through humility, knowledge by forgetting, how to speak by silence, how to live by dying. Johannes Tauler

True wisdom listens more, talks less and can get along with all types of people. Kiana Tom

Always keep your mind as bright and clear as the vast sky, the great ocean, and the highest peak, empty of all thoughts. Always keep your body filled with light and heat. Fill yourself with the power of wisdom and enlightenment. Morihei Ueshiba

It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen. Oliver Wendell Holmes

Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future. Oliver Wendell Holmes

A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. Robert Frost

FUNNY WORDS OF WISDOM THAT WILL MAKE YOU SMILE

It is a profitable thing, if one is wise, to seem foolish. Aeschylus

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself a fool. Anatole France

Mixing one’s wines may be a mistake, but old and new wisdom mix admirably. Bertolt Brecht

Back of every mistaken venture and defeat is the laughter of wisdom, if you listen. Carl Sandburg

Silence is foolish if we are wise, but wise if we are foolish. Charles Caleb Colton

Wise kings generally have wise counselors; and he must be a wise man himself who is capable of distinguishing one. Diogenes

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk. Doug Larson

It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly. Anatole France

If a million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. Anatole France

The ‘wisdom of the crowds’ is the most ridiculous statement I’ve heard in my life. Crowds are dumb. Drew Curtis

Kisses are a better fate than wisdom. E. E. Cummings

Who in their infinite wisdom decreed that Little League uniforms be white? Certainly not a mother. Erma Bombeck

I am thinking of taking a fifth wife. Why not? Solomon had a thousand wives and he is a synonym for wisdom. John Barrymore

In seeking wisdom thou art wise; in imagining that thou hast attained it – thou art a fool. Lord Chesterfield

It is not white hair that engenders wisdom. Menander

He was a wise man who invented beer. Plato

I tweet, therefore my entire life has shrunk to 140 character chunks of instant event and predigested gnomic wisdom. And swearing. Neil Gaiman

Gray hairs are signs of wisdom if you hold your tongue, speak and they are but hairs, as in the young. Rabindranath Tagore

To keep your secret is wisdom; but to expect others to keep it is folly. Samuel Johnson

If suffering brings wisdom, I would wish to be less wise. William Butler Yeats

Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought. William Osler

QUOTES AGAINST WISDOM

I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom. Anatole France

The most important lesson of New Labour is this: Every time we made progress we did it by challenging the conventional wisdom. Ed Miliband

Sometimes one likes foolish people for their folly, better than wise people for their wisdom. Elizabeth Gaskell

All human wisdom works and has worries and grief as reward. Johann Georg Hamann

Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Ludwig van Beethoven

Learning and wisdom are superfluities, the surface glitter merely, but it is the heart that is the seat of all power. Swami Sivananda

DEEP AND ZEN WISDOM QUOTES

I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

To be sane in a world of madman is in itself madness. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom. Terry Pratchett

The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world. Democritus

Cleverness is like a lens with a very sharp focus. Wisdom is more like a wide-angle lens. Edward de Bono

For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you quit, try. Ernest Hemingway

The animal acts and does not reflect. The indecisive man reflects and does not act. The average man reflects after he acts. The wise man reflects before he acts. The Stoic Emperor

Just as a fire is covered by smoke and a mirror is obscured by dust, just as the embryo rests deep within the womb, wisdom is hidden by selfish desire. Bhagavad Gita

Out of compassion I destroy the darkness of their ignorance. From within them I light the lamp of wisdom and dispel all darkness from their lives. Bhagavad Gita

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. Mahatma Gandhi

The clouds may drop down titles and estates, and wealth may seek us, but wisdom must be sought. Edward Young

The first point of wisdom is to discern that which is false; the second, to know that which is true. Lactantius

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave. Dakota (Native American saying)

Has fortune dealt you some bad cards. Then let wisdom make you a good gamester. Francis Quarles

We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it. Francois de La Rochefoucauld

The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil. Marcus Tullius Cicero

All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. J.R.R. Tolkien

Genius unrefined resembles a flash of lightning, but wisdom is like the sun. Franz Grillparzer

Talent is like the marksman who hits a target which others cannot reach; genius is like the marksman who hits a target… which others cannot even see. Arthur Schopenhauer

Contemplation and wisdom are highest achievements and man is not totally at home with them. Gabriel Marcel

Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Leo Tolstoy

What we call wisdom is the result of all the wisdom of past ages. Our best institutions are like young trees growing upon the roots of the old trunks that have crumbled away. Henry Ward Beecher

