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89 phrases about intelligence and knowledge

89 phrases about intelligence and knowledge

March 29, 2024

We have made a magnificent compilation on the 89 best phrases of intelligence, understanding and knowledge that have pronounced great celebrities.

It may interest you: "The 12 types of intelligence: which one do you have?"

What famous quotes talk about intelligence?

In this list you can find many quotes from well-known authors and thinkers such as Einstein, Voltaire, Francis Bacon, Anaxagoras, Plato, Goethe ...

As you see, it's about a selection of the good and the best among all the thoughts about intelligence , thanks to writers, scientists, psychologists and philosophers whose legacy is incomparable.

The best phrases of intelligence, knowledge and intellectuality

Are you ready for these smart and thoughtful quotes? Let us begin.


1. The intelligence of an individual is measured by the amount of uncertainties he is capable of supporting (Immanuel Kant)

The French philosopher draws an interesting parallel about intelligence and what is the use of possessing it.

2. A wise man will look for more opportunities than those presented to him (Francis Bacon)

Smart people are able to see beyond the obvious.

3. Someone intelligent learns from the experience of others (Voltaire)

We continue with one of the architects of the French Revolution. Voltaire He finds that intelligence is the ability to learn and apply knowledge that we acquire from abroad.

4. Thought is the steed, reason the rider (Aurore Dupin)

Thought and reason, two sides of the same coin.


5. Only intelligence examines itself (Jaime Balmes)

The ability to evaluate oneself is an inherent characteristic of intelligence.

6. The little capable intelligences are interested in the extraordinary; the powerful intelligences, in ordinary things (Victor Hugo)

A famous rendezvous for deep reflection, of the great Víctor Hugo .

7. Most people are like pins: their heads are not the most important thing (Jonathan Swift)

The Irish writer left us this fine irony about ignorant people.

8. While the foolish decide, the intelligent deliberate (Plutarch)

Ancient Greece left us essential phrases about wisdom.

9. Time is the only capital of people who have nothing but their intelligence fortunately (Honoré de Balzac)

What is the relationship between time management and intelligence? The French author explains it to us.


10. The madmen open the paths that later the wise ones go (Carlo Dossi)

The step prior to the great discoveries is not made by the smartest, but the most daring ones.

11. Science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind (Albert Einstein)

An intriguing thought that the Jewish physicist left us.

12. The view must learn from the reason (Johannes Kepler)

Perception can deceive us; Reason is constantly reflecting and questioning reality.

13. It is not that the genius advances a century to its time, it is humanity that is one hundred years behind him (Robert Musil)

The great thinkers live a society intellectually hostile to their approaches.

14. Man is raised by intelligence, but he is only a man by the heart (Henry F. Amiel)

An interesting reflection of Henry F. Amiel .

15. The truths revealed by the intelligence remain sterile. Only the heart is capable of fecundating dreams (Anatole France)

The Nobel Prize for Literature Anatole France , about the essential guide to complete great projects.

16. When we do not understand a thing, it is necessary to declare it absurd or superior to our intelligence, and generally, the first determination is adopted (Concepción Arenal)

Why do we strive to discard everything we do not understand?

17. Intelligence and common sense make their way with few artifices (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)

You do not need much marketing or paraphernalia if you have a superior talent.

18. Science is the aesthetics of intelligence (Gastón Bachelard)

Science and ingenuity, always hand in hand to encourage the construction of new knowledge.

19. At certain times, the only way to be right is to lose it (José Bergamín)

A skill of the wise person is to know how to back down when their approaches are not adequate.

20. How is it that, being so smart children, are most men so stupid? It must be the result of education (Alejandro Dumas)

Logically, humans are the product of what we learn. And if what we learn does not have enough foundation ...

21. Just as iron oxidizes through lack of use, so inactivity destroys the intellect (Leonardo da Vinci)

Our brain needs activity and practice. Otherwise, our cognitive faculties decline.

22. The philosopher always goes on foot.He prefers the staff of experience to the fast chariot of fortune (Pythagoras)

A good reflection on speed, intelligence and fortune.

23. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited and imagination surrounds the world (Albert Einstein)

An ode to creativity, above the (perhaps) overvalued intellectual capacity.

24. The origin of the intelligence of men lies in their hands (Anaxagoras)

Hands, tools that allow us to know reality and then evaluate it.

25. Curiosity is one of the most permanent and sure characteristics of a vigorous intelligence (Samuel Johnson)

The English writer Samuel Johnson claims curiosity as the genesis of intelligence.

26. Just as the eyes of bats are obfuscated in the light of day, in the same way the intelligence of our soul is obfuscated by evident things (Aristotle)

Aristotle , in an approach reminiscent of the myth of the cave of his teacher Plato.

27. It is the terrain of science to speak and privilege of wisdom to hear (Oliver Wendell Holmes)

Practicing intelligence means being permeable to the stimuli we get from outside.

