Wisdom Quotes

The best minds across centuries have wrestled with what it means to be wise. These quotes capture their hard-won insights.

64329 quotes

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"No description of reality can ever be complete or absolute."
Niels Bohr
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"We must learn to live with uncertainty."
Niels Bohr
N
"Every sentence I utter must be understood not as an affirmation, but as a question."
Niels Bohr
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"I would not call it knowledge, but rather a description of observations."
Niels Bohr
N
"The world is not only strange; it is stranger than we can imagine."
Niels Bohr
N
"The greatest discoveries often overturn our previous understanding."
Niels Bohr
N
"Understanding requires more than observation; it requires interpretation."
Niels Bohr
N
"We must learn to think in paradoxes."
Niels Bohr
N
"Knowledge without wisdom is dangerous."
Niels Bohr
N
"The greatest discovery is that there is always more to discover."
Niels Bohr
N
"We must embrace uncertainty as a fundamental feature of reality."
Niels Bohr
M
"A man cannot sincerely try to be good unless he is growing out of selfishness."
Max Planck
M
"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."
Max Planck
M
"The goal is not to know everything, but to understand the principles that govern everything."
Max Planck
M
"We must never stop questioning because it is the act of questioning that keeps us alive."
Max Planck
M
"Respect for the laws of nature is the beginning of all wisdom."
Max Planck
M
"Humility is the virtue most necessary for those who seek to understand the universe."
Max Planck
M
"Our understanding of reality is always limited by the boundaries of our knowledge."
Max Planck
S
"Intelligence must be compatible with individual survival."
Stephen Jay Gould
S
"We are the products of history, not the inevitable outcome of progress."
Stephen Jay Gould
S
"We must revise our views when new evidence contradicts old assumptions."
Stephen Jay Gould
S
"We must learn to appreciate the universe on its own terms, not ours."
Stephen Jay Gould
S
"We must learn to think in terms of deep time and vast scales."
Stephen Jay Gould
S
"Nature demonstrates that there are many solutions to the same problem."
Stephen Jay Gould
S
"We must learn to see the world through the lens of deep time."
Stephen Jay Gould
E
"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity, especially when it comes in large numbers."
Enrico Fermi
E
"Wisdom is not the accumulation of facts, but the understanding of principles."
Enrico Fermi
E
"I never realized something so simple could be so profound."
Enrico Fermi
E
"The mind is like a parachute—it works best when it's open."
Enrico Fermi
E
"Quantity is no substitute for quality."
Enrico Fermi