It’s wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope. J. R. R. Tolkien

We can be knowledgeable with other men’s knowledge but we cannot be wise with other men’s wisdom. Michel de Montaigne

The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable. Rabindranath Tagore

We can’t really digest food unless there’s hunger. So we can’t really assimilate spiritual wisdom unless we feel the need for it. Radhanath Swami

Innocence dwells with wisdom, but never with ignorance. William Blake

If you have the insight of non-self, if you have the insight of impermanence, you should make that insight into a concentration that you keep alive throughout the day. Then what you say, what you think, and what you do will then be in the light of that wisdom and you will avoid making mistakes and creating suffering. Thich Nhat Hanh

Counsel woven into the fabric of real life is wisdom. Walter Benjamin

It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf. Walter Lippmann

Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two. John Cheever

The end of wisdom is to dream high enough to lose the dream in the seeking of it. William Faulkner

In the vain laughter of folly wisdom hears half its applause. George Eliot

WISDOM QUOTES ABOUT LIFE AND LOVE

Who is wise in love, love most, say least. Alfred Lord Tennyson

Life is about execution rather than purpose. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

There’s a beauty to wisdom and experience that cannot be faked. It’s impossible to be mature without having lived. Amy Grant

In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration. Ansel Adams

Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still lead the same life. Aristophanes

A loving heart is the truest wisdom. Charles Dickens

Putting is like wisdom – partly a natural gift and partly the accumulation of experience. Arnold Palmer

You can’t be wise and in love at the same time. Bob Dylan

Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. Francis of Assisi

There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart. Charles Dickens

If we have built on the fragile cornerstones of human wisdom, pride, and conditional love, things may look good for a while, but a weak foundation causes collapse when storms hit. Charles Stanley

Wisdom acquisition is a moral duty. It’s not something you do just to advance in life. Wisdom acquisition is a moral duty. As a corollary to that proposition which is very important, it means that you are hooked for lifetime learning. And without lifetime learning, you people are not going to do very well. You are not going to get very far in life based on what you already know. You’re going to advance in life by what you learn after you leave here. Charlie Munger

The good and the wise lead quiet lives. Euripides

It is necessary to take what is common as our guide; however, though this logic is universal, the many live as if each individual has his own private wisdom. Heraclitus

Though wisdom is common, yet the many live as if they had a wisdom of their own. Heraclitus

Without wisdom, the future has no meaning, no valuable purpose. Herbie Hancock

Wisdom is that apprehension of heavenly things to which the spirit rises through love. Honore De Balzac

The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. Isaac Asimov

Learning sleeps and snores in libraries, but wisdom is everywhere, wide awake, on tiptoe. Josh Billings

Wisdom stands at the turn in the road and calls upon us publicly, but we consider it false and despise its adherents. Kahlil Gibran

Wisdom does not show itself so much in precept as in life – in a firmness of mind and mastery of appetite. It teaches us to do as well as talk; and to make our actions and words all of a color. Seneca

The sublimity of wisdom is to do those things living, which are to be desired when dying. Norman Douglas

Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise. Samuel Johnson

Practical wisdom is only to be learned in the school of experience. Precepts and instruction are useful so far as they go, but, without the discipline of real life, they remain of the nature of theory only. Samuel Smiles

The experience gathered from books, though often valuable, is but the nature of learning; whereas the experience gained from actual life is one of the nature of wisdom. Samuel Smiles

WORDS OF WISDOM ABOUT HAPPINESS

The truest greatness lies in being kind, the truest wisdom in a happy mind. Ella Wheeler Wilcox

It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them. Epictetus

There is this difference between happiness and wisdom: 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

The weak have remedies, the wise have joys; superior wisdom is superior bliss. Edward Young

No matter how thin you slice it, there will always be two sides. Baruch Spinoza

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus

It is impossible to live a pleasant life without living wisely and well and justly. And it is impossible to live wisely and well and justly without living a pleasant life. Epicurus

The final wisdom of life requires not the annulment of incongruity but the achievement of serenity within and above it. Reinhold Niebuhr

Be happy. It’s one way of being wise. Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

There is no happiness where there is no wisdom. Sophocles

The wise are cheerful and content with their lot in life. Sri Sathya Sai Baba

We humans have lost the wisdom of genuinely resting and relaxing. We worry too much. We don’t allow our bodies to heal, and we don’t allow our minds and hearts to heal. Thich Nhat Hanh

