Isaac Asimov Quotes

Every one of my opponents, every one of my critics, will tell you that I am a generalist spread far too thin in an age when this is not done anymore, when responsible knowledge is specialized knowledge.

A wise man knows; learn from others, never get complacent and know where the classic old dangers come from.

To know only one thing well is to have a barbaric mind: civilization implies the graceful relation of all varieties of experience to a central humane system of thought. The present age is peculiarly barbaric: introduce, say, a Hebrew scholar to an ichthyologist or an authority on Danish place names and the pair of them would have no single topic in common but the weather or the war (if there happened to be a war in progress, which is usual in this barbaric age).

A specialist is a barbarian whose ignorance is not well-rounded.

There is a danger one has to really be knowing much more because you can't be too narrow on science.

The wise man knows of all things, as far as possible, although he has no knowledge of each of them in detail

If we walk with the wise, we will grow wise.

Facts are ventriloquist’s dummies. Sitting on a wise man’s knee they may be made to utter words of wisdom; elsewhere, they say nothing, or talk nonsense, or indulge in sheer diabolism.

I say, the acknowledgment of God in ChristAccepted by thy reason, solves for theeAll questions in the earth and out of it,And has so far advanced thee to be wise.

In much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

When a wise man does not understand, he says: "I do not understand." The fool and the uncultured are ashamed of their ignorance. They remain silent when a question could bring them wisdom.

When facts speak, the wise man listens.

When you come to see you are not as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you are wiser today.

I do know of these That therefore only are reputed wise For saying nothing.

Wisdom is not communicable. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish.

Wise men have more to learn of fools than fools of wise men.

One fool will deny more truth in half an hour than a wise man can prove in seven years.

The degree of one's emotions varies inversely with one's knowledge of the facts - the less you know the hotter you get.

Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else.

Sweet food of sweetly uttered knowledge.

There is oftentimes a great deal of knowledge where there is but little wisdom to improve that knowledge. It is not the most knowing Christian but the most wise Christian that sees, avoids, and escapes Satan's snares. Knowledge without wisdom is like mettle in a blind horse, which is often an occasion of the rider's fall.

No gown worse becomes a woman than the desire to be wise.

I read when I get up in the morning, when I can during the day and every single evening. Most of my weekends are spent reading great books. Books are my constant companions. If you eat three times a day you'll be fed. But if you read three times a day you'll be wise.

A wise man among the ignorant is as a beautiful girl in the company of blind men.