89 phrases about intelligence and knowledge

We have made a magnificent compilation of the 89 best intelligence, understanding and knowledge phrases that have been pronounced by great famous people.

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

What famous quotes talk about intelligence?

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

As you can see, it is about a selection of the good and the best among all 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 that he is capable of supporting (Immanuel Kant)

The French philosopher draws an interesting parallel about intelligence and what it is for us to possess it.

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

The Smart people they are able to see beyond the obvious.

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

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

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 yourself is an inherent characteristic of intelligence.

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

A famous quote for deep reflection, from the great Victor 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 fools 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. Fools open the paths later traveled by wise men (Carlo Dossi)

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

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 sight must learn from reason (Johannes Kepler)

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

13. It is not that the genius is a century ahead of his time, it is humanity that is a hundred years behind him (Robert Musil)

Great thinkers live in a society intellectually hostile to their ideas.

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

An interesting reflection of Henry F. Amiel.

15. The truths that intelligence reveals remain sterile. Only the heart is capable of fertilizing dreams (Anatole France)

The Nobel Prize in Literature Anatole France, about the essential guide to complete big projects.

16. When we do not understand something, 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 that we do not understand?

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

You don't need a lot of marketing or paraphernalia if you have superior ingenuity.

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)

One skill of the sage is knowing how to back off when his approaches are not adequate.

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

Logically, humans are the product of what we learn. And if what we learn is not sufficiently founded ...

21. Just as iron rusts from lack of use, so also inactivity destroys the intellect (Leonardo da Vinci)

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

22. The philosopher is always on foot. He prefers the staff of experience to the fast car 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) overrated brainpower.

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

The hands, tools that allow us to know the reality to later 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 clouded by daylight, in the same way the intelligence of our soul is clouded by obvious things (Aristotle)

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

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

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

28. For the defects of others the wise man corrects his own (Publilio Sito)

When we see flaws and vices in others, we are prone to pointing them out sourly. But are we capable of learning not to commit them?

29. The human brain is like a coin minting machine. If you put impure metal in it, you will get dross; if you cast gold, you will get legal currency (Santiago Ramón y Cajal)

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

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

The antiwar, 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 a single thing (Blaise Pascal)

Having a lot of knowledge about a small piece of reality can make us technicians, but never thinkers.

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

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

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

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

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

Only when we are left with nothing are we able to assess how lucky we are.

35. I only know that I don't know anything (Socrates)

A classic phrase that contrasts wisdom and ignorance.

36. Intelligence and beauty: great rarity (Anonymous)

An anonymous phrase from the popular proverb.

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

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

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

Tycoon George soros reveals how persistence is the key to success.

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. It takes great knowledge just to realize the enormity of one's ignorance (Thomas Sowell)

Famous quote along the lines of the previous one. We ignore much more than we know.

41. He knows everything, absolutely everything. Imagine how silly 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 to us when it is no longer useful to us (Gabriel García Márquez)

The Colombian writer finds a clue: when we know something, it is probably no longer useful to us.

43. The fool who recognizes his folly is a sage. But a fool who thinks he is 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 man wants, he seeks in himself; the common people, look for it in others (Confucius)

Intelligence drinks from the outside to create and recreate itself on the inside. Excellent phrase from Confucius.

45. He who seems wise, among the 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 take care of the talent Of the youngs. Talent always travels as far as they let it flap its wings.

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

San Agustin offers us three basic tips for 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 stares at the finger (Chinese proverb)

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

51. Happiness is the strangest thing I know in intelligent people (Ernest Hemingway)

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

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

People driven by anger and revenge cannot 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 helpful, but it is a simple tool. You have to know how to use it so that it generates 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 preconceptions.

56. I can't understand why people are scared by new ideas. I am one of the old women (John Cage)

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

57. Open schools and prisons will be closed (Concepción Arenal)

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

58. When you speak, make sure your words are better than silence (Hindu proverb)

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

59. Who does not understand a look will not understand a long explanation either (Arabic proverb)

Knowledge is sometimes found in details apparently devoid of logical meaning.

60. The difference that exists between foolish men and talented men is that the former say stupid things 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 answers (Janis Joplin)

Singer Janis joplin, on the "trade" of intellectual.

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

Another famous quote that explains the importance of taking perspective in order to understand anything that 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. Don't 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. It begins to work as soon as we get up and does not stop working until entering 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 recall facts and stories. But that is cheating.

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

American actor Jim Parsons talks about the stigma of people with high IQ.

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 don't know what to do (Jean Piaget)

The psychologist Jean piaget has quite an interesting definition of what intellectual capacity is (and what it is for).

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

Knowledge is based on the discrepancy between opposing opinions. Quote by the Austrian sociologist Karl Popper.

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

A mythical phrase where they exist. Einstein reveals that human ignorance is absolutely ubiquitous.

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

American businessman and author Dale Carnegie He knew that to solve problems, it is first necessary to know them well and design strategies to influence them.

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

Crimes of passion are always easy to detect and convict, but clever criminals are always several steps ahead of justice and law enforcement.

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

A quote from the Roman politician and philosopher, to free interpretation.

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

Another phrase that emphasizes the importance of intelligence to draw good roadmaps towards the objectives that we have set.

76. Knowing others is wisdom, knowing oneself is enlightenment (Lao Tzu)

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

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 will argue with you (John Wooden)

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

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

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 emphasizes 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 imagination.

82. Knowledge begins in amazement (Socrates)

The whole process of go getting 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 that provide a clearer definition of it.

84. Wit is well-educated insolence (Aristotle)

The creativity behind 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 the will (Antonio Gramsci)

A reflection that indicates a kind of contradiction that creates tension in the way of thinking of many people.

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

Silence also has value on its own, and it is an attitude by which the intellect expresses itself.

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

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

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

Wisdom is more than the accumulation of information.