Let men be wise by instinct if they can, but when this fails be wise by good advice.

SOPHOCLES, Antigone There are many gates to the house of wisdom. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims 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, Stillness Speaks Like water in the desert is wisdom to the soul. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Memory is the mother of all wisdom. AESCHYLUS, Prometheus Bound The kind of man who always thinks that he is right, that his opinions, his pronouncements, are the final word, when once exposed shows nothing there. But a wise man has much to learn without a loss of dignity. SOPHOCLES, Antigone Wisdom is a treasure, the key whereof is never lost. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Second thoughts are ever wiser. EURIPIDES, Hippolytus Full wise is he that can himself know. GEOFFREY CHAUCER, The Canterbury Tales Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it. HERMANN HESSE, Siddhartha Wisdom is the never-failing granary of thought. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Wisdom and folly are equal before the face of Infinity, for Infinity knows them not.

LEONID ANDREYEV, "Lazarus" There's little comfort in the wise. RUPERT BROOKE, Tiare Tahiti Knowledge is proud that he has learn'd so much; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more. WILLIAM COWPER, The Task Never, no, never did Nature say one thing and Wisdom say another. EDMUND BURKE, Letters on a Regicide Peace It is because the old have forgotten life that they preach wisdom. PHILIP MOELLER, Helena's Husband Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful. NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI, The Prince Of all the forms of wisdom, hindsight is by general consent the least merciful, the most unforgiving. JOHN FLETCHER, intro, Jean-Claude Favez's Holocaust What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU, Emile A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence. DAVID HUME, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding In youth men are apt to write more wisely than they really know or feel; and the remainder of life may be not idly spent in realizing and convincing themselves of the wisdom which they uttered long ago. NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, preface, The Snow-Image A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees. WILLIAM BLAKE, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Knowledge is flour, but wisdom is bread. AUSTIN O'MALLEY, Keystones of Thought The road to true wisdom has seldom been spanned by mortals. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims

Each of us knows all. We need only open our minds to hear our own wisdom. DAN BROWN, Angels & Demons Wisdom comes only through suffering. AESCHYLUS, Agamemnon The first and wisest of them all professed To know this only, that he nothing knew. JOHN MILTON, Paradise Regained Man's highest blessedness, In wisdom chiefly stands; And in the things that touch upon the Gods, 'Tis best in word or deed To shun unholy pride; Great words of boasting bring great punishments, And so to grey-haired age Teach wisdom at the last. SOPHOCLES, Antigone You may not have very much sense. But if you have enough to keep your mouth shut and look wise, it will not be long before you acquire a wide reputation as a fountain of Wisdom. ROBERT ELLIOTT GONZALES, Poems and Paragraphs Justice without wisdom is impossible. JAMES ANTHONY FROUDE, Short Studies on Great Subjects The wealth of mankind is the wisdom they leave. JOHN BOYLE O'REILLY, "Rules of the Road" The wise may find in trifles light as atoms in the air, some useful lesson to enrich the mind. JOHN GODFREY SAXE, "King Solomon and the Bees" The wise man hath his thoughts in his head; the fool, on his tongue. IVAN PANIN, Thoughts If we drink from the fountain of wisdom, We thirst for its waters e'ermore. ARDELIA COTTON BARTON, Thoughts Few and precious are the words which the lips of Wisdom utter: To what shall their rarity be likened? What prices shall count their worth?

Perfect, and much to be desired, and giving joy with riches, No lovely thing on earth can picture their fair beauty. They be chance pearls, flung among the rocks by the sullen waters of Oblivion. MARTIN FARQUHAR TUPPER, Proverbial Philosophy Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. ALFRED TENNYSON, Locksley Hall There is no man ... however wise, who has not at some period of his youth said things, or lived a life, the memory of which is so unpleasant to him that he would gladly expunge it. And yet he ought not entirely to regret it, because he cannot be certain that he has indeed become a wise man -- so far as it is possible for any of us to be wise -- unless he has passed through all the fatuous or unwholesome incarnations by which that ultimate stage must be preceded. MARCEL PROUST, Within a Budding Grove Wisdom grows in quiet places. AUSTIN O'MALLEY, Keystones of Thought It's a beautiful thing, the blossoming of Wisdom. Like a flower in spring. MICHAEL RUDD, Clothes for their Souls When wisdom leaves the house folly enters it. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Wisdom comes to us when it can no longer do any good. GABRIEL GARCA MRQUEZ, Love in the Time of Cholera It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: The music is nothing if the audience is deaf. WALTER LIPPMANN, A Preface to Morals A man remains ignorant because he loves ignorance, and chooses ignorant thoughts; a man becomes wise because he loves wisdom and chooses wise thoughts. JAMES ALLEN, Above Life's Turmoil How prone to doubt, how cautious are the wise! HOMER, The Odyssey Folly is like the growth of weeds, always luxurious and spontaneous; wisdom, like flowers, requires cultivation. HOSEA BALLOU, Edge-Tools of Speech

