Quotes About Intelligence

You have to be highly intelligent to get away with a dumb joke. That takes a pretty smart fella.

Everyone can write jokes and makes things clever.

He slowed down a bit more. "Gaia, how do you know these things?" She shrugged. "I'm smart." "And modest, too." "Modesty is a waste of time," she pronounced. "I'll keep that in mind.

The human heart was undeniably the stupidest organ in the body.

I've always found that the better the book I'm reading, the smarter I feel, or, at least, the more able I am to imagine that I might, someday, become smarter.

It] began to seem amazing how often it was assumed that having a vagina automatically meant I was less intelligent, talented, capable, and interesting than the world's least interesting human being who happened to have a penis.

Knowledge is power [Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est].

Knowledge and human power are synonymous.

The subtlety of nature is greater many times over than the subtlety of the senses and understanding.

Nothing is more damaging to a state than that cunning men pass for wise.

The monuments of wit survive the monuments of power.

Knowledge itself is power

There is in human nature generally, more of the fool than of the wise; and therefore those faculties, by which the foolish part of men's minds is taken, are most potent.

Upon that second reading, much of the book fell away in my mind, revealing a story that was a metaphor for American capitalism in the tale of a great king with three sons: the oldest was given his passion and aggressiveness, the second his sweet nature and childlike qualities, and the third his intelligence, cunning, and coldness.

To deceive the state, strangers, or even associates is accepted, and often applauded as evidence of cleverness.

Knowledge is never too dear.

Being a blockhead is sometimes the best security against being cheated by a man of wit.

Conceit causes more conversation than wit.

Confidence contributes more to conversation than wit.

Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever.

It is great cleverness to know when to conceal ones cleverness.

Minds of moderate caliber ordinarily condemn everything which is beyond their range.

The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it.

Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.