The goal with these 280 wisdom quotes is simple: to help you find peace. That’s why you’ll find quotes on life, knowledge, philosophy, patience, maturity and happiness. Hope you’ll like them. Enjoy!
Wisdom waits for you to be silent enough to hear. B. D. Schiers
Perhaps wisdom is realizing how small I am, and unwise, and how far I have yet to go. Anthony Bourdain
Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. Buddha
He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks, does not know. Lao Tzu
The source of wisdom is whatever is happening to us right at this very instant. Pema Chödrön
All the gold on the earth is not enough to exchange for virtue. Plato
Be like a warrior with the process, be like water with the results. Nate Miyaki
The perfect man uses his mind as a mirror. It grasps nothing. It regrets nothing. It receives but does not keep. Zhuangzi
When an ordinary man attains knowledge, he is a sage; when a sage attains understanding, he is an ordinary man. Zen proverb
No seed ever sees the flower. Zen proverb
Man’s primary art is virtue itself. Seneca
Knowledge is discovered collectively, wisdom is rediscovered individually. Naval Ravikant
Spend your money on the things money can buy. Spend your time on the things money can’t buy. Haruki Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle)
Only when someone refuses to do certain things will he be capable of doing great things. Mencius
Sometimes taking time is actually a shortcut. Haruki Murakami
Related topics: inner peace, Zen, stoicism
The Best Wisdom Quotes
Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future. Lumbee (Native American saying)
People who know little are usually great talkers, while men who know much say little. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Knowledge creates noise. Understanding creates silence. Wisdom creates peace. Sven Schnieders
Ancient wisdom is the medicine for the modern world. Don Howard
Do everything as if it were the only thing in the world that mattered, while all the time knowing that it doesn’t matter at all. Pema Chödrön
When you break your life down to first principles, all you have is two key variables: 1. Time. 2. Energy. Invest it like your life depends on it. Because it literally does. George Mack
The best advice doesn’t specify what to do. It highlights blind spots in our thinking and helps us clarify our priorities. Adam Grant
Preparation. Patience. Discipline. Objectivity. Charlie Munger (On his most fundamental guiding principles)
No drives, no compulsions, no needs, no attractions; when your affairs are under control you are free. Chuang Tzu
The sage shuns excess, shuns grandiosity, shuns arrogance. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching, Amazon book)
Wisdom is a quality, not an accumulation. James Pierce
Only when you ask nothing of the world can you be truly free. James Pierce
Wisdom lies in correctly discerning where we are free to mould reality according to our wishes and where we must accept the unalterable with tranquillity. Alain de Botton (The Consolations of Philosophy)
Be extraordinary in your excellence, if you like, but be ordinary in your display of it. The more light a torch gives, the more it burns away and the nearer ‘tis to going out. Show yourself less and you will be rewarded by being esteemed more. Baltasar Gracián
Do not seek fame. Do not make plans. Do not be absorbed by activities. Do not think that you know. Be aware of all that is and dwell in the infinite. Wander where there is no path. Be all that heaven gave you, but act as though you have received nothing. Be empty, that is all. Zhuangzi
When an archer shoots for enjoyment, he has all his skill; when he shoots for a brass buckle, he gets nervous; when he shoots for a prize of gold, he begins to see two targets. Zhuangzi
The man of contentment seeks nothing that he doesn’t have and understands that whatever he has isn’t his to own. Wu Hsin
One thousand days of lessons for discipline; ten thousand days of lessons for mastery. Miyamoto Musashi
Wisdom comes to those who learn nothing, unlearn everything. That transformation is the consequence not of something done, but of something dropped. Anthony de Mello
Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it. David Star Jordan
To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Bertrand Russell
Meditation brings understanding. Understanding brings peace. Peace brings happiness. Maxime Lagacé
And once you are awake, you shall remain awake eternally. Friedrich Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra)
Part 2. Wisdom Quotes That Are…
The Most Famous Wisdom Quotes (Plato, Emerson, Einstein, etc.)
