They say that wisdom comes with age, and these wise sayings will give you better judgement and a sense of purpose in life. What is wisdom exactly? Wisdom is.
Looking for the best wisdom quotes? We’ve compiled an amazing list of top 120 famous inspirational wisdom quotes and sayings.
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.” – Saint Augustine
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson
“Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.” – Dale Turner
“The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.” – William James
“Cleverness is not wisdom.” – Euripides
“Wise men make more opportunities than they find.” – Francis Bacon
“The wise man hath his thoughts in his head; the fool, on his tongue.” – Ivan Panin
“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Even when you have doubts, take that step. Take chances. Mistakes are never a failure – they can be turned into wisdom.” – Cat Cora
“True wisdom listens more, talks less and can get along with all types of people.” – Kiana Tom
“Wisdom outweighs any wealth.” – Sophocles
“Wisdom begins at the end.” – Daniel Webster
“He who devotes sixteen hours a day to hard study may become at sixty as wise as he thought himself at twenty.” – Mary Wilson Little
“All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope.” – Alexandre Dumas
“The difference between a wise and foolish man is this–the former sees much, thinks much, and speaks little; but the latter speaks more than he either sees or thinks.” – William Scott Downey
“Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to the proper use.” – Thomas J. Watson
“Wisdom comes with the ability to be still. Just look and just listen. No more is needed. Being still, looking, and listening activates the non-conceptual intelligence within you. Let stillness direct your words and actions.” – Eckhart Tolle
“Wisdom alone is the science of other sciences.” – Plato
“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” – Alfred Lord Tennyson
“Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.” – Elbert Hubbard
“Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time.” – Theodore Roosevelt
“In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by.” – Lucille Ball
“Discipline is wisdom and vice versa.” – M. Scott Peck
“When you’re used to being prepared to reject conventional wisdom, it leaves you open to learn more.” – Mayim Bialik
“The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
“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.” – Herman Hesse
“It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar.” – William Wordsworth
“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.” – Ansel Adams
“Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.” – Francis Bacon
“There are three methods to gaining wisdom. The first is reflection, which is the highest. The second is limitation, which is the easiest. The third is experience, which is the bitterest.” – Confucius
“Wisdom is knowledge which has become a part of one’s being.” – Orison Swett Marden
“Wisdom comes alone through suffering.” – Aeschylus
“Man’s wisdom is his best friend; folly his worst enemy.” – William Temple
“Wisdom is knowing when you can’t be wise.” – Paul Engle
“The sum of wisdom is that time is never lost that is devoted to work.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Much wisdom often goes with fewest words.” – Sophocles
“Genius unrefined resembles a flash of lightning, but wisdom is like the sun.” – Franz Grillparzer
“Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness.” – Sophocles
“There’s a beauty to wisdom and experience that cannot be faked. It’s impossible to be mature without having lived.” – Amy Grant
“Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.” – Immanuel Kant
“We must expect reverses, even defeats. They are sent to teach us wisdom and prudence, to call forth greater energies, and to prevent our falling into greater disasters.” – Robert E. Lee
“Wisdom is a kind of knowledge. It is knowledge of the nature, career, and consequences of human values.” – Sidney Hook
“Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
“Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.” – Euripides
“Wisdom lies neither in fixity nor in change, but in the dialectic between the two. A constant coming and going: wisdom lies in the momentary.” – Octavio Paz
“It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.” – Epictetus
“Earthly wisdom is doing what comes naturally. Godly wisdom is doing what the Holy Spirit compels us to do.” – Charles Stanley
“Counsel woven into the fabric of real life is wisdom.” – Walter Benjamin
“Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous.” – Zhuangzi
“I actually think with age comes some level of wisdom.” – Nina Totenberg
“With age comes common sense and wisdom.” – Nas
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” – Oprah Winfrey
“Wisdom does not show itself so much in precept as in life – in firmness of mind and a mastery of appetite. It teaches us to do as well as to talk; and to make our words and actions all of a color.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“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.
