WIST Quotations

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 1, ¶ 76 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]

Dave — Mon, 26 May 2025 18:10:01 +0000

Nature meant there to be illusions for the wise as well as the foolish, so that the wise should not be made too unhappy by their wisdom.

[La Nature a voulu que les illusions fussent pour les sages comme pour les fous, afin que les premiers ne fussent pas trop malheureux par leur propre sagesse.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 1, ¶ 76 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

It is nature’s will that wise men have their illusions as well as fools, to the end that they be not made too unhappy by their own wisdom.
[tr. Hutchinson (1902)]

Nature intended illusions for the wise as well as for fools, lest the former should be rendered too miserable by their wisdom.
[tr. Merwin (1969)]

Nature wanted wise men to have as many illusions as fools, so that they wouldn't become too unhappy through their wisdom.
[tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

Nature has decreed that wise men and fools both have illusions; this is to prevent the wise man from becoming too unhappy as a result of his wisdom.
[tr. Parmée (2003), ¶62]

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 2, ¶ 149 (1795) [tr. Merwin (1969)]

Dave — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:02:33 +0000

There are more fools than wise men, and even in the wise there is more folly than wisdom.

[Il y a plus de fous que de sages, et dans le sage même, il y a plus de folie que de sagesse.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 2, ¶ 149 (1795) [tr. Merwin (1969)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

There are more fools than wise men, and even in the wise man himself there is more folly than wisdom.
[tr. Hutchinson (1902)]

There are more fools than wise men, and even in a wise man there is more folly than wisdom.
[tr. Mathers (1926)]

There are more fools than wise people, and in wise people themselves there is more folly than wisdom.
[tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Sr. -- Article (1872-10), “The Poet at the Breakfast-Table,” Atlantic Monthly

Dave — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 19:40:48 +0000

It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809-1894) American poet, essayist, scholar
Article (1872-10), “The Poet at the Breakfast-Table,” Atlantic Monthly
(Source)

Collected in The Poet at the Breakfast-Table, ch. 10 (1872).

Miller, Olin -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 14:43:00 +0000

If you realize you aren’t so wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you’re wiser today.

Olin Miller (fl. early 20th C) American humorist
(Attributed)

Kepler, Johannes -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 28 Jan 2015 13:12:02 +0000

I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) German astronomer
(Attributed)

Shakespeare, William -- As You Like It, Act 5, sc. 1, l. 30ff (5.1.30-32) (1599)

Dave — Wed, 12 May 2004 21:40:00 +0000

TOUCHSTONE: I do now remember a saying, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
As You Like It, Act 5, sc. 1, l. 30ff (5.1.30-32) (1599)
(Source)

Bacon, Francis -- “Of Cunning,” Essays, No. 22 (1625)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
“Of Cunning,” Essays, No. 22 (1625)
(Source)

Confucius -- The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 17, verse 3 (17.3) (6th C. BC – 3rd C. AD) [tr. Soothill (1910)]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

It is only the very wisest and the very stupidest who never change.

[唯上知與下愚不移]

Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 17, verse 3 (17.3) (6th C. BC – 3rd C. AD) [tr. Soothill (1910)]
(Source)

Some scholars recommend reading 17.2-3 together (I don't get it), and some actually merge them into a single verse; that is noted below. (Source (Chinese)). Alternate translations:

There are only the wise of the highest class, and the stupid of the lowest class, who cannot be changed.
[tr. Legge (1861)]

Only the supremely wise and the most deeply ignorant do not alter.
[tr. Jennings (1895)]

It is only men of the highest understanding and men of the grossest dullness, who do not change.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898)]

There are two classes that never change: the supremely wise and the profoundly stupid.
[Source (1906)]

Only the wisest and the dullest never change.
[tr. Soothill (1910), Alternate 1]

Only the uppermost wise and the lowermost stupid do not change.
[tr. Soothill (1910), Alternate 2]

Only those of highest intelligence, and lowest simplicity do not shift.
[tr. Pound (1933)]

It is only the very wisest and the very stupidest who cannot change.
[tr. Waley (1938)]

Only the highest and the lowest characters don’t change.
[tr. Lin Yutang (1938)]

The only ones who do not change are sages and idiots.
[tr. Ware (1950), 17.2]

It is only the most intelligent and the most stupid who are not susceptible to change.
[tr. Lau (1979)]

Only the most intelligent and the most stupid do not change.
[tr. Dawson (1993), 17.2]

Only the wisest and the stupidest never change.
[tr. Leys (1997)]

Only the highest of the wise and the lowest of the stupid do not change.
[tr. Huang (1997), 17.2]

Only the super wisdom and the infer stupidness cannot be changed.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), #443]

Only the most wise (zhi) and the most stupid do not move.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]

It is the highest wisdom and the lowest stupidity that do not change.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998), 17.2b]

Those of the loftiest wisdom and those of the basest ignorance: they alone never change.
[tr. Hinton (1998)]

Only the highest among the wise and the lowest among the stupid never change.
[tr. Watson (2007)]

Only the most intelligent and the most stupid are not inclined to change.
[tr. Annping Chin (2014)]

Only superior wisdom and extreme stupidity cannot be changed.
[tr. Li (2020)]

Only the supremely wise and the most deeply ignorant do not alter.
[Source]

Only the supremely wise and the abysmally ignorant do not change.