I’m not wise, but the beginning of wisdom is there; it’s like relaxing into – and an acceptance of – things. Tina Turner

Let us be silent, content in our little corner, meek and gentle like them. That is the wisdom of life. W. Somerset Maugham

WORDS OF WISDOM ABOUT SIMPLICITY

Nothing is more simple than greatness; indeed, to be simple is to be great. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Complexity is enemy of execution. Tony Robbins

The most complicated skill is to be simple. Dejan Stojanovic

The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. Confucius

Simplicity will stand out, while complexity will get lost in the crowd. Kevin Barnett

Fools ignore complexity. Geniuses remove it. Alan Perlis

Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury – to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind. Albert Einstein

Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy. Isaac Newton

It is always the simple that produces the marvelous. Amelia Barr

Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus. Ann Voskamp

To be satisfied with a little, is the greatest wisdom; and he that increaseth his riches, increaseth his cares; but a contented mind is a hidden treasure, and trouble findeth it not. Akhenaton

Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. Isaac Newton

I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all incumbrances, and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run. Henry David Thoreau

Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself. Henry David Thoreau

As you simplify your life, the laws of the Universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. Henry David Thoreau

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 non-essentials. Lin Yutang

In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Or, rather, let us be more simple and less vain. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The greatest ideas are the simplest. William Golding

LINES OF WISDOM ON GOD, RELIGION AND PRAYERS

To light one candle to God and another to the Devil is the principle of wisdom. Jose Bergamin

Earthly wisdom is doing what comes naturally. Godly wisdom is doing what the Holy Spirit compels us to do. Charles Stanley

Science investigates religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power religion gives man wisdom which is control. Martin Luther King Jr

If we believe in a God at all, we must surely ascribe to him perfection of wisdom and perfection of goodness; we are then forced to conceive of Him – however strange it may sound to those who believe, not only without seeing but also without thinking – as without will, because He must always necessarily pursue the course which is wisest and best. Annie Besant

The Divine wisdom has given us prayer, not as a means whereby to obtain the good things of earth, but as a means whereby we learn to do without them; not as a means whereby we escape evil, but as a means whereby we become strong to meet it. Frederick William Robertson

God the Father, the supreme Architect, had already built this cosmic home we behold, the most sacred temple of His godhead, by the laws of His mysterious wisdom. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

The marvel of the Bhagavad-Gita is its truly beautiful revelation of life’s wisdom which enables philosophy to blossom into religion. Hermann Hesse

There is no such thing as human wisdom; all is the providence of God. John Adams

This fear of the Lord is indeed the beginning of wisdom. This consciousness of sin is the straight pathway to heaven. Joseph Barber Lightfoot

As you walk in God’s divine wisdom, you will surely begin to see a greater measure of victory and good success in your life. Joseph Prince

The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching. Joseph Smith Jr

The just man loves God for nothing, neither for this nor for that, and if God gave him wisdom or anything else he had to give, except himself, the just man would not look at it, nor would it be to his taste; for he wants nothing, seeks nothing, and has no reason for doing anything. Meister Eckhart

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Reinhold Niebuhr

Your task is to build a better world, God said. I answered, How? This world is such a large, vast place, and there’s nothing I can do that seems to matter. But God in all His wisdom said, just build a better you.

WISDOM QUOTES ON EDUCATION AND KNOWLEDGE

A man may learn wisdom even from a foe. Aristophanes

The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated by quotations. Benjamin Disraeli

The doors of wisdom are never shut. Benjamin Franklin

Uncertainty is the root of all progress and all growth. We cannot learn anything without first not knowing something. Mark Manson

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. John Powell

The young man knows the rules but the old man knows the exceptions. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr

The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance. Benjamin Franklin

Wisdom is knowing what to do next; Skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it. David Starr Jordan

Passive acceptance of the teacher’s wisdom is easy to most boys and girls. It involves no effort of independent thought, and seems rational because the teacher knows more than his pupils; it is moreover the way to win the favour of the teacher unless he is a very exceptional man. Yet the habit of passive acceptance is a disastrous one in later life. It causes man to seek and to accept a leader, and to accept as a leader whoever is established in that position. Bertrand Russell

Not engaging in ignorance is wisdom. Bodhidharma

Wisdom is not words written in some book. Wisdom is a costly acquisition. It comes from personally paying the price for one’s actions. It is iterated learning from years of experience. The Ancient Sage

