Nature shows that with the growth of intelligence comes increased capacity for pain, and it is only with the highest degree of intelligence that suffering reaches its supreme point.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult.
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) Austrian Psychiatrist, Psychoanalytic
The course of every intellectual, if he pursues his journey long and unflinchingly enough, ends in the obvious, from which the non-intellectuals have never stirred.
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) English Humanist, Pacifist, Essayist, Short Story Writer, Satirist
When two or more people coordinate in a spirit of harmony and work toward a definite objective or purpose, they place themselves in a position, through the alliance, to absorb the power directly from the great storehouse of Infinite Intelligence.
—Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American Author, Journalist, Attorney, Lecturer
Intelligence is the faculty of making artificial objects, especially tools to make tools.
—Henri Bergson (1859–1941) French Philosopher, Evolutionist
To be wholly devoted to some intellectual exercise is to have succeeded in life.
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) Scottish Novelist
Intelligent or not, we all make mistakes and perhaps the intelligent mistakes are the worst, because so much careful thought has gone into them
—Peter Ustinov (1921–2004) British Actor, Playwright, Director
A large section of the intelligentsia seems wholly devoid of intelligence.
—G. K. Chesterton (1874–1936) English Journalist, Novelist, Essayist, Poet
The superior man is he who develops in harmonious proportions, his moral, intellectual, and physical nature. This should be the end at which men of all classes should aim, and it is this only which constitutes real greatness.
—Douglas William Jerrold (1803–57) English Writer, Dramatist, Wit
A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one’s own ignorance.
—Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) Florentine Political Philosopher
To the man-in-the-street, who, I’m sorry to say, is a keen observer of life. The word “Intellectual” suggests straight away. A man who’s untrue to his wife.
—W. H. Auden (1907–73) British-born American Poet, Dramatist
If a man’s eye is on the Eternal, his intellect will grow.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
The universe is an intelligence test.
—Timothy Leary (1920–96) American Psychologist, Author
Common sense is not so common.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
Intelligence is nothing without delight.
—Paul Claudel (1868–1955) French Poet, Essayist, Dramatist
Everything great and intelligent is in the minority
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
My great religion is a belief in the blood, the flesh, as being wiser than the intellect. We can go wrong in our minds. But what our blood feels and believes and says, is always true. The intellect is only a bit and a bridle.
—D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) English Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic
Intelligence is the effort to do the best you can at your particular job; the quality that gives dignity to that job, whether it happens to be scrubbing a floor or running a corporation.
—James Cash Penney (1875–1971) American Entrepreneur
A man likes his wife to be just clever enough to appreciate his cleverness, and just stupid enough to admire it.
—Israel Zangwill (1864–1926) English Playwright, Novelist, Zionist Activist
Everything in the universe has a purpose. Indeed, the invisible intelligence that flows through everything in a purposeful fashion is also flowing through you.
—Wayne Dyer (1940–2015) American Self-Help Author
The brave, impetuous heart yields everywhere to the subtle, contriving head.
—Matthew Arnold (1822–88) English Poet, Critic
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction.
—E. F. Schumacher (1911–77) German Mathematician, Economist
It is the mind that makes the body rich; and as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, so honor peereth in the meanest habit.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Always be smarter than the people who hire you.
—Lena Horne (1917–2010) American Singer, Actress
We should take care not to make the intellect our God; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality.
—Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born Physicist
If you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
An intelligence test sometimes shows a man how smart he would have been not to have taken it.
—Laurence J. Peter (1919–90) Canadian-born American Educator, Author
You don’t need intelligence to have luck, but you do need luck to have intelligence.
—Yiddish Proverb
I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde.
—Dolly Parton (b.1946) American Musician, Actress
A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.
—James Joyce (1882–1941) Irish Novelist, Poet
The intellect is always fooled by the heart.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
The greatest cunning is to have none at all.
—Carl Sandburg (1878–1967) American Biographer, Novelist, Socialist
Whenever the cause of the people is entrusted to professors, it is lost.
—Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) Russian Revolutionary Leader
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
The intellect is a very nice whirligig toy, but how people take it seriously is more than I can understand.
—Ezra Pound (1885-1972) American Poet, Translator, Critic
The ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence.
—Robert J. Shiller (b.1946) American Economist
Nothing is useless to the man of sense; he turns everything to account.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
—Vittorio Alfieri (1749–1803) Italian Poet, Dramatist
Many highly intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of average intelligence are skilled thinkers. The power of a car is separate from the way the car is driven.
—Edward de Bono (1933–2021) Maltese-British Psychologist, Writer
Silent water is dangerous water.
—Spanish Proverb
Ask a wise man to dinner and he’ll upset everyone by his gloomy silence or tiresome questions. Invite him to a dance and you’ll have a camel prancing about. Haul him off to a public entertainment and his face will be enough to spoil the people’s entertainment.
—Desiderius Erasmus (c.1469–1536) Dutch Humanist, Scholar
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
—Richard Feynman (1918–88) American Physicist
The fly that does not want to be swatted is safest if it sits on the fly-swat.
—Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742–99) German Philosopher, Physicist
Clever people are always the best conversations lexicon.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training.
—Anna Freud (1895–1982) Austrian-British Child Psychoanalyst
Mother is far too clever to understand anything she does not like.
—Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) British Novelist, Playwright, Critic
Like many intellectuals, he was incapable of saying a simple thing in a simple way
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922) French Novelist
Reason is man’s instrument for arriving at the truth, intelligence is man’s instrument for manipulating the world more successfully; the former is essentially human, the latter belongs to the animal part of man.
—Erich Fromm (1900–80) German-American Psychoanalyst, Social Philosopher
The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modem world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
—Bertrand A. Russell (1872–1970) British Philosopher, Mathematician, Social Critic
I hate intellectuals. They are from the top down. I am from the bottom up.
—Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) American Architect