“Wisdom begins in wonder.” – Socrates
“Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.” – Aesop
“Wisdom and understanding can only become the possession of individual men by travelling the old road of observation, attention, perseverance, and industry.” – Samuel Smiles
“If suffering brings wisdom, I would wish to be less wise.” – William Butler Yeats
“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
“Losing faith in your own singularity is the start of wisdom, I suppose; also the first announcement of death.” – Peter Conrad
“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.” – Charles Dickens
“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
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau
“Remembering is painful, it’s difficult, but it can be inspiring and it can give wisdom.” – Paul Greengrass
“Our happiness depends on wisdom all the way.” – Sophocles
“Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.” – Norman Cousins
“A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation.” – Moliere
“To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it.” – Wilson Mizner
“I think it’s nice to age gracefully. OK, you lose the youth, a certain stamina and dewy glow, but what you gain on the inside as a human being is wonderful: the wisdom, the acceptance and the peace of mind. It’s a fair exchange.” – Cherie Lunghi
“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.” – Socrates
“The truest wisdom is a resolute determination.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“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.” – Yoko Ono
“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.” – Benjamin Franklin
“There is a wisdom of the head, and a wisdom of the heart.” – Charles Dickens
“Wisdom sails with wind and time.” – John Florio
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.” – Brian O’Driscoll
“Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.” – Khalil Gibran
“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” – Jimi Hendrix
“Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.” – Sidonie Gabrielle Colette
“Wisdom is not attained by years, but by ability.” – Plautus
“Follow your instincts. That’s where true wisdom manifests itself.” – Oprah Winfrey
“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” – George Bernard Shaw
“To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” – Marilyn vos Savant
“Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.” – Lao Tzu
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates
“Those who improve with age embrace the power of personal growth and personal achievement and begin to replace youth with wisdom, innocence with understanding, and lack of purpose with self-actualization.” – Bo Bennett
“The final wisdom of life requires not the annulment of incongruity but the achievement of serenity within and above it.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
“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
“Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” – Buddha
“The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.” – William Blake
“Of all the things which wisdom provides to make us entirely happy, much the greatest is the possession of friendship.” – Epicurus
“Whenever you argue with another wiser than yourself in order that others may admire your wisdom, they will discover your ignorance.” – Saadi
“Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men.” – Confucius
“Hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy.” – Liu Xiaobo
“Cunning… is but the low mimic of wisdom.” – Plato
“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
“Silence is true wisdom’s best reply.” – Euripides
“The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
“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
“From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.” – Publilius Syrus
“Who is wise in love, love most, say least.” – Alfred Lord Tennyson
“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
“To keep your secret is wisdom; but to expect others to keep it is folly.” – Samuel Johnson
“We respect our elders. There is wisdom that comes from experience, and I am not going to stop learning from wise counsel.” – Marcia Fudge
“Lord, bless me with the ability to achieve all that I can, and the wisdom to realize it doesn’t all have to be by tomorrow!” – William Eardley IV
“Memory is the mother of all wisdom.” – Aeschylus
“No man was ever wise by chance.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“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
“Wisdom is found only in truth.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“You can practice to attain knowledge, but you can’t practice to attain wisdom.” – Herbie Hancock
“The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation.” – Isaac D’Israeli
“If I don’t have wisdom, I can teach you only ignorance.” – Leo Buscaglia
“Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
“Wisdom allows nothing to be good that will not be so forever; no man to be happy but he that needs no other happiness than what he has within himself; no man to be great or powerful that is not master of himself.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
“We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success. We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do; and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery.” – Samuel Smiles
“Strength and wisdom are not opposing values.” – William J. Clinton
“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
“Sciences may be learned by rote, but wisdom not.” – Laurence Sterne
“We all admire the wisdom of people who come to us for advice.” – Arthur Helps
Contrary to popular belief, wisdom need not always be verbose. Sometimes wisdom is Noble Words From the Famous: Veterans Day Quotes.
They say that wisdom comes with age, and these wise sayings will give you better judgement and a sense of purpose in life.
What is wisdom exactly? Wisdom is defined as, “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgement.”
If we’re lucky enough to have parents, mentors and advisors, then we have heard plenty of wise sayings about life.
We also know that you can’t just hear it once.
Life’s wisdom can often miss us because life moves so fast, that we have to practice standing still.
In many cultures and religions across the world, gaining wisdom is the ultimate goal.
Wisdom is seen as the highest form of understanding, which can lead you towards enlightenment.
Something I’ve learned in life is that my favorite quotes and sayings can often become principles to live by.
I hope these wise sayings about life can serve as guidelines for greater happiness, fulfillment, connection, and meaning.
1.) “You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”― Gautama Buddha
Before you pour your love into someone else, fill yourself up first.
2.) “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ― Rumi
Start with you. Start where you are. Changing the world is an exciting idea. Changing yourself makes it possible.