28. For the defects of others the wise correct their own (Publilio Sito)

When we see defects and vices in others, we are prone to point them out with acrimony. But are we capable of learning not to commit them?

29. The human brain is like a coin-coining machine. If you pour impure metal on it, you will get scum; if you throw gold, you'll get currency (Santiago Ramón y Cajal)

The importance of feeding our brain well, based on books and knowledge that help us to better understand the world.

30. Military intelligence are two contradictory terms (Groucho Marx)

The anti-warmonger, comedian and thinker Groucho Marx He left us this fine reflection.

31. It is better to know something about everything, than to know everything about one thing (Blaise Pascal)

To have a lot of knowledge about a small plot of reality can turn us into technicians, but never into thinkers.

32. Nothing is more dangerous than an idea when you have only one (Émile Chartier)

Chartier , against sectarianism and ideas without extensive knowledge and reflection.

33. Every man is a story that is unlike any other (Alexis Carrel)

The French doctor and writer left us this profound quote for evidence that every human life is unique.

34. When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates all that he has (Stephen Hawking)

Only when we are left with nothing are we able to assess the luck we have.

35. I only know that I know nothing (Socrates)

A classic phrase that contrasts wisdom and ignorance.

36. Intelligence and beauty: great rarity (Anonymous)

An anonymous phrase of the popular proverb.

37. The primary obligation of intelligence is to distrust it (Stanislaw Jeay Lec)

A phrase that goes in the line of other similar ones in the list. Intelligence inevitably requires a constant scrutiny of reality, and even of intelligence itself.

38. When it is understood that the human condition is the imperfection of the understanding, it is no longer shameful to make mistakes, but to persist in errors (George Soros)

The tycoon George Soros it reveals how persistence is the key to reach a good port.

39. What we know is a drop of water; what we ignore is the ocean (Isaac Newton)

Wisdom is only an ideal, since as human beings what we ignore will always be much more than what we know.

40. Great knowledge is needed only to realize the enormity of one's ignorance (Thomas Sowell)

Famous quote in line with the previous one. We ignore much more than we know.

41. He knows everything, absolutely everything. Figuerense how stupid it will be (Miguel de Unamuno)

And another phrase about the inability of the human being to know no more than a tiny part of existence.

42. Wisdom comes when it no longer serves us (Gabriel García Márquez)

The Colombian writer comes up with a key: when we know something, it probably will no longer be useful to us.

43. The fool who recognizes his foolishness is a wise man. But a fool who thinks himself wise is, in truth, a fool (Buddha)

We leave you with another compilation, in this case about phrases of Buddha and Buddhism.

44. What the wise want, he seeks in himself; the vulgar, looks for it in others (Confucius)

Intelligence drinks from the outside to be created and recreated inside. Excellent phrase from Confucius .

45. The one who seems wise, among fools, seems foolish among the wise (Marco Fabio Quintiliano)

It depends on the context in which we move, we can be perceived as very intelligent ... or not so much.

46. ​​The wise have the same advantages over the ignorant as the living over the dead (Aristotle)

Aristotle In this way, he values ​​the gift of being wiser than ordinary mortals.

47. Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated (Robert McNamara)

When states suffer a brain drain, perhaps it is because they are not knowing how to care for young people's talent.The talent always travels to where they let him flap his wings.

48. Intelligence: know yourself, accept yourself, surpass yourself (Saint Augustine)

San Agustin offers us three basic tips to develop our intelligence.

49. Most prefer to pay for entertainment than for education (Robert Savage)

The culture of leisure and entertainment leaves little room for us to develop our intellectual concerns.

50. When pointing to the Moon, the fool looks at the finger (Chinese Proverb)

One of the signs of intelligence is, precisely, knowing how to have a good overview of the issues, and know how to discriminate between the essential and the accessory.

51. Happiness is the weirdest thing I know in smart people (Ernest Hemingway)

Are smart people happy? Hemingway bet on the "no".

52. Anger is a gust of wind that turns off the lamp of intelligence (Robert Ingersoll)

People moved by anger and revenge can not find good ways for their intelligence to bear fruit.

53. The measure of intelligence is the ability to change (Anonymous)

Certainly, the ability to grow as people is what defines us as individuals with a great inner life.

54. Intelligence is useful for everything, enough for nothing (Henry Frederic Amiel)

Being smart is useful, but it is a simple tool. You have to know how to use it to generate positive things.

55. Creativity requires having the courage to let go of certainties (Erich Fromm)

The great psychoanalyst Erich Fromm relates creativity to the lack of prejudices and preconceived ideas.

56. I can not understand why people are scared with new ideas. I am from the old women (John Cage)

Ideas are in constant movement and change. The logical thing is to learn to understand and value both old and new proposals.

57. Open schools and close jails (Concepción Arenal)

Another famous quote of the great Spanish realist writer. More education means better ideas and less misery.