Wisdom is achieved by keeping an open mind and a closed mouth. Ignorance is exposed by having an open mouth and a closed mind. Jim Stovall

The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything. The wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything. Milan Kundera

There is no knowledge, no light, no wisdom that you are in possession of, but what you have received it from some source. Brigham Young

Much of the wisdom of one age, is the folly of the next. Charles Simmons

Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. Charles Spurgeon

There is as much wisdom in listening as there is in speaking – and that goes for all relationships, not just romantic ones. Daniel Dae Kim

No one ever found wisdom without also being a fool. Erica Jong

A prudent question is one-half of wisdom. Francis Bacon

The hunger for facile wisdom is the root of all false philosophy. George Santayana

Books are the ever burning lamps of accumulated wisdom. George William Curtis

The art of knowing is knowing what to ignore. James Altucher

Abundance of knowledge does not teach men to be wise. Heraclitus

You can practice to attain knowledge, but you can’t practice to attain wisdom. Herbie Hancock

Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it. Hermann Hesse

Wisdom is not wisdom when it is derived from books alone. Horace

When you’re used to being prepared to reject conventional wisdom, it leaves you open to learn more. Mayim Bialik

An educator is not merely a giver of information; he is one who points the way to wisdom, to truth. Truth is far more important than the teacher. The search for truth is religion, and truth is of no country, of no creed, it is not to be found in any temple, church or mosque. Without the search for truth, society soon decays. Jiddu Krishnamurti

The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind. Kahlil Gibran

Sciences may be learned by rote, but wisdom not. Laurence Sterne

If I don’t have wisdom, I can teach you only ignorance. Leo Buscaglia

There are many things of which a wise man might wish to be ignorant. Ralph Waldo Emerson

WISDOM QUOTES ON RESPECT, JUSTICE AND POLITICS

If you don’t understand yourself you don’t understand anybody else. Nikki Giovanni

The virtue of justice consists in moderation, as regulated by wisdom. Aristotle

A monarchy conducted with infinite wisdom and infinite benevolence is the most perfect of all possible governments. Ezra Stiles

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. H. L. Mencken

I learned some valuable lessons about the legislative process, the importance of bipartisan cooperation and the wisdom of taking small steps to get a big job done. Hillary Clinton

Government is a contrivance of human wisdom to provide for human wants. People have the right to expect that these wants will be provided for by this wisdom. Jimmy Carter

History is filled with tragic examples of wars that result from diplomatic impasse. Whether in our local communities or in international relations, the skillful use of our communicative capacities to negotiate and resolve differences is the first evidence of human wisdom. Daisaku Ikeda

The wisdom and experience of older people is a resource of inestimable worth. Recognizing and treasuring the contributions of older people is essential to the long-term flourishing of any society. Daisaku Ikeda

What if, for starters, instead of constantly trying to prove how much smarter we are than others, we look for the intelligence in what others do. Neil Strauss

We learned in World War II that no single nation holds a monopoly on wisdom, morality or right to power, but that we must fight for the weak and promote democracy. Joe Baca

I look forward to a great future for America – a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral restraint, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose. John F. Kennedy

In the frank expression of conflicting opinions lies the greatest promise of wisdom in governmental action. Louis D. Brandeis

I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be. Thomas Jefferson

WISDOM SAYINGS ON TIME, AGING, PATIENCE AND WAITING

All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope. Alexandre Dumas

To wisdom belongs the intellectual apprehension of things eternal; to knowledge, the rational apprehension of things temporal. Augustine of Hippo

Both in thought and in feeling, even though time be real, to realise the unimportance of time is the gate of wisdom. Bertrand Russell

Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit. Elbert Hubbard

The wisdom acquired with the passage of time is a useless gift unless you share it. Esther Williams

Patience is the companion of wisdom. Augustine of Hippo

Wisdom too often never comes, and so one ought not to reject it merely because it comes late. Felix Frankfurter

Wisdom not only gets, but once got, retains. Francis Quarles

Morality comes with the sad wisdom of age, when the sense of curiosity has withered. Graham Greene

The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom. H. L. Mencken

A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew. Herb Caen

To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living. Herman Melville

No wise man ever wished to be younger. Jonathan Swift

Time is a companion that goes with us on a journey. It reminds us to cherish each moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we have lived. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek)

At sixty, I know little more about wisdom than I did at thirty, but I know a great deal more about folly. Mason Cooley

