Quotes about wisdom
352 quotes from 209 people
Charles de Gaulle1890–1970Le Fil de l’épée (1932), Il vaut mieux avoir une méthode mauvaise plutôt que de n’en avoir aucune.I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the wisdom of indifference.
Anatole France1844–1924The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), Pt. II, ch. 4There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.
Carl von Clausewitz1780–1831On War (1832), Book 2It is well for the heart to be naive and for the mind not to be.
Anatole France1844–1924The Literary Life (1888-1892), Series II: M. Jules LemaîtreMan’s most valuable trait
is a judicious sense of what not to believe.
Euripides481–407 BCHelen, ll. 1617–1618 (tr. Richmond Lattimore, 1956)Defer not till tomorrow to be wise,
Tomorrow’s sun to thee may never rise.
William Congreve1670–1729“Letter to Cobham”, line 61Don’t for heaven’s sake, be afraid of talking nonsense! But you must pay attention to your nonsense.
Ludwig Wittgenstein1889–1951Culture and Value (1980), p. 56e- Ludwig Wittgenstein1889–1951Culture and Value (1980), p. 76e
Isaac Asimov1920–1992Isaac Asimov’s Book of Science and Nature Quotations (1988), edited with Jason A. Shulman, p. 281
Edmund Burke1729–1797Second Speech on Conciliation with America (1775)
Socrates470–399 BCPlato, Symposium, 175d
Terry Pratchett1948–2015alt.fan.pratchett (22 November 1993)
Thornton Wilder1897–1975The Skin of Our Teeth (1942), Act One
Aldous Huxley1894–1963The Doors of Perception (1954), p. 159
Mahatma Gandhi1869–1948Harijan (17 February 1940)