Character Quotables: Wisdom

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A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.
— Herb Caen
The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
— Isaac Asimov
The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes
Wisdom is knowing we are all One. Love is what it feels like and compassion is what it acts like.
— Ethan Walker III
The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper
— Eden Phillpotts
Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.
— Pema Chödrön
If you seek peace, be still. If you seek wisdom, be silent. If you seek love, be yourself.
— Becca Lee
Listen carefully. The answers to our deepest questions are often whispered.
— Wayne Gerard Trotman
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
— Carl Sagan
Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from living.
— Anthony Douglas Williams
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. 
Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.
— Thomas Jefferson
Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.
— David Starr Jordan
We should cultivate the ability to say no to activities for which we have no interest or real concern. If we learn to say no to many things, then we will be able to say yes to the things that matter most.
— Roy Blauss
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
— Epictetus
It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.
— John R. Wooden
Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.
— Neil Armstrong
To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.
— Bertrand Russell
There are always new things to find out if you go looking for them.
— Sir David Attenborough
Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.
— Jalal ad-Din Rumi
We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.
— George Bernard Shaw
The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.
— Paulo Coelho
When you know better you do better.
— Maya Angelou
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.
— Aristotle
It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.
— Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
Kids don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.
— Jim Henson
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the differenceKnowledge is learning something new every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day..
— Zen Proverb
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
— Benjamin Franklin
There is no greater wisdom than kindness.
— Thomas Kinkade
You know the difference between knowledge and wisdom? Knowledge is knowing tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing you don’t put tomato in a fruit salad.
— Miles Kington
It is said that wisdom lies not in seeing things, but seeing through things.
— Manly P. Hall
From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.
— Publilius Syrus
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.
— Groucho Marx
Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens
— Jimi Hendrix
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau
As a bee gathering nectar does not harm or disturb the color and fragrance of the flower; so do the wise move through the world.
— Buddha
You are under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger, you have no courage. You’re confusing courage with wisdom.
— Author Unknown
In life, all good things come hard, but wisdom is the hardest to come by.
— Lucille Ball
Like a deer that finds a quiet place to graze, seek seclusion to digest all that you have gathered.
— Ancient Tibetan text
We don’t receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.
— Marcel Proust
Patience is a form of wisdom. It demonstrates that we understand and accept the fact that sometimes things must unfold in their own time.
— Jon Kabat-Ziin
Memory is the mother of all wisdom.
— Aeschylus
Patience is the companion of wisdom.
— Saint Augustine
Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.
— Sandra Carey
The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
The traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep.
— Margaret Mead
Our happiness depends on wisdom all the way.
— Sophocles
Wise men don’t judge – they seek to understand.
— Wei Wu Wei
Wisdom is your perspective on life, your sense of balance, your understanding of how the various parts and principles apply and relate to each other.
— Stephen R. Covey
There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.
— Mandy Hale
When in doubt, don’t.
— Benjamin Franklin
Wonder is the beginning of wisdom.
— Socrates
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
— Henry David Thoreau
Turn your wounds into wisdom.
— Oprah Winfrey
No man was ever wise by chance.
— Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
— Francis Bacon
What the wise man does in the beginning, the fool does in the end.
— Warren Buffett
Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortunes; but great minds rise above them.
— Quote SourceWashington Irving
Wisdom Isn’t Wisdom Until It Is Shared.
— Patrick Mosher
Wisdom is sweeter than honey, brings more joy than wine, illumines more than the sun, is more precious than jewels.
— Queen of Sheba
Curiosity is more important than knowledge.
— Albert Einstein
Be happy. It’s one way of being wise.
— Colette
The greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, so shall you be.
— William James

How can you use Quotes?

  • Start a discussion: Quotes can start a discussion about a character trait at the beginning of a meeting or the dinner table. You can ask questions about what it means, how they have seen the trait demonstrated in their own lives, or how they can develop it themselves.

  • Provide a model: Quotes can provide a model of good character. When you read a quote from a famous person or historical figure, you show that people they admire also value the same character traits.

  • Use quotes as writing/journal prompts: Ask them to write a short essay about a quote to help them think more deeply about its implications for their lives.

  • Post quotes: You can post quotes where they will be seen/heard often – classroom, breakroom, lobby, dining room, email signatures, video bulletin boards, morning announcements, social media, etc.

  • Read quotes aloud: You can read quotes aloud to your children during mealtimes, bedtime, or any other time you spend together.

  • Make it fun:  You can make it even more fun by incorporating games, activities, or crafts. Let children decorate signs with the quotes to hang in the classroom or a bedroom door. Record children saying it and post it on social media.

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Character Quotables: Trustworthiness