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare
Knowledge divorced from justice is cunning, not wisdom. Plato
The whole is more than the sum of the parts. Aristotle
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. Socrates
Are you not ashamed of heaping up the greatest amount of money and honour and reputation, and caring so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul? Socrates
The attempt to combine wisdom and power has only rarely been successful and then only for a short while. Albert Einstein
One must know oneself. Even if it does not help in finding truth, at least it helps in running one’s life, and nothing is more proper. Blaise Pascal
The truly great man is he who would master no one, and who would be mastered by none. Kahlil Gibran
You only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong. Warren Buffett
Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man. Benjamin Franklin
Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it. Leo Tolstoy
It is better to imitate ancient than modern work. Leonardo da Vinci
To finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom. Ralph Waldo Emerson
One can pass on knowledge but not wisdom. One can find wisdom, one can live it, one can be supported by it, one can work wonders with it, but one cannot speak it or teach it. Hermann Hesse
The Sage puts his own views behind so ends up ahead. He stays a witness to life so he endures. What could he grab for that he does not already have? What could he do for himself that the universe itself has not already done? Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
He who chases two hares will catch neither. Publius Syrus
I have often regretted my speech, never my silence. Publius Syrus
Knowledge is real knowledge only when it is acquired by the efforts of your intellect, not by memory. Only when we forget what we were taught do we start to have real knowledge. Henry David Thoreau
The errors of great men are venerable because they are more fruitful than the truths of little men. Friedrich Nietzsche
The happiest is he who suffers least; the most miserable is he who enjoys least. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Let us permit Nature to take her own ways; she better understands her own affairs than we. Michel de Montaigne
Stupidity and wisdom meet in the same centre of sentiment and resolution, in the suffering of human accidents. Michel de Montaigne
Cautious silence is the holy of holies of worldly wisdom. Baltasar Gracián
It is far easier to prevent than to rectify. Baltasar Gracián
Short Wisdom Quotes
One-liners, short wisdom quotes, sayings, thoughts and captions for your bio, social status, self-talk, motto, mantra, signs, posters, wallpapers, backgrounds.
The Way is in training. Miyamoto Musashi
Signaling virtue is a vice. Naval Ravikant
Preparation over prediction. Shane Parrish
Enough is as good as a feast. Alan Watts
Do nothing which is of no use. Miyamoto Musashi
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Military saying
Wisdom is acquired by meditation. Publius Syrus
In all things have no preferences. Miyamoto Musashi
You can convert peace to happiness. Naval Ravikant
Awareness, not age, leads to wisdom. Publius Syrus
Wisdom naturally leads to indifference. James Pierce
The Tao is near and people seek it far away. Mencius
No fear, no hesitation, no surprise, no doubt. Miyamoto Musashi
It is a bad plan that admits of no modification. Publius Syrus
To know much is often the cause of doubting more. Michel de Montaigne
Having answers is great. Having questions is greater. Maxime Lagacé
Whatever you can lose, you should reckon of no account. Publius Syrus
Whoever will be cured of ignorance, let him confess it. Michel de Montaigne
Relearn everything. Let every moment be a new beginning. Zen proverb
If experience is the mother of wisdom, pain is the father. Thibaut
You are happy when you are rich in time and poor in desire. @_orangebook
Inspirational And Motivational Wisdom Quotes
Get beyond love and grief: exist for the good of man. Miyamoto Musashi
Look back and be grateful. Look ahead and be hopeful. Look around and be helpful. Paulo Coelho
When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep. Ursula K. Le Guin (The Left Hand of Darkness)
Certainly, if he still has himself, a man of understanding has lost nothing. Michel de Montaigne
The birth of all things is weak and tender; and therefore we should have our eyes intent on beginnings. Michel de Montaigne
The loving say yes to almost everything. The successful say no to almost everything. The happy talk to almost everybody. The wise listen to almost everybody. Maxime Lagacé
It’s our responsibility to work with vision, determination and wisdom to create a happier, more peaceful world. We need to take action, while respecting others and their needs, considering all 7 billion human beings alive today as belonging to one human family. 14th Dalai Lama
Remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all; to endure it and prevail is great good fortune. Marcus Aurelius
If you work hard to do what is right, do not be upset by roadblocks; think about how many of the things in your life haven’t turned out as you wanted them to, but as they should have. Musonius Rufus
Mindfulness gives you time. Time gives you choices. Choices, skillfully made, lead to freedom. Henepola Gunaratana
The virtuous man may not have to stand alone, but he must be willing to. @TheStoicEmperor
Knowing isn’t doing. Certificates aren’t competence. A plan isn’t implementation. Ideas aren’t invoices. Revenue isn’t profit. “No” isn’t the end. Thibaut
The Sage is like Heaven and Earth. To him none are especially dear nor is there anyone he disfavors. He gives and gives without condition offering his treasure to everyone. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
The Sage rules by stilling minds and opening hearts, by filling bellies and strengthening bones. He shows people how to be simple and live without desires, to be content and not look for other ways. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Part 1. The Sage acts without action and teaches without talking. All things flourish around him and he does not refuse any one of them. He gives but not to receive. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Part 2. He works but not for reward. He completes but not for results. He does nothing for himself in this passing world so nothing he does ever passes. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Choose the path that leaves you more equanimous in the long term. Naval Ravikant
When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you want to breathe, it is then you shall have it. Socrates
Related articles: Positive Quotes That Will Make Your Day Wonderful, Quotes About Strength That Will Make You Tougher
See also: 11 Ways Wise People Think, And You Can Too (huffpost.com)
Funny And Surprising Wisdom Quotes
The loudest voice rarely carries the most wisdom. James Pierce
We’ve got a lot of experience of not having any experience. Terry Pratchett
The only Zen you’ll find on mountain tops is the Zen you bring up there with you. Alan Watts
Also in learning it is a subtle plan of the pupil to contradict the master, who thereupon takes pains to explain the truth more thoroughly and with more force, so that a moderate contradiction produces complete instruction. Baltasar Gracián
Acquire worldly wisdom and adjust your behaviour accordingly. If your new behaviour hives you a little temporary unpopularity with your peer group… then to hell with them. Charlie Munger
I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. E.B. White
Better to be tentative than to be recklessly sure – to be an apprentice at sixty, than to present oneself as a doctor at ten. Michel de Montaigne
Dogs look up to you, cats look down on you. Give me a pig. He just looks you in the eye and treats you as an equal. Winston Churchill
How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg. Abraham Lincoln
Cleverness is like a lens with a very sharp focus. Wisdom is more like a wide-angle lens. Thibaut
Advice from a failed practitioner will be better than from a successful theorist. Michael
Let others praise ancient times; I am glad I was born in these. Ovid
It is folly to punish your neighbour by fire when you live next door. Publius Syrus
Deep Wisdom Quotes
Nothing matters. Kapil Gupta
Your preciousness lies in your essence; it cannot be lost by anything that happens. Zhuangzi
Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death. Miyamoto Musashi
Nothing is more terrible than ignorance in action. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Forget happiness. Aim for inner peace. Maxime Lagacé
Everyone starts out innocent. Everyone is corrupted. Wisdom is the discarding of vices and the return to virtue, by way of knowledge. Naval Ravikant
The pure present is an ungraspable advance of the past devouring the future. In truth, all sensation is already memory. Haruki Murakami (Kafka on the Shore)
Wisdom isn’t about understanding things (and people); it is knowing what they can do to you. Nassim Nicholas Taleb (The Bed of Procrustes)
Never trust the words of a man who is not free. Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Antifragile)
Wisdom is acquired through pain, not through books. Reading helps you make sense of your mistakes faster and get more wisdom per unit of pain. Pain is the currency. Readers pay less. Johnny Uzan
If you can’t simplify it, you don’t understand it. If you can only simplify it, you don’t understand it. Mastery is feeling comfortable across the spectrum of complexity. Johnny Uzan
Nothing is durable, whether for an individual or for a society; the destinies of men and cities alike sweep onwards. Seneca