3.) “Man is a mystery. It needs to be unravelled, and if you spend your whole life unravelling it, don’t say that you’ve wasted time. I am studying that mystery because I want to be a human being.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Everything you do and have done has gotten you closer to who you really are and who you aspire to be. So in essence, even if you disagree with what you have done, it was never time wasted.
4.) “A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.”
― Gautama Buddha
Words only go so far, we must live our message. Our true wisdom is displayed through our actions.
5.) “Sometimes it’s not enough to know what things mean, sometimes you have to know what things don’t mean.” ― Bob Dylan
Being wrong is just as powerful as being right. Sometimes, it’s even more powerful.
6.) “We seldom realize, for example that our most private thoughts and emotions are not actually our own. For we think in terms of languages and images which we did not invent, but which were given to us by our society.” ― Alan Wilson Watts
Let’s be mindful of what we identify with and hold on to. Many times we think, “That’s just who I am, that just what I think…” But the truth is, many things we think and desire are not our own. Since our childhood, we’ve been looking for attention and acceptance and most of the time that came from ‘following directions’. Take some time to think about how you think.
7.) “You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger.” ― Gautama Buddha
Once you’re angry, the harm is already done.
8.) “If others tell us something we make assumptions, and if they don’t tell us something we make assumptions to fulfill our need to know and to replace the need to communicate. Even if we hear something and we don’t understand we make assumptions about what it means and then believe the assumptions. We make all sorts of assumptions because we don’t have the courage to ask questions.” ― Miguel Ruiz
The only thing worse than making assumptions is to believe them.
9.) “I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy. ” ― Anthony Robbins
Don’t let your pain stay as pain. Get something from it. Let your pain push you towards growth.
10.) “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wisdom doesn’t have to be bleak. Let your understanding help you recognize the unexplainable.
11.) “Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.” ― Gautama Buddha
Growing isn’t something that happens once. It happens again and again, and again!
12.) “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.”― Dalai Lama XIV
Life = Love
13.) “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
14.) “Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” – Denis Waitley
15.) “Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way.” – Al Franken
16.) “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
17.) “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for.” – Oprah Winfrey
18.) “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.” – Voltaire
19.) “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – George Bernard Shaw
20.) “You can never plan the future by the past.” — Edmund Burke
21.) “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” — Robert Frost
22.) “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam
23.) “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” – Oscar Wilde
24.) “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard
25.) “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West
26.) “Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul.” – Rebecca West
27.) “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” – Elbert Hubbard
28.) “The greatest day in your life and mine is when we take total responsibility for our attitudes. That’s the day we truly grow up.” – John C. Maxwell
29.) “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” – Soren Kierkegaard
30.) “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” – Lou Holtz
31.) “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
32.) “Close some doors today. Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere.”―Paulo Coelho
33.) “I am not someone who is ashamed of my past. I’m actually really proud. I know I made a lot of mistakes, but they, in turn, were my life lessons.” – Drew Barrymore
34.) “You can’t live your life for other people. You’ve got to do what’s right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.” – The Notebook
35.) “Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop.” ―Rumi
36.) “Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it.” ―Irving Berlin
37.) “No matter how much suffering you went through, you never wanted to let go of those memories.” ― Haruki Murakami
38.) “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” ― Plato
39.) “People are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
40.) “A wise man learns by the mistakes of others, a fool by his own.” – Latin Proverb
41.) “On every thorn, delightful wisdom grows. In every rill a sweet instruction flows.” – Edward Young
42.) “It’s not the load that weighs you down, it’s how you carry it.” – C.S. Lewis
43.) “The seat of knowledge is in the head, of wisdom, in the heart.” – William Hazlitt
44.) “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.” – Harper Lee
45.) “To be successful, you must act big, think big and talk big.” – Unknown
46.) “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” – Mahatma Gandhi
47.) “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein
48.) “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson
49.) “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson
50.) “Wise men make more opportunities than they find.” – Francis Bacon
51.) “In order to be happy oneself, it is necessary to make at least one other person happy.”– Theodor Reik
52.) “Everyone in life is gonna hurt you; you just have to figure out which people are worth the pain.” – Erica Baican
53.) “A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge.” – Thomas Carlyle
54.) “Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr
55.) “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.”– Franklin D. Roosevelt
56.) “No one ever finds life worth living – one has to make it worth living.” – Winston Churchill
57.) “Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.”– Les Brown
58.) “An unexamined life is not worth living.”– Socrates
59.) “Life is much more fun if you live it in the spirit of play and collaboration, working with instead of against others.” – Wally Amos
60.) “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”– Vince Lombardi
61.) “You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.” – Mary Tyler Moore
62.) “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
63.) “People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
64.) “I am not what happened to me; I am what I choose to become.”– C.G. Jung
75.) “Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.”– Stephen Chbosky
Words of wisdom from individuals of all different backgrounds can teach us important life lessons. Through the years, great men and women have imprinted their wisdom on us by way of their wise words. And because of them, their contributions have made this world a better place to live in.
