“The wisest and the best of men, nay, the wisest and best of their actions, may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke.”
Source: Pride and Prejudice
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Jane Austen477
English novelist 1775–1817Related quotes
Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer
Original: Viviamo in un mondo di illusioni, dove i più saggi, in silenzio, assistono ad un'infinità di ridicole azioni.
Source: prevale.net
“The greatest Clerkes be not the wisest men.”
John Heywood (1497–1580) English writer known for plays, poems and a collection of proverbs
Part II, chapter 5.
Proverbs (1546), Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
“The gretest clerkes ben not the wisest men.”
Geoffrey Chaucer book The Canterbury Tales
The Reeve's Tale, l. 4051
The Canterbury Tales
R. Scott Bakker (1967) Canadian writer
AJENCIS, THE THIRD ANALYTIC OF MEN.
The White Luck Warrior (2011)
“Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change.”
Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher
“A little nonsense now and then
Is relished by the wisest men.”
Joseph Addison (1672–1719) politician, writer and playwright
This appears to be an anonymous proverb of unknown authorship, only occasionally attributed to Addison.
Misattributed
“A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.”
Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Not original to this work, the proverb dates from at least the 18th century.
Source: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (1972), Ch. 12, 'Back to The Chocolate Factory' (p.88 in the Paperback edition (1998) from Puffin)
“The wisest man is the silent one. Examine his actions. Judge him by them.”
Karen Marie Moning (1964) author
Source: Bloodfever