What Are Some Good Words of Wisdom

Here are 170 of the best words of wisdom I could find. You'll discover quotes from the best minds that ever lived like Einstein, Buddha, Aristotle, Socrates and lots more. Enjoy!

Doubt is the origin of wisdom. Augustine of Hippo Click to tweet

The truest wisdom is a resolute determination. Napoleon Bonaparte Click to tweet

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. Immanuel Kant Click to tweet

Foolishness is a twin sister of wisdom. Witold Gombrowicz Click to tweet

Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it. Albert Einstein Click to tweet

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Wisdom is the power to put our time and our knowledge to the proper use. Thomas J. Watson Click to tweet

It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. Seneca Click to tweet

A wise man never loses anything, if he has himself. Michel de Montaigne Click to tweet

Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom. Francis Bacon Click to tweet

Discipline is wisdom and vice versa. M. Scott Peck Click to tweet

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Great wisdom is generous; petty wisdom is contentious. Zhuangzi Click to tweet

Wisdom sails with wind and time. John Florio Click to tweet

A symptom of wisdom is curiosity. The evidence is calmness and perseverance. The causes are experimentation and understanding. Maxime Lagacé Click to tweet

A fool is known by his speech; and a wise man by silence. Pythagoras Click to tweet

The most certain sign of wisdom is cheerfulness. Michel de Montaigne Click to tweet

Related quotes and topics: Buddha, Rumi, Einstein

The Best Words of Wisdom

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The fool wonders, the wise man asks. Benjamin Disraeli

Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. Confucius

There is only a finger's difference between a wise man and a fool. Diogenes

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. Jimi Hendrix Click to tweet

Never say no twice if you mean it. Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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. Hermann Hesse

Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait. Leo Tolstoy

Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end. Leonard Nimoy Click to tweet

The best words are the ones you are ready for. Maxime Lagacé

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A lot of wisdom is just realizing the long-term consequences of your actions. The longer term you're willing to look, the wiser you're going to seem to everybody around you. Naval Ravikant

A weak reaction is to rush things. A strong reaction is to go slow and steady. Maxime Lagacé

We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us. Marcel Proust

Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself. Kahlil Gibran

Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children. Kahlil Gibran

A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. David Elton Trueblood

The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom; to serve all, but love only one. Honoré de Balzac

He gossips habitually; he lacks the common wisdom to keep still that deadly enemy of man, his own tongue. Mark Twain

Memory is not wisdom; idiots can by rote repeat volumes. Yet what is wisdom without memory? Martin Farquhar Tupper

Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment. Lao Tzu

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment. Will Rogers

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom. Thomas Jefferson Click to tweet

Wisdom and deep intelligence require an honest appreciation of mystery. Thomas Moore

What Is Wisdom?

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Wisdom is knowing when you can't be wise. Paul Engle Click to tweet

Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences. Norman Cousins

Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two. John Cheever

The two powers which in my opinion constitute a wise man are those of bearing and forbearing. Epictetus

Wisdom is not finally tested in the schools. Wisdom cannot be passed from one having it to another not having it. Wisdom is of the soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof. Walt Whitman

Wisdom and understanding can only become the possession of individual men by travelling the old road of observation, attention, perseverance, and industry. Samuel Smiles

Wisdom is keeping a sense of fallibility of all our views and opinions. Gerald Brenan

Much wisdom often goes with fewest words. Sophocles Click to tweet

Part 2. Words of Wisdom That Are…

Inspirational Words of Wisdom

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He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes a book. Benjamin Franklin Click to tweet

Stronger by weakness, wiser men become. Edmund Waller

Be there a will, and wisdom finds a way. George Crabbe

Reality – Dreams = Animal Being. Reality + Dreams = A Heart-Ache (usually called Idealism). Reality + Humor = Realism (also called Conservatism). Dreams – Humor = Fanaticism. Dreams + Humor = Fantasy. Reality + Dreams + Humor = Wisdom. Lin Yutang

Do now what your future you will thank you for. Maxime Lagacé

Fast thinking looks cool but it's deep thinking that makes all the difference. And deep thinking is always slow thinking. @TheAncientSage

Who then is free? The wise man who can command himself. Horace

He who would begun has half done. Dare to be wise; begin. Horace Click to tweet

Man is wise and constantly in quest of more wisdom; but the ultimate wisdom, which deals with beginnings, remains locked in a seed. There it lies, the simplest fact of the universe and at the same time the one which calls forth faith rather than reason. Hal Borland

One part of wisdom is knowing what you don't need anymore and letting it go. Jane Fonda