When you see someone who is worthy, concentrate upon becoming their equal; when you see someone who is unworthy, use this as an opportunity to look within yourself. Confucius
People who have depth often appear serious and people who are light often seem flaky. A childlike simplicity along with the depth of a thousand year old, fun with wisdom is a rare combination. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
All snowflakes eventually melt. Ed Latimore
Everybody is full of wisdom for others, but struggle to apply for themselves. @orangebook_
Wisdom need not be sought. When the barriers have been removed, it will come. James Pierce
To practice death is to practice freedom. A man who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave. Michel de Montaigne
Stop struggling against the fact that nothing’s solid to begin with and things don’t last. Pema Chödrön
Preparations for war should be long in making, that victory may be the more speedy. Publius Syrus
He who possesseth little is so much the less possessed. Blessed be moderate poverty! Friedrich Nietzsche
Wise Wisdom Quotes And Proverbs
When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much. Zen proverb
You may have a million desires to be in other places, doing other things, but you are not there, you are here. Zen proverb
Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows. Native American proverb
Buddhism itself is all about empowering yourself, not about getting what you want. Pema Chödrön
True straightness seems crooked. True wisdom seems foolish. True art seems artless. Lao Tzu
Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. Lao Tzu
The sage is fluid. He has no shape of his own. He is like water which takes the form of the vessel through which it passes. He has no rigidity of ego. Thus he is in perfect harmony with what is. In his formlessness he becomes one with existence. @TheAncientSage
It is the act of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his own bad condition; it is the act of one who has begun to be instructed, to lay the blame on himself; and of one whose instruction is completed, neither to blame another, nor himself. Epictetus
When people come to you for advice on a decision, resist the urge to give them an answer. People rarely need to hear your conclusion. They benefit from hearing your thought process and your perspective on the relevant criteria for making the choice. Adam Grant
Good mentors help you follow their path. Great mentors help you navigate your own path. Adam Grant
In their seeking, wisdom and madness are one and the same. On the path of love, friend and stranger are one and the same. Rumi
To become empty is to become one with the divine – this is the Way. Awa Kenzō
Wisdom is not an answer, it’s a question, it’s not knowledge, it’s curiosity, it’s not fear, it’s love. Maxime Lagacé
The intuitive recognition of the instant, thus reality… is the highest act of wisdom. D.T. Suzuki
A wise person is someone who usually knows the right thing to do. Paul Graham
The man of Tao remains unknown. Perfect virtue produces nothing. No self is true Self. And the greatest man is nobody. Chuang Tzu
The sage keeps her wisdom to herself, while ordinary people flaunt their knowledge. Chuang Tzu
Taoism isn’t a process of learning more facts or greater skills, it is the unlearning of wrong habits and opinions. Alan Watts
The perfect man has no self; the holy man has no merit; the sage has no fame. Lie Yukou
When you understand certain things and they become a part of you, you naturally become a more peaceful person. Naval Ravikant
More words of wisdom
See also: How to Become Wise (psychologytoday.com)
Part 3. Wisdom Quotes About…
Wisdom Quotes About Life
Be detached from desire your whole life long. Miyamoto Musashi
It is not possible to live well today unless you treat it as your last day. Musonius Rufus
You may be capable of great things, but life consists of small things. Deng Ming-Dao
Freedom cannot be organized, and when it is it ceases to be freedom. Jiddu Krishnamurti
There is no knowledge so hard to acquire as the knowledge of how to live this life well and naturally. Michel de Montaigne
If you’re looking for perfect investment; you’ll never be able to invest. If you’re looking for perfect spouse; you’ll never get married. If you’re looking for perfect job; you’ve to remain unemployed. If you’re looking for perfect life; you’ll never enjoy living. D. Muthukrishnan
99% of information is noise. 99% of interactions are fake. 99% of opportunities are traps. Life is a search for the 1%. Johnny Uzan
You don’t have a lot of envy, you don’t have a lot of resentment, you don’t overspend your income, you stay cheerful in spite of your troubles, you deal with reliable people and you do what you’re supposed to do. All these simple rules work so well to make your life better. Charlie Munger (One of the richest man in the world)
