Never stay up on the barren heights of cleverness, but come down into the green valleys of silliness. (p. 76e)
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Value simple human understanding over abstract cleverness.
- In plain terms
- Stay in the simple valleys instead of the high clever peaks.
- What can you take from it?
- Prioritize simple sense over complex cleverness.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is cleverness bad?
- Why choose silliness over cleverness?
Another view
Complex problems often require clever solutions.
More from Ludwig Wittgenstein
It's only by thinking even more crazily than philosophers do that you can solve their problems. (p. 75e)
Permalink to quote #89 Ambition is the death of thought. (p. 77e)
Permalink to quote #91 Animals come when their names are called. Just like human beings. (p. 67e)
Permalink to quote #88
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