Wisdom Quotes

"A man should always consider how much he has more than he wants."

"Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day."

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

"Look around for a place to sow a few seeds."

"Does wisdom perhaps appear on the earth as a raven which is inspired by the smell of carrion?"

"It is while you are patiently toiling at the little tasks of life that the meaning and shape of the great whole of life dawn on you."

"It is great folly to wish to be wise all alone."

"Don't gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver or gold."

"To advise is not to compel."

"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."

"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."

"Wisdom oft times consists of knowing what to do next."

"Even by common wisdom, there seem to be both people and objects in my dream that are outside myself, but clearly they were created in myself and are part of me, they are mental constructs in my own brain."

"Cunning... is but the low mimic of wisdom."

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

"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."

"Knowledge shrinks as wisdom grows."

"Never reach out your hand unless you're willing to extend an arm."

"You've got to go out on a limb sometimes because that's where the fruit is."

"No one wants advice - only corroboration."

"It is like the seed put in the soil - the more one sows, the greater the harvest."

"Our deeds determine us, as much as we determine our deeds."

"The difference between chirping out of turn and a faux pas depends on what kind of a bar you're in."

"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."

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance."

"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."

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

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

"I will give you a definition of a proud man: he is a man who has neither vanity nor wisdom one filled with hatreds cannot be vain, neither can he be wise."

"When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity."

"The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it."

"Most of our pocket wisdom is conceived for the use of mediocre people, to discourage them from ambitious attempts, and generally console them in their mediocrity."

"Holy wisdom confounds Satan and all his wickednesses."

"The more I work with the body, keeping my assumptions in a temporary state of reservation, the more I appreciate and sympathize with a given disease. The body no longer appears as a sick or irrational demon, but as a process with its own inner logic and wisdom."

"Sometimes I am happy and sometimes not. I am, after all, a human being, you know. And I am glad that we are sometimes happy and sometimes not. You get your wisdom working by having different emotions."

"Perhaps religious conscience upsets the designs of those who feel that the highest wisdom and authority comes from government. But from the beginning, this nation trusted in God, not man. Religious liberty is the first freedom in our Constitution."

"There is no pain equal to that which two lovers can inflict on one another. This should be made clear to all who contemplate such a union. The avoidance of this pain is the beginning of wisdom, for it is strong enough to contaminate the rest of our lives."

"With pride, there are many curses. With humility, there come many blessings."

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."

"If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."

"The future has already arrived. It's just not evenly distributed yet."

"Pure, holy simplicity confounds all the wisdom of this world and the wisdom of the flesh."

"I didn't get where I am today by worryin' about how I'd feel tomorrow."

"When you give yourself, you receive more than you give."

"Who is wise in love, love most, say least."

"My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate."

"How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone."

"In action a great heart is the chief qualification. In work, a great head."

"Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar."

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."