58. When you speak, try to make your words better than silence (Hindu Proverb)

If your words do not contribute anything interesting, it is better not to waste spit. A wise Indian proverb.

59. Whoever does not understand a glance will not understand a long explanation either (Arabic Proverb)

The knowledge, sometimes, is found in details apparently lacking logical sense.

60. The difference between foolish men and talented men is usually that the former say nonsense and the latter commit them (Mariano José de Larra)

An interesting paradox described by the Spanish manners writer.

61. Being an intellectual generates a lot of questions and no answer (Janis Joplin)

Singer Janis Joplin , about the "office" of intellectual.

62. Climb the mountain just a little, to see if it is a mountain. From the top of the mountain, you can not see the mountain (Frank Herbert)

Another famous quote that explains the importance of taking perspective to understand anything we want to analyze accurately.

63. My ideas are of an indisputable logic; The only thing that makes me doubt is that they have not been applied previously (Antoni Gaudí)

The Catalan artist and architect only doubted his genius for this curious reason.

64. Do not just teach your children to read, teach them to question what they read, teach them to question everything (George Carlin)

Doubting everything, being skeptical, is the fundamental basis of intelligence.

65. The brain is a wonderful organ. Start working as soon as we get up and do not stop working until you enter the office (Robert Frost)

A funny reflection that can make us think about the time we "waste" in the office.

66. Memory is the intelligence of fools (Albert Einstein)

When creativity and ingenuity are scarce, memory can be used to remember data and stories. But that is cheating.

67. I think that intelligence is usually sexy until it becomes irritating. After that, they beat him (Jim Parsons)

The American actor Jim Parsons talks about the stigma of people with a high level of intellectual quotient.

68. Intelligence and will work together against vice (Fasto Cayo)

Simple phrase but with a powerful message. Vice only triumphs if intelligence and will stop fighting against it.

69. Intelligence is what you use when you do not know what to do (Jean Piaget)

The psychologist Jean Piaget has a rather interesting definition of what intellectual capacity is (and for what purpose).

70. The increase of knowledge depends entirely on the existence of disagreement (Karl Popper)

Knowledge is based on the discrepancy between opposing opinions. Phrase of the Austrian sociologist Karl Popper.

71. There are two infinite things: the universe and human stupidity. From the first I'm not completely sure (Albert Einstein)

A mythical phrase where there are. Einstein reveals that the ignorance of the human being is absolutely omnipresent.

72. The power to choose the essential points of problems is the difference between cultivated and uncultivated spirits (Dale Carnegie)

The American businessman and author Dale Carnegie I knew that to solve problems first it is necessary to know them well and design strategies to be able to influence them.

73. The dangerous criminal is the cult criminal (Gilbert Chesterton)

Passion crimes are always easy to detect and condemn, but clever criminals are always several steps ahead of justice and law enforcement.

74. Thinking is like living twice (Marco Tulio Cicero)

An appointment of the politician and Roman philosopher, to free interpretation.

75. An intelligent man, walking on foot, arrives sooner than a fool who drives by car (Delphine de Girardin)

Another phrase that focuses on the importance of intelligence to draw good road maps towards the goals that we have set.

76. To know others is wisdom, to know oneself is enlightenment (Lao Tzu)

One of the phrases about knowledge from one of the great references of Chinese philosophy, Lao Tse.

77. A good head and a good heart are always formidable combinations (Nelson Mandela)

A reminder about the need to leave no flank to cover.

78. Whatever you do in life, surround yourself with smart people who argue with you (John Wooden)

To get knowledge there is nothing like exercise the debating mind .

79. Beware of false knowledge, it is more dangerous than ignorance (George Bernard Shaw)

The lack of knowledge can be remedied, but false beliefs can be more difficult to dismantle.

80. What matters is not what you look at, but what you see (Henry David Thoreau)

Another perfect example of one of the phrases about knowledge that emphasize our ability to interpret.

81. The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination (Albert Einstein)

Mental flexibility is expressed through the use of the imagination.

82. Knowledge begins in amazement (Socrates)

The whole process of go becoming wiser It starts with a feeling that is outside of rationality.

83. Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change (Stephen Hawking)

One of the phrases about intelligence what provide a clearer definition of it .

84. Ingenuity is well-educated insolence (Aristotle)

The creativity behind the ingenuity can be uncomfortable.

85. Common sense is genius dressed in work clothes (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

A way to see the potential in something as simple as common sense.

86. I am a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of my will (Antonio Gramsci)

A reflection that points to a kind of contradiction that creates tension in the mindset of many people.

87. Silence is the best answer of authentic wisdom (Euripides)

Silence also has value in itself, and it is an attitude by which the intellect is expressed .

88. The best academics, frequently, are not the wisest people (Geoffrey Chaucer)

Success in academia does not imply being especially wise in most areas of life.

89. Knowledge comes, but wisdom is entertained (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

Wisdom is something more than the accumulation of information.

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