The wisdom of age: don’t stop walking. Mason Cooley

Time ripens all things; no man is born wise. Miguel de Cervantes

Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time. Theodore Roosevelt

The hours of folly are measured by the clock; but of wisdom, no clock can measure. William Blake

The wise man does not grow old, but ripens. Victor Hugo

WISDOM SAYINGS ON SUCCESS, FAILURES, COURAGE, DOUBTS AND FEAR

Action should culminate in wisdom. Bhagavad Gita

Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own. Aesop

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln

Wisdom comes only through suffering. Aeschylus

He who learns must suffer, and, even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God. Aeschylus

When you have success, be extra wary. When you are angry, take no action. When you are fearful, know you are going to exaggerate the dangers you face. Robert Greene

Advice for nearly everything: start slowly and maintain traction. Michael

The biggest challenge after success is shutting up about it. Criss Jami

If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible. T. Harv Ecker

True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance. Akhenaton

Experience is the only prophecy of wise men. Alphonse de Lamartine

Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit. Baltasar Gracian

Only in recent history has working hard signaled pride rather than shame for lack of talent, finesse and, mostly, sprezzatura. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Give me a lever long enough, and a place to stand, and I will move the earth. Archimedes

Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Bertrand Russell

Strength and wisdom are not opposing values. Bill Clinton

Even when you have doubts, take that step. Take chances. Mistakes are never a failure – they can be turned into wisdom. Cat Cora

Doubt is the vestibule through which all must pass before they can enter into the temple of wisdom. Charles Caleb Colton

I don’t think you can come into your wisdom until you have made mistakes on your own skin and felt them in reality of your own life. Elizabeth Gilbert

If I am fool, it is, at least, a doubting one; and I envy no one the certainty of his self-approved wisdom. George Byron

How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise. Homer

Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go. Jean de La Fontaine

He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom. J. R. R. Tolkien

Experience comprises illusions lost, rather than wisdom gained. Joseph Roux

Where fear is present, wisdom cannot be. Lactantius

The most important aspect of my personality as far as determining my success goes; has been my questioning conventional wisdom, doubting experts and questioning authority. While that can be painful in your relationships with your parents and teachers, it’s enormously useful in life. Larry Ellison

In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by. Lucille Ball

We become wiser by adversity; prosperity destroys our appreciation of the right. Seneca

To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future. Plutarch

Wisdom thoroughly learned, will never be forgotten. Pythagoras

A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men. Roald Dahl

It is costly wisdom that is bought by experience. Roger Ascham

All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes. Winston Churchill

WISE BUSINESS QUOTES

Truth builds trust. Marilyn Suttle

A wise person decides slowly but abides by these decisions. Arthur Ashe

Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. John D. Rockefeller

Wisdom comes from experience, experience can be accelerated through short iterations. Naval Ravikant

It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. Herman Melville

If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary. Jim Rohn

If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Malcolm X

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Frederick Douglass

If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time. Steve Jobs

You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out. Steve Jobs

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity. Sun Tzu

Done is better than perfect. Sheryl Sandberg

Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane. Criss Jami

To build a great company, which is a CEO’s job, sometimes you have to stand up against conventional wisdom. Carly Fiorina

Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everybody else is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction. Sam Walton (Wal-Mart)

The older I get the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first. A process which often reduces the most complex human problem to a manageable proportion. Dwight D. Eisenhower

We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely. E. O. Wilson

The wisest men follow their own direction. Euripides

Few people have the wisdom to prefer the criticism that would do them good, to the praise that deceives them. Francois de La Rochefoucauld

We have been doing things that are contrary; the things that people tell us won’t work from the beginning. In fact, the only way to get ahead is to find errors in conventional wisdom. Larry Ellison (Oracle)

Thinking well to be wise: planning well, wiser: doing well wisest and best of all. Malcolm Forbes

The wise man is he who knows the relative value of things. Dean Inge

If you command wisely, you’ll be obeyed cheerfully. Thomas Fuller

WISDOM SAYINGS ON MONEY

Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much. Erich Fromm

That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest. Henry David Thoreau

Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune. Jim Rohn

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. Franklin D. Roosevelt

He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all. Eleanor Roosevelt

Wealth is the ability to fully experience life. Henry David Thoreau

The wisdom of man never yet contrived a system of taxation that would operate with perfect equality. Andrew Jackson