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Do what you will, withdraw to the mountains, sit in a forest, you cannot live in isolation. You can live only in relationship, and as long as relationship is not understood, there can be no right action. Right action comes in understanding relationship, which reveals the process of oneself. Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, it is a field of affection, warmth, and love, therefore a field rich with flowers. Jiddu Krishnamurti

First of all, to understand truth you must stand alone, entirely and wholly alone. No Master, no teacher, no guru, no system, no self-discipline will ever lift for you the veil which conceals wisdom. Wisdom is the understanding of enduring values and the living of those values. No one can lead you to wisdom. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Our concern in meditation is to know oneself, not only superficially, but the whole content of the inner, hidden consciousness. Without knowing all that and being free of its conditioning, you cannot possibly go beyond the mind's limits. That is why the thought process must cease, and for this cessation there must be knowledge of oneself. Therefore meditation is the beginning of wisdom, which is the understanding of one's own mind and heart. Jiddu Krishnamurti

Men who know themselves are no longer fools. They stand on the threshold of the door of wisdom. Havelock Ellis

Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as knowing what to do next. Herbert Hoover

If you have the guts to keep making mistakes, your wisdom and intelligence leap forward with huge momentum. Holly Near

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself a fool. Anatole France

Seek wisdom along with knowledge. Knowledge is words. Wisdom is silent. Knowledge is understanding what is seen. Wisdom is knowing what is not seen. Without knowledge, one could not play the violin. Without wisdom, one could not play the music. Thibaut

We're all going to change. Otherwise, it's boring. Alicia Keys (See also: 4 Strategies To Change Your Habits That Actually Work, fastcompany.com)

Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain. Kahlil Gibran

True wisdom is remembering that in the end, no matter what, everything will be fine. Maxime Lagacé

Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests itself. Oprah Winfrey

Silence at the proper season is wisdom, and better than any speech. Plutarch

It's better to be alone than to spend time with toxic people. It's better to do nothing than to work on something that doesn't matter. It's better to rest than to climb the wrong mountain. James Clear

There is a universal, intelligent, life force that exists within everyone and everything. It resides within each one of use as a deep wisdom, an inner knowing. We can access this wonderful source of knowledge and wisdom through our intuition, an inner sense that tells us what feels right and true for us at any given moment. Shakti Gawain

Seek your own reality, that is what a wise man should do. Sri Sathya Sai Baba Click to tweet

If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise. William Blake

Want more inspiring quotes? Please check out 95 Positive Quotes That Will Make Your Day Wonderful

Short Words of Wisdom

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One-liners, short words of wisdom, sayings, thoughts and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds.

Knowledge shrinks as wisdom grows. Alfred North Whitehead Click to tweet

Memory is the mother of all wisdom. Aeschylus

The source of wisdom is pain. Naval Ravikant

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. Alfred Lord Tennyson

One principle eliminates a thousand decisions. Johnny Uzan

The more you know the less you say. Sahil Lavingia (twitter.com)

Don't try to become, let go of who you're not. Maxime Lagacé

Wisdom begins at the end. Daniel Webster

The truest sayings are paradoxical. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)

Wisdom comes by disillusionment. George Santayana

Wisdom never lies. Homer

Wisdom has never made a bigot, but learning has. Josh Billings

Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another. Juvenal

The wisest of the wise may err. Aeschylus Click to tweet

Knowledge is marvelous, but wisdom is even better. Kay Redfield Jamison

Pain is the doorway to wisdom and to truth. Keith Miller

I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom. Anatole France Click to tweet

No man was ever wise by chance. Seneca

It is wiser to find out than to suppose. Mark Twain

Wisdom is knowledge which has become a part of one's being. Orison Swett Marden

Kindness is wisdom. Philip James Bailey

Cunning… is but the low mimic of wisdom. Plato

Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired. Plautus

Wisdom begins in wonder. Socrates

The beginning of wisdom is to desire it. Solomon Ibn Gabirol

Wisdom outweighs any wealth. Sophocles Click to tweet

Caution is the eldest child of wisdom. Victor Hugo

The wise are those who know the Self. Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Want more short quotes? Please check out 130 Short Quotes That Will Inspire You (Fast)

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Deep Words of Wisdom

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I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices. Jean-Jacques Rousseau Click to tweet

Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often a result of lack of wisdom. Terry Pratchett

The wise man belongs to all countries, for the home of a great soul is the whole world. Democritus

The best words of wisdom will create confusion, action, understanding and ultimately, peace. Maxime Lagacé

If you succeed in judging yourself rightly, then you are indeed a man of true wisdom. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Cleverness is like a lens with a very sharp focus. Wisdom is more like a wide-angle lens. Edward de Bono

For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Before you react, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you criticize, wait. Before you quit, try. Ernest Hemingway