I don’t feel that it is necessary to know exactly what I am. The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not in the beginning. Michel Foucault
Sometimes the wisdom of our hearts proves to be deeper than the insight of our brains. And sometimes the most reasonable thing is not to try to be too reasonable. Viktor E. Frankl (The Will to Meaning)
Meditation brings self-knowledge which brings indifference to what others think. Maxime Lagacé
The definition of wisdom is focusing on what you control, letting go of what you can’t control, and recognizing the difference. Mark Manson
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
The world is a spiritual vessel and cannot be forced. Whoever forces it spoils it. Whoever grasps it loses it. Alan Watts
One seeks and seeks, but cannot find. One then gives up, and the answer comes by itself. Alan Watts
Each of us finds his unique vehicle for sharing with others his bit of wisdom. Ram Dass
Information is just bits of data. Knowledge is putting them together. Wisdom is transcending them. Ram Dass
What we call the present is given shape by an accumulation of the past. Haruki Murakami (1Q84)
Everything fades so quickly; turns into legend, and soon oblivion covers it. Marcus Aurelius
See also: quotes to live by
Wisdom Quotes About Knowledge, Learning, Understanding
Every man hears only what he understands. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn. Gloria Steinem
I want, once and for all, not to know many things. Wisdom requires moderation in knowledge as in other things. Friedrich Nietzsche
Knowledge is overrated. Wisdom is underrated. It’s not accumulation that counts, it’s what you do with it. Maxime Lagacé
Learned we may be with another man’s learning: we can only be wise with wisdom of our own. Michel de Montaigne
Ridding oneself of ignorance is worth more than the acquisition of knowledge. With memory gone the past is gone relinquishing hopes and fears The future is gone. The present is upon you. In every moment. You are free. Wu Hsin
A man cannot understand the art he is studying if he only looks for the end result without taking the time to delve deeply into the reasoning of the study. Miyamoto Musashi
Learning must never cease… The noble person who studies widely and examines himself each day will become clear in his knowing and faultless in his conduct. Xunzi
Knowledge is an accumulation, but intelligence is a quality. James Pierce
Knowledge is not for knowing: knowledge is for cutting. Michel Foucault
Experts don’t walk around claiming to be experts. They demonstrate their expertise through the questions they ask and the knowledge they share. Adam Grant
Obviously, the more hard lessons you can learn vicariously, instead of from your own terrible experiences, the better off you will be. Charlie Munger
Knowledge all by itself, without deep wisdom, ends up becoming despair. Ram Dass
The guru can only point out your errors. When you drop your errors, you will know the truth. Anthony de Mello
The ultimate test of your knowledge is your capacity to convey it to another. Richard Feynman
Only a man who loves to prove himself wrong is the true seeker of knowledge. Thibaut
Reflect on everything you hear, but believe only on proof. Publius Syrus
Related topics: knowledge, learning
See also: 12 Ways to become Wiser (inspiringtips.com)
Wisdom Quotes About Philosophy
Science is what you know. Philosophy is what you don’t know. Bertrand Russell
The object of education is to teach us to love beauty. Plato
Philosophy is at once the most sublime and the most trivial of human pursuits. William James
A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion. Francis Bacon
Don’t focus on happiness, focus on peace. It’s impossible to be happy all the time but to be peaceful is. Maxime Lagacé
There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy. Friedrich Nietzsche
Philosophy is life’s dry-nurse, who can take care of us — but not suckle us. Søren Kierkegaard
Constant awareness that everything is born from change. The knowledge that there is nothing nature loves more than to alter what exists and make new things like it. All that exists is the seed of what will emerge from it. You think the only seeds are the ones that make plants or children? Go deeper. Marcus Aurelius
When they go fishing, it is not really fish they are after. It is a philosophic meditation. E.T. Brown
Let there be no unnecessary expenditure either of knowledge or of power. The skilful falconer only flies enough birds to serve for the chase. Baltasar Gracián
Zen has no goal; it is a traveling without point, with nowhere to go. To travel is to be alive, but to get somewhere is to be dead. Alan Watts
There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain. Plato (Republic)
Wisdom Quotes About Desires, Attachment, Sadness, Thinking
To examine desire is to free oneself from it. James Pierce
The game is not about becoming somebody, it’s about becoming nobody. Ram Dass
