Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
It is rude to silence a fool, and cruelty to let him go on.
—Indian Proverb
The fool is always beginning to live.
—Common Proverb
A man may be as much a fool from the want of sensibility, as from the want of sense.
—Anna Brownell Jameson (1794–1860) Irish-born Literary, Art Critic
Send a fool to close the shutters and he’ll close them all over town.
—Yiddish Proverb
In short, no association or alliance can be happy or stable without me. People can’t long tolerate a ruler, nor can a master his servant, a maid her mistress, a teacher his pupil, a friend his friend nor a wife her husband, a landlord his tenant, a soldier his comrade nor a party-goer his companion, unless they sometimes have illusions about each other, make use of flattery, and have the sense to turn a blind eye and sweeten life for themselves with the honey of folly.
—Desiderius Erasmus (c.1469–1536) Dutch Humanist, Scholar
Flattery is never so agreeable as to our blind side; commend a fool for his wit, or a knave for his honesty, and they will receive you into their bosoms.
—Henry Fielding (1707–54) English Novelist, Dramatist
Society always consists in the greatest part, of young and foolish persons.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
There are many more fools in the world than there are knaves, otherwise the knaves could not exist.
—Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton (1803–73) British Novelist, Poet, Politician
Only intuition can protect you from the most dangerous individual of all, the articulate incompetent.
—Robert L. Bernstein (1923–2019) American Publisher, Human Rights Activist
To be a man’s own fool is bad enough; but the vain man is everybody’s.
—William Penn (1644–1718) American Entrepreneur, Political leader, Philosopher
You ask whether I have ever been in love: fool as I am, I am not such a fool as that. But if one is only to talk from first-hand experience, conversation would be a very poor business. But though I have no personal experience of the things they call love, I have what is better—the experience of Sappho, of Euripides, of Catallus, of Shakespeare, of Spenser, of Austen, of Bronte, of anyone else I have read.
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
The fool has set in his heart that he can get more money through the tiring of his muscle and the starvation of his brain-but he can’t.
—William D. Hoard (1836–1918) American Elected Rep
Fools are often united in the strictest intimacies, as the lighter kinds of woods are the most closely glued together.
—William Shenstone (1714–63) British Poet, Landscape Gardener
A fellow who is always declaring that he’s no fool, usually has his suspicions.
—Wilson Mizner (1876–1933) American Playwright, Entrepreneur
Fools with bookish knowledge, are children with edged weapons, they hurt themselves, and put others in pain.—The half-leamed is more dangerous than the simpleton.
—Johann Georg Ritter von Zimmermann (1728–1795) Swiss Philosophical Writer, Naturalist, Physician
He who lives without folly isn’t so wise as he thinks.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
A fishing pole is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool on the other
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
The fool within himself is the object of pity, until he is flattered.
—Richard Steele (1672–1729) Irish Writer, Politician
There are no foolish questions, and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions.
—Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865–1923) German-born American Mathematician, Engineer
No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions.
—Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865–1923) German-born American Mathematician, Engineer
An erudite fool is a greater fool than an ignorant fool.
—Moliere (1622–73) French Playwright
Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
There is no greater fool than he that says, “There is no God,” unless it be the one who says he does not know whether there is one or not.
—Otto von Bismarck (1815–98) German Chancellor, Prime Minister
In days gone by, we were afraid of dying in dishonor or a state of sin. Nowadays, we are afraid of dying fools. Now the fact is that there is no Extreme Unction to absolve us of foolishness. We endure it here on earth as subjective eternity.
—Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) French Sociologist, Philosopher
Fools build houses, and wise men buy them.
—English Proverb
The company of fools may first make us smile, but in the end we always feel melancholy.
—Oliver Goldsmith (1730–74) Irish Novelist, Playwright, Poet
The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his way.
—Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw) (1818–85) American Humorist, Author, Lecturer
In all companies there are more fools than wise men, and the greater part always gets the better of the wiser.
—Francois Rabelais (1494–1553) French Humanist, Satirist
Every fool finds a greater one to admire them.
—Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux (1636–1711) French Poet, Satirist, Literary Critic
A mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes.
—Robert Frost (1874–1963) American Poet
It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Mix a little foolishness with your serious plans: it’s lovely to be silly at the right moment.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet
If you wish to avoid seeing a fool you must first break your mirror.
—Francois Rabelais (1494–1553) French Humanist, Satirist
July 4 Statistics show that we lose more fools on this day than in all the other days of the year put together. This proves, by the number left in stock that one Fourth of July per year is now inadequate, the country has grown so.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
He who laughs at everything is as big a fool as he who weeps at everything.
—Baltasar Gracian (1601–58) Spanish Scholar, Prose Writer
It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
The entire world is my temple, and a very fine one too, if I’m not mistaken, and I’ll never lack priests to serve it as long as there are men.
—Desiderius Erasmus (c.1469–1536) Dutch Humanist, Scholar
A foolishness is inflicted with a hatred of itself.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
—Chinese Proverb
Art is the most passionate orgy within man’s grasp.
—John Donne (1572–1631) English Poet, Cleric
He who knows he who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool, shun him; He who knows not, and knows that he knows not, is a child, teach him. He who knows, and knows not that he knows, is asleep, wake him. He who knows, and knows that he knows, is wise, follow him.
—Persian Proverb
Colleges don’t make fools, they only develop them.
—George Horace Lorimer (1867–1937) American Editor, Publisher, Philanthropist
The world is full of fools and faint hearts; and yet everyone has courage enough to bear the misfortunes, and wisdom enough to manage the affairs of his neighbor.
—Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) American Political Leader, Inventor, Diplomat
Incredulity is the wisdom of the fool.
—Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw) (1818–85) American Humorist, Author, Lecturer
When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap.
—Cynthia Heimel (1947–2018) American Humor Columnist, Feminist
Where lives the man that has not tried how mirth can into folly glide, and folly into sin!
—Walter Scott (1771–1832) Scottish Novelist, Poet, Playwright, Lawyer
He who knows nothing neither doubts nor fears anything.
—Mexican Proverb