It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err. Mahatma Gandhi

The first point of wisdom is to discern that which is false; the second, to know that which is true. Lactantius

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave. Dakota (Native American saying)

Has fortune dealt you some bad cards. Then let wisdom make you a good gamester. Francis Quarles

We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it. Francois de La Rochefoucauld

The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil. Marcus Tullius Cicero

Genius unrefined resembles a flash of lightning, but wisdom is like the sun. Franz Grillparzer Click to tweet

Talent is like the marksman who hits a target which others cannot reach; genius is like the marksman who hits a target… which others cannot even see. Arthur Schopenhauer

Contemplation and wisdom are highest achievements and man is not totally at home with them. Gabriel Marcel

Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Leo Tolstoy

Wisdom is knowing what to ignore. Shane Parrish (twitter.com)

Wisdom is a return to innocence by way of knowledge. Naval Ravikant

Wisdom is seeing wounds and obstacles as blessings. Maxime Lagacé

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. Henry Ward Beecher

It's wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope. J. R. R. Tolkien

The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable. Rabindranath Tagore

Innocence dwells with wisdom, but never with ignorance. William Blake (wikiquote.org)

Wisdom is the knowledge of good and evil, not the strength to choose between the two. John Cheever

Words should be weighed, not counted. Yiddish proverb

The end of wisdom is to dream high enough to lose the dream in the seeking of it. William Faulkner

Want more deep quotes? Please check out 190 Deep Quotes That Will Make You Think (In New Ways)

See also: The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living (Amazon book)

Part 3. The Greatest Words of Wisdom (From The Wisest People Who Ever Lived)

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Albert Einstein

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. Albert Einstein Click to tweet

If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself. Albert Einstein

A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. Albert Einstein

More Albert Einstein quotes

Aristotle

Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all. Aristotle Click to tweet

The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Aristotle

The wise man does not expose himself needlessly to danger, since there are few things for which he cares sufficiently; but he is willing, in great crises, to give even his life – knowing that under certain conditions it is not worthwhile to live. Aristotle

The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure, but to avoid pain. Aristotle

More Aristotle quotes (thoughtco.com)

Marcus Aurelius

To the wise, life is a problem; to the fool, a solution. Marcus Aurelius Click to tweet

You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. Marcus Aurelius

Death smiles at us all, but all a man can do is smile back. Marcus Aurelius

Bruce Lee

A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. Bruce Lee Click to tweet

In order to control myself I must first accept myself by going with and not against my nature. Bruce Lee

I cannot teach you, only help you to explore yourself, nothing more. Bruce Lee quotes

Buddha

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. Buddha Click to tweet

The mind is everything. What you think you become. Buddha

Irrigators channel waters; fletchers straighten arrows; carpenters bend wood; the wise master themselves. Buddha

Confucius

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. Confucius Click to tweet

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

Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of men. Confucius

More Confucius Quotes (thoughtco.com)

Henry David Thoreau

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves. Henry David Thoreau Click to tweet

It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things. Henry David Thoreau

Cultivate the habit of early rising. It is unwise to keep the head long on a level with the feet. Henry David Thoreau

More Henry David Thoreau quotes (wikiquote.org)

Lao Tzu (Laozi)

Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu Click to tweet

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. Lao Tzu

He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know. Lao Tzu

Plato

Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Plato Click to tweet

Knowledge without justice ought to be called cunning rather than wisdom. Plato

The wisest have the most authority. Plato

More Plato quotes (yourstory.com)

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wisdom has its root in goodness, not goodness its root in wisdom. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Before we acquire great power we must acquire wisdom to use it well. Ralph Waldo Emerson

The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common. Ralph Waldo Emerson

René Descartes

Except our own thoughts, there is nothing absolutely in our power. Rene Descartes Click to tweet

I think; therefore I am. Rene Descartes

Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it. Rene Descartes

More Rene Descartes quotes (goodreads.com)

Socrates

Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. Socrates Click to tweet

True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us. Socrates

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. Socrates

More Socrates quotes (lifehack.org)

Voltaire

He who is not just is severe, he who is not wise is sad. Voltaire Click to tweet

Superstition is to religion what astrology is to astronomy: the mad daughter of a wise mother. Voltaire

Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others? Voltaire

More Voltaire quotes (notable-quotes.com)

Part 4. Conclusion

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Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give. William A. Ward Click to tweet

Call to action: Read 7 Secrets Of Wise People (huffingtonpost.ca) and How to Gain Wisdom (wikihow.com)

Hope you enjoyed these beautiful words of wisdom. If you did, please share them with a friend today!

What Are Some Good Words of Wisdom

Source: https://wisdomquotes.com/words-of-wisdom/

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