If you have desires, you’re human. If you have desires, you’re suffering. Choose wisely. Maxime Lagacé
Maybe that’s enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity. Anthony Bourdain
The attachment to beliefs is the greatest shackle. To be free is to know that one does not know. Wu Hsin
Chasing after the things one yearns for is inferior to chasing after the source of the yearning. Wu Hsin
When one is enthralled with the beauty on the surface of the ocean, the immensity of its depths can never be discerned. Wu Hsin
At the center of all desires is the very one that is never examined: the desire to become happy. When one searches for happiness, he remains tied to misery. The two are inseparable. Recognizing the futility of happiness, the wise man drops the search. In dropping the search, life loses the power to make him miserable. James Pierce
High-minded thoughts and inner work are one thing, but all that matters is what you do. The health of our spiritual ideals depends on what we do with our bodies in moments of truth. Ryan Holiday (Stillness is the Key, Amazon book)
One of the most powerful teachings of the Buddhist tradition is that as long as you are wishing for things to change, they never will. Pema Chödrön
The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself. Thich Nhat Hanh
Events give rise to both emotions and lessons. Often we hold onto emotions and don’t learn. Wisdom is to drop emotions and move on with lessons. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Profundity of thought belongs to youth, clarity of thought to old age. Friedrich Nietzsche
See also: How to Meditate for Clarity, Intuition & Guidance (jackcanfield.com)
Wisdom Quotes About Maturity
We don’t mature through age; we mature in awareness. Byron Katie
Wisdom: taking a step back without regrets. Maxime Lagacé
When you have wit of your own, it’s a pleasure to credit other people for theirs. Criss Jami
Against the great superiority of another there is no remedy but love. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A sign of intelligence is the ability to recognize intelligence in others. A sign of wisdom is the ability to appreciate the wisdom of others, instead of limiting your learning to your own experience. Possessing a virtue makes it easier to see in others. Adam Grant
If you feel uncomfortable around people smarter than you, you’re status-seeking. If you feel lucky, you’re wealth-seeking. Johnny Uzan
You can learn a lot about someone from how they react to a new idea. Smart people ask questions. Dumb people form opinions. Johnny Uzan
A moment of wrath or of pleasure carries you on farther than many hours of calm, and often a short diversion may put a whole life to shame. Baltasar Gracián
For many, the first step on a spiritual journey is to become lost. The final step is losing one’s self. Wu Hsin
Ordinarily we do not discover the wisdom of our feelings because we do not let them complete their work. We try to suppress them or discharge them in premature action. Not realizing that they are a process of creation which, like birth, begins as a pain and turns into a child. Alan Watts
Maturity of mind is best shown in slow belief. Baltasar Gracián
Trying to force a lock bends the key, for which reason a truly intelligent man never forces an issue. He resorts instead to judo, the “gentle way” of trimming one’s sails to the wind, of rolling with the punch, and of splitting wood along the grain. Alan Watts
The sage does not collect precious things. He does not hold on to ideas. He brings men back to what they have lost. Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)
Seeking wisdom externally is what has prevented you from finding it. James Pierce
We should keep our word even to the undeserving. Publius Syrus
Put more confidence in your eyes than your ears. Publius Syrus
If you are a mariner, let landsmen’s business alone. Publius Syrus
In abundance prepare for scarcity. Mencius
Related topics: leadership, humility
Wisdom Quotes About Patience, Success
Water overcomes all obstacles by its gentleness and pliability. Alan Watts
To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead. Miyamoto Musashi
My secret had been I know what to ignore. Francis Crick (Nobel Prize, 1962)
The wisdom of the head is all about strategy and calmness. The wisdom of the heart is all about perseverance. Be a warrior. Use them both. Maxime Lagacé
The highest level of mastery is simplicity. Most information is irrelevant and most effort is wasted, but only the expert knows what to ignore. James Clear
Simplicity is the end result of long, hard work, not the starting point. Frederick Maitland (See also: simplicity quotes)
Just because it’s not what you were expecting, doesn’t mean it’s not everything you need right now. Paulo Coelho
I am afraid that our eyes are bigger than our stomachs, and that we have more curiosity than understanding. We grasp at everything, but catch nothing except wind. Michel de Montaigne
