“There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.”
Socrates
KnowledgeIgnorance
Intelligence Quotes
90 FAMOUS QUOTES · INTELLIGENCE
Intelligence Quotes
Read 90 of the best intelligence quotes from Socrates, Lao Tzu, the Panchatantra, Thiruvalluvar, Richard Feynman, C.V. Raman and Sherlock Holmes, plus quotes on emotional intelligence and smart decisi
“Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance.”
Plato
OpinionKnowledge
“The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead.”
Aristotle
EducationLearning
“Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.”
Lao Tzu
WisdomSilence
“A frog in a well cannot be talked to about the ocean; he is limited by the space he lives in.”
Zhuangzi
PerspectiveOpen Mind
“He who has intelligence has strength.”
The Panchatantra
IntelligenceStrength
“Scholarship is less than sense; therefore seek intelligence.”
The Panchatantra
Common SenseWisdom
“Wisdom is a weapon that wards off destruction; it is an inner fortress that no enemy can destroy.”
Thiruvalluvar
WisdomProtection
“The wise foresee what is to come; the foolish do not.”
Thiruvalluvar
ForesightPlanning
“A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion.”
Chinese Proverb
Independent ThinkingDecisions
“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
Zeno of Citium
ListeningWisdom
“You see, but you do not observe.”
Arthur Conan Doyle
ObservationSherlock Holmes
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.”
Arthur Conan Doyle
EvidenceSherlock Holmes
“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius.”
Arthur Conan Doyle
GeniusTalent
“Everyone complains of his memory, and nobody complains of his judgment.”
François de La Rochefoucauld
Self AwarenessWit
“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.”
Voltaire
QuestionsCuriosity
“Scepticism is the first step towards truth.”
Denis Diderot
Critical ThinkingTruth
“Everything has been thought of before, but the problem is to think of it again.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
ThinkingIdeas
“A clever man commits no minor blunders.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
MistakesCleverness
“Every man I meet is in some way my superior, and in that I learn of him.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
HumilityLearning
“It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.”
Henry David Thoreau
WisdomPatience
“Knowledge and timber shouldn't be much used till they are seasoned.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
ExperienceKnowledge
“The well-bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves.”
Oscar Wilde
WisdomWit
“Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week.”
George Bernard Shaw
ThinkingFunny
“The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”
G. K. Chesterton
Open MindConviction
Related Topics
About Intelligence Quotes
Intelligence isn't just about knowing lots of facts. The wisest thinkers in history agree that real intelligence means asking good questions, listening carefully, admitting what you don't know and using your mind well. Some of the smartest people who ever lived were also the most humble about how much they still had to learn.
This collection brings together 90 of the best intelligence quotes. It starts with classic words from Socrates, Lao Tzu, Zhuangzi, the Panchatantra, Thiruvalluvar, Chanakya and Sherlock Holmes, continues with quotes from Richard Feynman, Bertrand Russell, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Srinivasa Ramanujan and C.V. Raman, and ends with original WebFunFacts quotes on emotional intelligence, curiosity, students and smart decisions. For more, explore our [Knowledge Quotes](/topics/knowledge-quotes) and [Learning Quotes](/topics/learning-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Intelligence quotes.
What is the most famous quote about intelligence?
Socrates' "There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance" is one of the oldest. Richard Feynman's "You must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool" is a modern favourite.
What does the Panchatantra say about intelligence?
The Panchatantra says, "He who has intelligence has strength," and warns that "scholarship is less than sense," meaning practical wisdom matters more than book learning alone.
What is the "frog in a well" saying?
It comes from the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, who said you can't talk to a frog in a well about the ocean. It describes people whose view is limited by their small world.
What did Bertrand Russell say about doubt?
Russell wrote that "the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt." It means truly intelligent people know how much they don't know.
What is a good quote about emotional intelligence?
Try "Empathy is intelligence that has learned to feel," or "A smart mind wins arguments. A wise heart wins people."
What is a good quote for students about intelligence?
Try "Don't just study to pass. Study to understand," or C.V. Raman's "Ask the right questions, and nature will open the doors to her secrets."