Tell me I'm clever, Tell me I'm kind, Tell me I'm talented, Tell me I'm cute, Tell me I'm sensitive, Graceful and wise, Tell me I'm perfect - But tell me the truth.
Shel Silverstein

A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.
Thomas Szasz

Better be wise by the misfortunes of others than by your own.
Aesop

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself a fool.
Anatole France

The wise man reads both books and life itself.
Lin Yutang

But I think I have done right to save the vision in this way, even though I may die sooner because I did it; for I know the meaning of the vision is wise and beautiful and good; and you can see that I am only a pitiful old man after all.
Black Elk

There was no division I could see between the essential teaching of all Prophets and wise men of religion.
Cat Stevens

Such is the nature of men, that howsoever they may acknowledge many others to be more witty, or more eloquent, or more learned; yet they will hardly believe there be many so wise as themselves.
Thomas Hobbes

A wise man should so write (though in words understood by all men) that wise men only should be able to commend him.
Thomas Hobbes

Words are wise men's counters, they do but reckon with them, but they are the money of fools.
Thomas Hobbes

Words are the counters of wise men, and the money of fools.
Thomas Hobbes

Who is the wise man? He who sees what's going to be born.
King Solomon

A fool is wise in his eyes.
King Solomon

There are some persons in this world, who, unable to give better proof of being wise, take a strange delight in showing what they think they have sagaciously read in mankind by uncharitable suspicions of them.
Herman Melville

The wise does at once what the fool does at last.
Baltasar Gracian

Even knowledge has to be in the fashion, and where it is not, it is wise to affect ignorance.
Baltasar Gracian

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.
Baltasar Gracian

Luck can be assisted. It is not all chance with the wise.
Baltasar Gracian

Better mad with the rest of the world than wise alone.
Baltasar Gracian