Germaine de Staël Quotes

It's the people who try to be clever who never are; the people who are clever never think of trying to be.

Why does everyone have to pretend to be stupid and not know long words?

Humility and knowledge in poor clothes excel pride and ignorance in costly attire.

I talked about becoming stupid, but I've always been stupid. Fortunately I've been just smart enough to realize that I'm stupid.

Only in Britain could it be thought a defect to be too clever by half. The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters.

People don't like when you point out to them and remind them that they're not very smart.

I'm no genius.

There are only two races on this planet - the intelligent and the stupid.

I know a lot of people think I'm dumb. Well, at least I ain't no educated fool.

No one, however smart, however well educated … is the suppository of all wisdom.

The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. Even those of the intelligent who believe that they have a nostrum are too individualistic to combine with other intelligent men from whom they differ on minor points.

Holy poverty confounds cupidity and avarice and the cares of this world.

I have a big problem with people who glamorize dumbness and demonize education and intellect. And I'm giving a pretty good description of Sarah Palin right now.

Don't believe those lies about intellectual people. They're only written to soothe the majority.

Of course, I don't know everything. Considering the infinite amount of knowledge that one could acquire in a virtually innumerable array of intellectual disciplines, it's probably more accurate to say that I don't know anything.

It's easy to smile when you have a squirrel's intellect.

He who is not aware of his ignorance will be only misled by his knowledge.

The only thing I know for sure is how much I do not know.

A philosopher knows that in reality he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of these rare people. He knew that he knew nothing about life and about the world. And now comes the important part: it troubled him that he knew so little.

I don't really study television or how things do or don't change. So I don't know anything about that. I'm just a stupid actor.

I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.

And any man who knows a thing, knows he knows not a damn, damn thing at all.

We may with advantage at times forget what we know.

We must suffer. Our five sense are dulled by inordinate pleasure. Penance makes them keen, gives them back their natural vitality, and more. Penance clears the eye of conscience and of reason. It helps think clearly, judge sanely. It strengthens the action of our will.

The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We must see the beauty of quietness. We must go through life so inconspicuously that Fate does not notice us. And let us seek the love of simple, ignorant people. Their ignorance is better than all our knowledge. Let us be silent, content in our little corner, meek and gentle like them. That is the wisdom of life.