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And the wise man is he or she who knows their life purpose. Muhammad Ali, cited What’s My Name
Logical consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men. Thomas Henry Huxley, Science and Culture and Other Essays, 1881
Fictions are necessary to the people, and the Truth becomes deadly to those who are not strong enough to contemplate it all in its brilliance. In fact, what can there be in common with the vile multitude and sublime wisdom? The truth must be kept secret, and the masses need a teaching proportioned to their imperfect reason. Albert Pike, Sovereign Grand Commander, Mother Supreme Council of the World, the Supreme Council of the 33rd degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry
Science is always discovering odd scraps of magical wisdom and making a tremendous fuss about its cleverness. Aleister Crowley, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley
Great lords, wise men ne’er sit and wail their loss. William Shakespeare, Richard Duke of York V iv 1, Queen Margaret
O my Antonio, I do not know of these
That therefore only are reputed wise
For saying nothing. William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice I i 95-97, Graziano to Antonio, with Bassanio
The seeming truth which cunning times put on
To entrap the wisest. ibid. III ii 100-101, Bassiano to self
I never knew so young a body with so old a head. ibid. IV i 163
For wisdom cries out in the streets, but no man regards it. William Shakespeare, Henry IV I ii 88-89, Prince Harry to Sir John
There’s not one wise man about twenty that will praise himself. William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing V i 66-67, Beatrice to Benedick
Your wisdom is consumed in confidence. William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar II ii 49, Calpurnia to Caesar
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Touchstone, Globe Theatre, Sky Arts 2012
Well, God give them wisdom that have it; and those that are fools, let them use their talents. William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night I v 13-14, Feste
You’re much more ataxed for want of wisdom
Than praised for harmless mildness. William Shakespeare, The History of King Lear I iv 327-328, Gonoril
Wisdom and goodness to the vile seem vile;
Filths savour but themselves. ibid. IV ii 37-38, Albany
Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. H L Mencken
The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom. H L Mencken
The aim of science is not to open the door to infinite wisdom, but to set a limit to infinite error. Bertolt Brecht
We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. J Robert Oppenheimer
The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget. Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin
Science is one thing, wisdom is another. Science is an edged tool, with which men play like children, and cut their own fingers. Arthur Eddington, cited Robert L Weber, More Random Walks in Science 1982
Science is based on experiment, on a willingness to challenge old dogma, on an openness to see the universe as it really is. Accordingly, science sometimes requires courage – at the very least the courage to question the conventional wisdom. Carl Sagan
Science is much more than a body of knowledge. It is a way of thinking. This is central to its success. Science invites us to let the facts in, even when they don’t conform to our preconceptions. It counsels us to carry alternative hypotheses in our heads and see which ones best match the facts. It urges on us a fine balance between no-holds-barred openness to new ideas, however heretical, and the most rigorous skeptical scrutiny of everything – new ideas and established wisdom. We need wide appreciation of this kind of thinking. It works. It’s an essential tool for a democracy in an age of change. Our task is not just to train more scientists but also to deepen public understanding of science. Carl Sagan, ‘Why We Need to Understand Science’ Skeptical Inquirer 14:3
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. Isaac Asimov
Knowledge is indivisible. When people grow wise in one direction, they are sure to make it easier for themselves to grow wise in other directions as well. On the other hand, when they split up knowledge, concentrate on their own field, and scorn and ignore other fields, they grow less wise – even in their own field. Isaac Asimov, The Roving Mind ch25, 1983
Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason
Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise. Francis Bacon, Essays: ‘Of Cunning’, 1625
A prudent question is one half of wisdom. Francis Bacon
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
Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification. Martin Fischer
It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen. Oliver Wendell Holmes, The Poet at the Breakfast Table, 1872
Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. Alfred Lord Tennyson
Experience is the father of wisdom. Mid-16th century proverb