Hopefully, these wise sayings will guide you towards greater happiness, fulfillment, connection, and meaning.
Did you enjoy these wise sayings? What other wise sayings about life would you like to share with us? Tell us in the comment section below. We would love to hear all about it.
Proverbs - Inspirational Words of WisdomProverbs are wisdom of the experienced passed down from generation to generation; they are sayings and usually contain good advice for living. Here find a collection of famous proverbs containing inspiration; many of these adages are wise sayings, expressions,and phrases that have been passed down for centuries.William R. Alger once said, "Proverbs are mental gems in the diamond fields of the mind." The word Proverb is taken from the Latin word proverbium. Proverbs speak to a simple truth or are often considered common sense, but are expressed usually in a one line sentence. They can be witty and amusing. Most proverbs are one liners but have true meaning in them. Collection of Proverbs | ||
| African Proverbs Funny African Proverbs American Proverbs Chinese Proverbs Czech Proverbs Danish Proverbs English Proverbs French Proverbs Funny Proverbs Italian Proverbs | Irish Proverbs Japanese Proverbs Korean Proverbs Russian Proverbs Scottish Proverbs Spanish Proverbs Turkish Proverbs Welsh Proverbs Yiddish Proverbs | |
Some of our Favorite Proverbs:It takes a whole village to raise a child. AfricanTeachers open the door. You enter by yourself. Chinese Character can be built on daily routine. Japanese If you plant grass, you won't get rice. Malaysian If you can't live longer, live deeper. Italian A Sunday well-spent brings a week of content. Proverb Dig your well before you are thirsty. Hindustan Kind words can conquer. Tamil If you count your friend's mistakes, he will desert you. Arabian Laughter is the remedy for 1001 illnesses. Azerbaijani A small key can open big doors. Kurdish Don't fall into a fire in order to avoid the smoke. Turkish Don't do what you'll have to find an excuse for. Proverb A good listener needs few words. Basque You may find your best friend or your worst enemy in yourself. English A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures in the doctor's book. Irish He who undertakes too many things at once seldom does any of them well. Dutch Confessed faults are half mended. Scottish A spoken word is not a sparrow. Once it flies out, you can't catch it. Proverb Proverb Even the best writer has to erase sometimes. Spanish Sometimes you have to be silent in order to be heard. Swiss What you cannot say briefly you do not know. Danish A misty morning does not signify a cloudy day. Danish There is no wise response to a foolish remark. Czechoslovakian There are plenty of preachers who don't hear themselves. German You can tell who the good seamen are during a storm. Greek Do more things by wisdom than by force. Hungarian To the person who watches, everything reveals itself. Italian One man's fault is another man's lesson. Maltese Every answer can result in a new question. Yiddish If you are going to do something carelessly, it is better to give up entirely. Russian He who possesses knowledge possesses the world. Uzbek Half a loaf is better than none. Australian Take time to enjoy life's roses. New Zealander Self-help is the best help. American Through other people's faults, wise men correct their own. Canadian One timely shout is better than constant talk. Mexican Do not be excessively timid or excessively confident. Cuban Little by little, the bird builds its nest. Haitian Never say no due to pride, or yes due to weakness. Puerto Rican A dog that always barks gets little attention. Argentine Little by little, a person can get very far. Peruvian Some of our Favorite Proverbs from The Bible (NIV):The Bible is full of wisdom and some of the best Proverbs are found there. Sayings that can help you live a fuller and more peaceful life. These have been around for thousands of years and have been an encouragement to many.My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity. Proverbs 3:1-2 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding. Proverbs 3:13 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 Many are the plans in a human heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1 Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. Proverbs 12:1 Gossips betray a confidence, but the trustworthy keep a secret. Proverbs 11:13 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3 Those who give heed to instruction prosper, and blessed are those who trust in the LORD. Proverbs 16:20 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. Proverbs 11:28 Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. Proverbs 12:25 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30 | ||
| Words of Wisdom | Inspirational Quotes | Quote of the Day | Famous Quotes | Words of Encouragement | Contact Us | About Us | Disclaimer | Disclosure | Privacy Policy Words of Wisdom | | ||
Read these pictures quotes to boost your wisdom today. Use this list of words of wisdom to remind yourself of and improve upon a wise mindset in your work.
