quotes

The Best Quotations

best-quotations.com
 


My "other" sites:

best quotations about

Intelligence


Intelligence

67 quotesVisits: 4,348

Quotations

H.L. MenckenLove is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.

—  H.L. Mencken, 1880-1956, American columnist & cultural critic

13 likes
George OrwellEach generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

—  George Orwell, 1903-1950, British writer

13 likes
George Bernard ShawChess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever, when they are only wasting their time.

—  George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Irish writer, Nobel 1925

12 likes
Niccolò MachiavelliThe first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

—  Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469-1527, Italian political philosopher

11 likes
MontesquieuI have always observed that to succeed in the world one should appear like a fool but be wise.

—  Montesquieu, 1689-1755, French thinker

10 likes
Lao-TzuRespond intelligently even to unintelligent treatment.

—  Lao-Tzu, 6th cent. BC, Chinese philosopher

10 likes
Charles DarwinIntelligence is based on how efficient a species became at doing the things they need to survive.

—  Charles Darwin, 1809-1882, British scientist

10 likes
Timothy LearyIntelligence is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

—  Timothy Leary, 1920-1996, American psychologist

9 likes
Kin HubbardIntelligent people are always on the unpopular side of anything.

—  Kin Hubbard, 1868-1930, American cartoonist

8 likes
La RochefoucauldThe desire to appear clever often prevents one from being so.

—  La Rochefoucauld, 1613-1680, French writer

7 likes
Albert EinsteinIf you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.

—  Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-Jewish physicist

7 likes
Fyodor DostoyevskyIt takes something more than intelligence to act intelligently.

—  Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881, Russian writer

6 likes
Arthur ClarkeI'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here.

—  Arthur Clarke, 1917-2008, British Sci-Fi writer

6 likes
Franklin RooseveltI'm not the smartest fellow in the world, but I can sure pick smart colleagues.

—  Franklin Roosevelt, 1882-1945, American President [1936-1945]

6 likes
Honoré de BalzacTime is the only capital of those who just have their intelligence as fortune.

—  Honoré de Balzac, 1799-1850, French writer

6 likes
Salvador DaliIntelligence without ambition is a bird without wings.

—  Salvador Dali, 1904-1989, Spanish painter

6 likes
ThucydidesIt is frequently a misfortune to have very brilliant men in charge of affairs. They expect too much of ordinary men.

—  Thucydides, 460-394 BC, Ancient Greek historian

6 likes
Jean BaudrillardThe sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore intelligence.

—  Jean Baudrillard, 1929-2007, French intellectual

5 likes
Arthur SchopenhauerIntellect is invisible to the man who has none.

—  Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788-1860, German philosopher

5 likes
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.Be smarter than other people, just don't tell them so.

—  H. Jackson Brown, Jr., 1940-2021, American self-help writer

5 likes
Emile M. CioranIntelligence flourishes only in the ages when belief withers.

—  Emile M. Cioran, 1911-1995, French-Romanian philosopher

5 likes
Dave LettermanThe White House is giving George W. Bush intelligence briefings. You know, some of these jokes just write themselves.

—  Dave Letterman, 1947-, American TV talk show host

5 likes
Ludwig WittgensteinNever stay up on the barren heights of cleverness, but come down into the green valleys of silliness.

—  Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1889-1951, Austrian philosopher

4 likes
Albert EinsteinCreativity is intelligence having fun.

—  Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-Jewish physicist

4 likes
Ernest HemingwayHappiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know.

—  Ernest Hemingway, 1899-1961, American writer, Nobel 1954

4 likes
H.L. MenckenThere are two kinds of Europeans: The smart ones, and those who stayed behind.

—  H.L. Mencken, 1880-1956, American columnist & cultural critic

4 likes
Timothy LearyThe universe is an intelligence test.

—  Timothy Leary, 1920-1996, American psychologist

4 likes
Winston ChurchillAll of the great empires of the future will be empires of the mind.

—  Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953

4 likes
Marilyn MonroeYou know it takes a smart brunette to play a dumb blonde.

—  Marilyn Monroe, 1926-1962, American actress

4 likes
Lao-TzuIf you would take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.

—  Lao-Tzu, 6th cent. BC, Chinese philosopher

3 likes
Andy WarholI don’t want to be smart, because being smart makes you depressed.

—  Andy Warhol, 1928-1987, American artist

3 likes
La RochefoucauldPassion often renders the most clever man a fool, and even sometimes renders the most foolish man clever.

—  La Rochefoucauld, 1613-1680, French writer

3 likes
Arthur ClarkeIt has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.

—  Arthur Clarke, 1917-2008, British Sci-Fi writer

3 likes
Marcel ProustNine tenths of the ills from which intelligent people suffer spring from their intellect.

—  Marcel Proust, 1871-1922, French writer

3 likes
Theodore AdornoIntelligence is a moral category.

—  Theodore Adorno, 1903-1969, German philosopher

3 likes
Francis Scott FitzgeraldIntelligence is measured by a person's ability to see validity within both sides of contradicting arguments.

—  Francis Scott Fitzgerald, 1896-1940, American writer

3 likes
Sigmund FreudThe voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing.

—  Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939, Austrian psychologist, founder of psychoanalysis

2 likes
Bertrand RussellSo far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.

—  Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970, British philosopher

Nicolas Gomez DavilaIntelligence consists not in handling intelligent ideas, but in handling any idea intelligently.