No man has all the wisdom in the world; everyone has some. EDGAR WATSON HOWE, Country Town Sayings Some would be sages if they did not believe they were so already. BALTASAR GRACIAN, The Art of Worldly Wisdom The hours of folly are measured by the clock, but of wisdom no clock can measure. WILLIAM BLAKE, Proverbs of Hell Where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise. THOMAS GRAY, Odes on a Distant Prospect of Eton College The sun of the mind, and the life of the heart is Wisdom. She is pure and full of light, crowning grey hairs with lustre, And kindling the eye of youth with a fire not its own. MARTIN FARQUHAR TUPPER, Proverbial Philosophy Wisdom is often counted folly by the unwise. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims The next thing to having wisdom ourselves, is to profit by that of others. CHARLES CALEB COLTON, Lacon Wisdom is also a deeper consciousness of ignorance. AUSTIN O'MALLEY, Keystones of Thought 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, Proverbs Wisdom is the daughter of experience. LEONARDO DA VINCI, Thoughts on Art and Life The wise man has his follies, no less than the fool; but it has been said that herein lies the difference--the follies of the fool are known to the world, but hidden from himself; the follies of the wise are known to himself, but hidden from the world. CHARLES CALEB COLTON, Lacon Contend not in wisdom with a fool, for thy sense maketh much of his conceit;

And some errors never would have thriven, had it not been for learned refutation. MARTIN FARQUHAR TUPPER, Proverbial Philosophy An ignorant man is always able to say yes or no immediately to any proposition. To a wise man, comparatively few things can be propounded which do not require a response with qualifications, with discriminations, with proportion. HORACE MANN, Thoughts Wisdom is mostly the fruit of experience. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims The first principle of solid wisdom is discretion, without it all the erudition of life is merely bagatelle. NORMAN MACDONALD, Maxims and Moral Reflections Cunning is seeing a hundred yards ahead--wisdom, fifty miles in advance. CHARLES WILLIAM DAY, The Maxims, Experiences, and Observations of Agogos Who knows whence he comes, where he is, and whither he tends, he, and he alone, is wise. JOHANN CASPAR LAVATER, Aphorisms on Man Wisdom is ever fresh; other things grow stale, but this is the evergreen flower of nature. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Cunning is the mere ape of wisdom, and all hate its low tricks. JOHN THORNTON, Maxims and Directions for Youth A wise man heedeth all things, and in his own eyes is a fool. MARTIN FARQUHAR TUPPER, Proverbial Philosophy Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. CHARLES CALEB COLTON, Lacon Learned men fall into error oftenest by mistaking knowledge for wisdom. AUSTIN O'MALLEY, Keystones of Thought Wisdom teaches us to live content upon a bone gnawed bare. ABRAHAM MILLER, Unmoral Maxims The beginning of wisdom is the knowledge of folly.

NORMAN MACDONALD, Maxims and Moral Reflections Like gold in the hands of a savage are the sayings of wisdom in the mouth of a fool. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims He that thinks himself the wisest, is generally the greatest fool. CHARLES CALEB COLTON, Lacon Wisdom's door is ever open. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Wisdom is the perception of the unimportance of the things we call great, and of the importance of the things we call small. CHARLES EDWARD JERNINGHAM, The Maxims of Marmaduke Wise men know each other. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims A simple realization that there are other points of view is the beginning of wisdom. GRENVILLE KLEISER, Dictionary of Proverbs Wisdom is a safe ship; and we may trust ourselves to it in all weathers. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims A word to the wise isn't as good as a word from the wise. GRENVILLE KLEISER, Dictionary of Proverbs Be wise before the storm. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims The wisdom of our parents, grandparents, ancestors. In each individual life, it seems, we must first reject that wisdom, then later come to appreciate it. TAD WILLIAMS, Otherland: City of Golden Shadow We disgrace wisdom when we would strive to support it with folly. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Whosoever would be wise, and consequently happy, must raze out of his mind all those false mistaken notions that have been imprinting there from his infancy; and endeavour to expel that pernicious infection

of error, which it has been so long hatching from erroneous customs and examples, and, which will prove fatal to it, if too long neglected. WELLINS CALCOTT, Thoughts Moral and Divine The wisest man is he who does not require advice. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Wisdom is a right understanding, a faculty of discerning good from evil, what is to be chosen and what rejected; a judgment grounded upon the true value of things, and not the common opinion of them. WELLINS CALCOTT, Thoughts Moral and Divine Let not wisdom be an occasional visitor--let it ever dwell with thee. EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims If you desire to be wiser yet, think yourself not yet wise. WELLINS CALCOTT, Thoughts Moral and Divine Wisdom is an endless tower. Who but One hath ever attained the summit? EDWARD COUNSEL, Maxims Necessity teaches wisdom, while prosperity makes fools. WELLINS CALCOTT, Thoughts Moral and Divine The extreme limit of wisdom thats what the public calls madness. JEAN COCTEAU, Le Coq et l'Arlequin He that is conceited of his Wisdom, is readier to impose Error, than to receive Truth. BENJAMIN WHICHCOTE, Moral and Religious Aphorisms If you are wise, all men will be your friends and kindred, for you will be useful. PLATO, Lysis Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk. DOUG LARSON, attributed, Meditations for Living in Balance No, that is the great fallacy: the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful. ERNEST HEMINGWAY, A Farewell to Arms