Last Updated on
Continuous learning is one of the keys to achieving success in life.
That's why learning, wisdom, and focusing on self-education are three things that fit together hand-in-glove.
With that in mind, you can draw a wealth of inspiration by reading and truly understanding famous knowledge quotes from some of the world's most famous people. From these words of wisdom, you can grow as a person and find out what it takes to better yourself.
In this post, we cover 73 knowledge quotes that will help you: understand the meaning behind each experience, embrace the importance of increasing your self knowledge, and learn to love learning. First, we'll cover the quotes that focus on the importance of being a lifelong learner.
(Side note: One way to increase your knowledge is to start your morning on the “right foot” by learning something new. So join over 1 million others and start your day with the latest news from Wall St. to Silicon Valley. This newsletter is a 5-minute read that's informative, witty and FREE!)
What You Will Learn
I find it hard to find a topic more compelling and important than continuous learning. It has been proven to be one of the most essential skills that the most successful people in the world have embraced.
These days learning new skills and gaining knowledge is a lifetime gig. Not something set aside for a few years of advanced education.
The quotes about knowledge above give us some wise looks at why knowledge, education and learning are important. But as with any simple quotes, they don’t teach us how to find the time and energy to keep continuous learning going on.
After all, they are just knowledge quotes. They are only meant to inspire, not teach.
If you want to new skills, first you will want to decide on what skills you want to learn and then make a plan to go get them.
Many skills are job-specific or represent something you have wanted to be able to do for a long time. But that does not always need to be the case… you may want to investigate skills that simply help you do better in life.
For example, this massive list of 101 new skills to learn shows some great places to give a little bit extra effort toward making a better version of yourself. And this article on 135 soft skills can help you get a promotion or nail that next job interview.
More important than the desire to learn is understanding your best possible learning style.
We all learn differently. The problems some people have with learning new knowledge is often not lack of intelligence, but that the information is given to them in a sub-optimal manner.
Now, before we get to these quotes on increasing self knowledge, I recommend checking out theSkillshare website which provides a variety of courses that can help you learn any skill. (You can also read our review of Skillshare here.)
“Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also.”― Carl Gustav Jung
“Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”― Ronald E. Osborn
“The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.”― Sir William Bragg
“To know that you do not know is best. To think you know when you do not is a disease. Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.”-Lao Tzu
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think.”― Socrates
“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”― Herbert Spencer
“If we would have new knowledge, we must get a whole world of new questions.”― Susanne K. Langer
“The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.”― John F. Kennedy
“In your thirst for knowledge, be sure not to drown in all the information.” – Anthony J. D'Angelo
“Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.”― Terry Goodkind
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”― Benjamin Franklin
“If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?”― Thomas Henry Huxley
“Fill thy mind with useful knowledge and thou shalt avoid empty words.”― James Lendall Basford
“Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it.” – Alan Moore
“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.”― L. Frank Baum
“Not to know is bad; not to wish to know is worse.”― African Proverb
“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence.”― Robert Frost
“Knowledge has a beginning but no end.”― Geeta S. Iyengar
“We are drowning in information but starved for knowledge.”― John Naisbitt
The powerful quotes in this section shows us the value and importance of sharing your knowledge with others.
After all, success these days takes more than just a college education. Far more important is to keep learning new skills and increasing your knowledge base.
(Side bar: If you'd like to learn how to master the skill of self-education and learn how to master any new skill, then I recommend checking the book Novice to Expert.)
Many people desire or even need to increase their knowledge and improve their skills.
But find they lack the time to follow through on their education and skill development, and often quit in frustration after beginning to learn something new.
We all want to expand on our existing knowledge. But sometimes it's impossible to stay consistent with a new skill or habit. It's easy to fall into the trap where you focus only on learning and never get around to implementing the information.
The truth is: You can learn anything… without spending lots of money… without dedicating thousands of hours to the process… and often without leaving the comfort of your home.