—  Nicolas Gomez Davila, 1913-1994, Colombian writer

Ludwig WittgensteinPhilosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of our language.

—  Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1889-1951, Austrian philosopher

Marie von Ebner-EschenbachAn intelligent woman has millions of born enemies: all the stupid men.

—  Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 1830-1916, German author of maxims

Aldοus HuxleyThe more powerful and original a mind, the more it will incline towards the religion of solitude.

—  Aldοus Huxley, 1894-1963, English writer

Jean de La BruyèreThe true spirit of conversation consists more in bringing out the cleverness of others than in showing a great deal of it yourself.

—  Jean de La Bruyère, 1645-1696, French writer

Anatole FranceIntelligent women always marry fools.

—  Anatole France, 1844-1924, French writer, Nobel 1921

Marcel AchardLove is truly the most beautiful failure of intelligence.

—  Marcel Achard, 1899-1974, French playwright

Henry de MontherlantHesitation is the hallmark of intelligence.

—  Henry de Montherlant, 1895-1972, French writer

Jorge Luis BorgesDoubt is one of the names of intelligence.

—  Jorge Luis Borges, 1899-1986, Argentine writer

Maurice ChapelanThe intelligent man has in common with the fool that he who does not think like him is a fool.

—  Maurice Chapelan, 1906-1992, French author of maxims & journalist

Alfred CapusWhen a woman is beautiful, don't tell her she is beautiful, because she already knows that; tell her she's smart because she hopes to be.

—  Alfred Capus, 1858-1922, French writer

Frank ZappaModern Americans behave as if intelligence were some sort of hideous deformity.

—  Frank Zappa, 1940-1993, American musician

Søren KierkegaardChristianity demands the crucifixion of the intellect.

—  Søren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855, Danish philosopher

Edgar Allan PoeMen have called me mad; but the question is not yet settled whether madness is or is not the loftiest intelligence.

—  Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849, American writer

Gabriele D’ AnnunzioThe world is the reflection of the intelligence and the thinking of a few superior people.

—  Gabriele D’ Annunzio, 1863-1938, Italian poet

Emily DickinsonThe brain is wider than the sky.

—  Emily Dickinson, 1830-1886, American poet

Arthur Conan DoyleI am a brain, Watson. The rest of me is a mere appendix.

—  Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930, British writer

Arthur Conan DoyleThe most dangerous condition for a man or a nation is when his intellectual side is more developed than his spiritual.

—  Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930, British writer

Nicolas ChamfortWoe to him who is clever, but has no strong character. If you took Diogenes’ lantern in your hand, you must also hold his stick in the other.

—  Nicolas Chamfort, 1740-1794, French writer

Milan KunderaMerely by being born intelligent, you right away find yourself in absolute exile.

—  Milan Kundera, 1929-2023, Czech writer

Francis Scott FitzgeraldThe best of America drifts to Paris. The American in Paris is the best American. It is more fun for an intelligent person to live in an intelligent country. France has the only two things toward which we drift as we grow older—intelligence and good manners.

—  Francis Scott Fitzgerald, 1896-1940, American writer

Susan SontagIntelligence is really a kind of taste: taste in ideas.

—  Susan Sontag, 1933-2004, American writer, critic, activist

Remy de GourmontIt was an accident that has endowed man with intelligence. He has made use of it: he invented stupidity.

—  Remy de Gourmont, 1858-1915, French poet

Quotes in Verse

Wallace StevensThe poem must resist the intelligence
Almost successfully.

—  Wallace Stevens, 1879-1955, American poet

4 likes

Funny Quotes

George CarlinThe IQ and the life expectancy of the average American recently passed each other in opposite directions.

—  George Carlin, 1936-2008, American comedian

18 likes

Ancient Greek

PlatoThe dialogue within the soul with itself... was named “thinking”.

Ο εντός της ψυχής προς αυτήν διάλογος… επωνομάσθη διάνοια.

—  Plato, 427-347 BC, Ancient Greek philosopher

11 likes
MenanderI want either a drop of luck or a bucket of brains.

Θέλω τύχης σταλαγμόν ή φρενών πίθον.

—  Menander, 4th cent. BC, Ancient Greek dramatist (New Comedy)

9 likes
SophoclesWisdom outweighs any wealth.

Κράτιστον κτημάτων ευβουλία.

—  Sophocles, 496-406 BC, Ancient tragic poet ‐ Antigone

6 likes
EuripidesHis foot is slow but quick his mind.

Το του ποδός μεν βραδύ, το του δε νου ταχύ.

—  Euripides, 480-406 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian ‐ Ion

6 likes



Similar categories & topics of Quotations






Similar Topics

Genius

Talent

Understanding

Thinking

Prudence

Planning

Ability

Theory

Instinct

Skills

Control

Intellectuals

Contrary Topics

Stupidity

Incompetence

Ignorance

Ignorance

 Popular Topics
1 Friendship
2 Victory & Defeat
3 Solitude
4 Seduction
5 Self-reliance
6 Ego
7 Drinking
8 Cunning
9 Eroticism
10 Nudity
11 Vanity
12 Self-deprecation
13 Incompetence
14 Sex
15 Religion
16 Meaning of Life
17 Life
18 Death
19 Corruption
20 Democracy
 

2024: Manolis Papathanassiou