We can be knowledgeable with other men's knowledge, but we cannot be wise with other men's wisdom.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Knowledge can be borrowed, but wisdom requires personal experience and reflection.
- In plain terms
- You can learn facts from others, but wisdom comes from living your own life.
- What can you take from it?
- Wisdom requires personal experience, not just reading others' thoughts.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How much of your wisdom is truly your own?
- Can you be wise without suffering?
Another view
Some wisdom can be transmitted through teaching without direct experience.
More from Michel de Montaigne
Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul.
Permalink to quote #137 'Tis the sharpness of our mind that gives the edge to our pains and pleasures.
Permalink to quote #136 We only labor to stuff the memory, and leave the conscience and the understanding unfurnished and void.
Permalink to quote #140
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