So, with that in mind, let's dive into the quotes related to sharing your knowledge with others.
“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.”― Oscar Wilde
“In today's environment, hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something very important, the way to get power is by actually sharing it.”― Joseph Badaracco
“Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.”-Thomas H. Huxley
“We owe almost all our knowledge not to those who have agreed but to those who have differed.”― Charles Caleb Colton
“All knowledge is connected to all other knowledge. The fun is in making the connections.”― Arthur C. Aufderheide
“Sharing your knowledge with others does not make you less important.”― Unknown
“If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.”― Margaret Fuller
“Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.”― Dalai Lama XIV
“Everyone is ignorant only on different subjects.” – Will Rogers
“It is nothing for one to know something unless another knows you know it.”― Persian Proverb
“Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.”― Adelaide Hoodless
“Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes.”― Peter F. Drucker
“Knowledge increases by sharing but not by saving.”― Kamari aka Lyrikal
“It is good to rub, and polish our brain against that of others.” – Michel Eyquem de Montaigne
My favorite quote about knowledge acknowledges that fact: “The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing.”
While you might strive to learn as much as you can about the world, it is impossible to know everything. At a certain point, you have to recognize when you aren't an expert about a topic. And more importantly, you should be humble enough to look back at your mistakes (and challenges) to evaluate the lessons that you learned from them.
With that in mind, here are a variety of quotes about wisdom…
“Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”― Miles Kington
“One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas.”― Victor Hugo
“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”― Robertson Davies
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”― John 8:32
“Sometimes it’s necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly.”― Edward Albee
“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.”― Confucius
“Knowledge becomes evil if the aim be not virtuous.”― Plato
“The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn and change.”― Carl R. Rogers
“One part of knowledge consists in being ignorant of such things as are not worthy to be known.” Socrates
“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.”― Theodore Roosevelt
“The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained.”― David Bohm
“Example is the best precept.”― Aesop
“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”― John Locke
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”― Socrates
“A true knowledge of ourselves is knowledge of our power.”― Mark Rutherford
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” – Albert Einstein
“Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.”― Will Durant
“Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before.”― Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
“As I grow to understand life less and less I grow to love it more and more.”― Jules Renard
People who lack knowledge or just don’t care about self-education can be amusing. Some of the quotes about the lack of knowledge are a bit funny.
But ignorance is only funny in the abstract. In reality, there is nothing funny about this.
People who lack knowledge will fall further and further behind in their chosen fields. In fact, this is one of the biggest lessons I've learned in life.
No single knowledge quote is going to make you go out and bust your butt to learn. (That has to come from within)
But hopefully, some of these knowledge quotes have given you a tiny bit of inspiration to put forth some effort to improve yourself and continue your self-education.
REMINDER: If you want to increase your knowledge, then join over 1 million others and start your day with the latest news from Wall St. to Silicon Valley. This newsletter is a 5-minute read that's informative, witty and FREE!
“Lack of knowledge is the source of all pains and sorrows whether dormant, attenuated, interrupted or fully active.”― B.K.S. Iyengar
“People love answers, but only as long as they are the ones who came up with them.”― Criss Jami
“Problems often become worse if incompetent people try to solve them.”― Eraldo Banovac
“There is no wealth like knowledge, and no poverty like ignorance.”― Buddha
“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw
“A lack of knowledge creates fear. Seeking knowledge creates courage.”― Candice Swanepoel
“The highest form of ignorance is to reject something you know nothing about.”― Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
“Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”― Solomon
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”― Daniel J. Boorstin
“Ignorance is not a simple lack of knowledge but an active aversion to knowledge, the refusal to know, issuing from cowardice, pride, or laziness of mind.” – Karl Popper
“Some students drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.”― Unknown
“You can't know too much, but you can say too much.”― Calvin Coolidge
“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in.”― Isaac Asimov
“Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.”― Euripides
“Small minds have always lashed out at what they don't understand.”– Dan Brown
“There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them.”― Anthony de Mello
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”― Aldous Huxley
“Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge, and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance.”― William Ellery Channing
Have your own great quotes about knowledge? Why not share them, or your thoughts in the comments below
If you enjoyed this collection of knowledge quotes please be sure to share them on your favorite social media channel!
Finally, if you'd like to discover other great quotes related to increasing your knowledge, then I recommend checking out these articles:
Funny words of wisdom Will and Guy's collection of wise phrases and sayings. To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny.