Was not this ... what we spoke of as the great advantage of wisdom -- to know what is known and what is unknown to us? PLATO, Charmides There are few who would need advisers, if they were only accustomed to appeal to themselves in their calmest, holiest moments. If, when embarrassed with doubt as to any course of action, they would turn aside from the immediate tumult of the world, and from the vain speaking of those who "darken counsel by words without knowledge;" and would then commune with their hearts alone, at night, the heavens their silent counsellors, they would act not always in accordance with the wise men of this world, but with that wisdom which bringeth peace. ARTHUR HELPS, Thoughts in the Cloister and the Crowd Each step, each strain of the eye Opens out a new horizon; And every day throws in our way Something new, to grow more wise on. ROBERT LEIGHTON, "No End" None of us was born knowing or wise; but men become wise by consideration, observation, experience. BENJAMIN WHICHCOTE, Moral and Religious Aphorisms Knowledge is learning something new every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day. ZEN PROVERB For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. PROVERBS 8:11 Mixing one's wines may be a mistake, but old and new wisdom mix admirably. BERTOLT BRECHT, The Caucasian Chalk Circle Wise sayings often fall on barren ground. ARTHUR HELPS, Thoughts in the Cloister and the Crowd Wisdom is understanding when to ask questions. BRIAN HERBERT & KEVIN J. ANDERSON, Dune: House Harkonnen The wisdom of this world is idiotism. THOMAS DEKKER, Old Fortunatus The knowledge and experience which produce wisdom can only become a man's individual possession and property by his own free action; and it is as futile to expect these without laborious, painstaking effort, as it is to hope to gather a harvest where the seed has not been sown.

SAMUEL SMILES, Self-Help All wisdom ends in paradox. JEFFREY EUGENIDES, The Virgin Suicides Wisdom always makes men fortunate: for by wisdom no man could ever err, and therefore he must act rightly and succeed, or his wisdom would be wisdom no longer. PLATO, Euthydemus For such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned, yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves, for they see their own wit at hand, and other men's at a distance. But this proveth rather that men are in that point equal, than unequal. For there is not ordinarily a greater sign of the equal distribution of any thing than that every man is contented with his share. THOMAS HOBBES, Leviathan There is a wisdom of the Head, and ... there is a wisdom of the Heart. CHARLES DICKENS, Hard Times The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook. WILLIAM JAMES, Principles of Psychology

You must got to let me smoke da wisdom weed or you is oppressin' me! DARLENE CAKE, Bad Girls (1999) Who are we to judge the wisdom of the almighty? REVEREND NORMAN BALTHUS, Carnivle, "After the Ball is Over" (2003) The price of wisdom is sometimes very painful. NIGHTINGALE, Dick Turpin, "The Champion" (1979) That's the gate to wisdom - being able to say "I don't know". BYRON SULLY, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (1993) Perverting common wisdom...is a mark of all great conspiracies. BARON VLADIMIR HARKONNEN, Dune (2000)

You know, once upon a time, getting old was a sign of wisdom - something to be revered. DR. JACOB HOOD, Eleventh Hour, "Eternal" (2009) We share our wisdom with those who seek it. It's a life of quiet dignity. LEONARD NIMOY, Futurama, "Space Pilot 3000" (1999) Oh, man! I was this close to wisdom! This close! ICARUS, Hercules (1998) Ancient wisdom: the worm realizes he is bait after the fish bites him. OLD MONK, Jackie Chan Adventures, "The Lotus Temple" (2001) If wisdom doesn't come with age, then why bother getting old? MAXINE GRAY, Judging Amy, "The Out-of-Towners" (2000) Old Minnesota wisdom - if you don't wanna be touched, look downright untouchable. MACGYVER, MacGyver (1985) It must be a tremendous burden, so much wisdom. ADRIAN MONK, Monk, "Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra" (2005) What is necessary is never unwise. SAREK, Star Trek (2009) One grain of luck sometimes worth more than whole rice field of wisdom. CHARLIE CHAN, Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936) Life has a funny way of throwing little nuggets of wisdom at us. MICHAEL SOUTHFIELD, Decision 2006 (2007)

May we have wisdom not to fear shadows in the night, and courage when the day of danger truly dawns. QUEEN ELIZABETH I, Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) The thicker the veil of beliefs, the later rises the sun of wisdom. GKHAN, Romantik (2007) Logic is the beginning of wisdom...not the end. CAPTAIN SPOCK, Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country (1991) The admission of ignorance is the beginning of wisdom. JASON MEREDITH, The Ballad of Josie (1967) How terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise. LORD COWARD, Sherlock Holmes (2009) Patience big sister to wisdom. CHARLIE CHAN, Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939) Confucius has said, "A wise man questions himself, a fool others." CHARLIE CHAN, Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939) Even wisest man sometimes mistake bumblebee for blackberry. CHARLIE CHAN, The Black Camel (1931)