Frugality includes all the other virtues. Cicero

Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold. Bob Marley

Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value. Joe Biden

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. Epictetus

THE GREATEST WISDOM QUOTES FROM THE WISEST PEOPLE

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. Albert Einstein

If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself. Albert Einstein

A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. Albert Einstein

ARISTOTLE

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. Aristotle

The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Aristotle

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

The wise man does not expose himself needlessly to danger, since there are few things for which he cares sufficiently; but he is willing, in great crises, to give even his life – knowing that under certain conditions it is not worthwhile to live. Aristotle

The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain. Aristotle

MARCUS AURELIUS

To the wise, life is a problem; to the fool, a solution. Marcus Aurelius

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius

Death smiles at us all, but all a man can do is smile back. Marcus Aurelius

BRUCE LEE

A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. Bruce Lee

In order to control myself I must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature. Bruce Lee

I cannot teach you, only help you to explore yourself, nothing more. Bruce Lee

BUDDHA

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. Buddha

The mind is everything. What you think you become. Buddha

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. Buddha

CONFUCIUS

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. Confucius

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest. Confucius

Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men. Confucius

DEMOCRITUS

By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich. Democritus

Everything existing in the universe is the fruit of chance and necessity. Democritus

Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul. Democritus

Men find happiness neither by means of the body nor through possessions, but through uprightness and wisdom. Democritus

Believe not everything, but only what is proven: the former is foolish, the latter the act of a sensible man. Fools are shaped by the gifts of chance, but those who understand these things, by the gifts of wisdom. Democritus

Medicine heals diseases of the body, wisdom frees the soul from passions. Democritus

DESIDERIUS ERASMUS

The summit of happiness is reached when a person is ready to be what he is. Desiderius Erasmus

The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war. Desiderius Erasmus

Prevention is better than cure. Desiderius Erasmus

EURIPIDES

He who overreaches will, in his overreaching, lose what he possesses, betray what he has now. Euripides

Cleverness is not wisdom. Euripides

Experience, travel. These are an education in themselves. Euripides

Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom. Euripides

Knowledge is not wisdom: cleverness is not, not without awareness of our death, not without recalling just how brief our flare is. Euripides

Some wisdom you must learn from one who’s wise. Euripides

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering. Friedrich Nietzsche

There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy. Friedrich Nietzsche

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Friedrich Nietzsche

GALILEO GALILEI

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself. Galileo Galilei

Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe. Galileo Galilei

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Galileo Galilei

HENRY DAVID THOREAU

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. Henry David Thoreau

It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things. Henry David Thoreau

Cultivate the habit of early rising. It is unwise to keep the head long on a level with the feet. Henry David Thoreau

JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wisdom is found only in truth. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This is the highest wisdom that I own; freedom and life are earned by those alone who conquer them each day anew. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

KING SOLOMON

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. King Solomon

A fool is wise in his eyes. King Solomon

Who is the wise man? He who sees what’s going to be born. King Solomon

Start with God – the first step in learning is bowing down to God; only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning. King Solomon

LAO TZU (LAOZI)

Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu

He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know. Lao Tzu

More Lao Tzu quotes

LEONARDO DA VINCI

As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well spent brings happy death. Leonardo Da Vinci

Art is never finished, only abandoned. Leonardo Da Vinci

Learning acquired in youth arrests the evil of old age; and if you understand that old age has wisdom for its food, you will so conduct yourself in youth that your old age will not lack for nourishment. Leonardo Da Vinci

Supreme happiness will be the greatest cause of misery, and the perfection of wisdom the occasion of folly. Leonardo Da Vinci

MICHELANGELO

Genius is eternal patience. Michelangelo

Beauty is the purgation of superfluities. Michelangelo

If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all. Michelangelo

PLATO

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Plato

There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain. Plato

Knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom. Plato

Love is the joy of the good, the wonder of the wise, the amazement of the Gods. Plato

The wisest have the most authority. Plato

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Wisdom has its root in goodness, not goodness its root in wisdom. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common. Ralph Waldo Emerson

RENE DESCARTES

Except our own thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power. Rene Descartes

I think; therefore I am. Rene Descartes

Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it. Rene Descartes

SOCRATES

Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. Socrates

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. Socrates

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. Socrates

VOLTAIRE

He who is not just is severe, he who is not wise is sad. Voltaire

Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy: the mad daughter of a wise mother. Voltaire

Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others? Voltaire

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none. William Shakespeare

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. William Shakespeare

Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course. William Shakespeare

It is a wise father that knows his own child. William Shakespeare

There is not one wise man in twenty that will praise himself. William Shakespeare

Modest doubt is called the beacon of the wise. William Shakespeare