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say you’re running and you think, “Man, this hurts, I can’t take it anymore”. The “hurt” part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself. Haruki Murakami
The first stage of any compounding activity is a test, to see whether you can endure linear growth long enough, to be worthy of experiencing the exponential kind. Johnny Uzan
One principle eliminates a thousand decisions. Johnny Uzan
The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. Michael Porter
They will envy you for your success, your wealth, for your intelligence, for your looks, for your status – but rarely for your wisdom. Nassim Nicholas Taleb (The Bed of Procrustes)
The classical virtues are all decision-making heuristics to make one optimize for the long term rather than for the short term. Naval Ravikant
If you’ve got a good temperament, which basically means being very patient, yet combine that with a vast aggression when you know enough to do something, then you just gradually learn the game, partly by doing, partly by studying. Charlie Munger
Successful people are those who can go above themselves to see things objectively and manage those things to shape change. Ray Dalio
The person who is in training must strive to habituate himself not to love pleasure, not to avoid hardship, not to be infatuated with living, not to fear death, and in the case of goods or money not to place receiving above giving. Musonius Rufus
It is important to expect nothing, to take every experience, including the negative ones, as merely steps on the path, and to proceed. Ram Dass
Knowledge may help you win the game, but wisdom will allow you to see the games that are worth playing. James Pierce
The most valuable insights can’t be bought. They must be earned. Shane Parrish
Quickly done can be quickly undone. To last an eternity requires an eternity of preparation. Baltasar Gracián
Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop. Robert Greene (The 48 Laws of Power)
Related topic: patience
See also: 10 daily habits that will make you smarter and more successful in the long run (medium.com)
Wisdom Quotes About Happiness, Peace
To seek happiness is to invite misery. James Pierce
Nothing will satisfy you forever. Nothing will grant you permanent happiness. James Pierce
Because happiness exists only in relation to misery, pleasure in relation to pain, the perceptive man does not try to separate them. Alan Watts
Ingratitude is always a kind of weakness. I have never known men of ability to be ungrateful. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The man who understands finds almost everything laughable, the man of reason practically nothing. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Stress comes when you do multiple things at once with expectation. Peace comes when you do one thing at once with intention. Sharath Kuruganty
What is called peace by many is merely the absence of disturbance. True peace cannot be disturbed; It resides beyond the reach of disturbance. Wu Hsin
To search for happiness implies its absence. This implication is a fundamental flaw. Happiness is ever present. It may become obscured, such obscuration being temporary. Wu Hsin
Expectation is the grandfather of disappointment. The world can never own a man who wants nothing. Wu Hsin (See also: solitude quotes)
No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have. Seneca
If you can’t love, accept. If you can’t accept, understand. If you can’t understand, respect. If you can’t respect, ignore. If you can’t ignore, grow up. Maxime Lagacé
Happiness is about learning how to ignore that which doesn’t really matter. Thibaut
Be here now. Don’t anticipate. Don’t yearn for things of the past. Let the past go with forgiveness. And let the future go with no anticipation. Ram Dass
Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee. Michel de Montaigne
Happiness cannot consist in things governed by chance. Boethius
Who has the greatest possessions? He who wants least. Publius Syrus
The brave man is he who overcomes not only his enemies but his pleasures. Democritus
Related topic: letting go
See also: 7 Daily Habits to Living a More Fulfilling and Happier Life (thriveglobal.com)
Part 4. Conclusion
A great man is one who has not lost the child’s heart. Mencius
The most important knowledge is that which guides the way you lead your life. Leo Tolstoy (A Calendar of Wisdom, Amazon book)
Call to action: Read 11 Habits Of Calm People That Keep Them Relaxed & In Control Of Their Emotions (bustle.com) or A Calendar of Wisdom: Tolstoy on Knowledge and the Meaning of Life (brainpickings.org)
Table Of Contents
Part 1
Top 15 Images
Best Wisdom Quotes
Part 2
Wisdom Quotes That ARE
Famous
Short
Inspirational
Funny
Deep
Wise
Part 3
Wisdom Quotes ABOUT
Life
Knowledge
Philosophy
Desires
Maturity
Patience
Happiness
Part 4
Conclusion