The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Judgement
Experience keeps a dear school, yet fools will learn in no other.
Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard’s Almanack · 1732-1758

Quotes

“Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”

Winston Churchill · Never give in, never, 1941 · Primary source

“If Jack’s in love, he’s no judge of Jill’s beauty.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“As we must account for every idle word, so we must for every idle silence.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Beauty and folly are old companions.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“The proud hate pride—in others.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Tim was so learned, that he could name a horse in nine languages. So ignorant, that he bought a cow to ride on.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“’Tis easy to see, hard to foresee.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“To be intimate with a foolish friend, is like going to bed with a razor.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that have not wit enough to be honest.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“When the wine enters, out goes the truth.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“You had to trust the people you worked with completely or not at all, and you had to make decisions about the trusting.”

Ernest Hemingway · For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1940 · Primary source

“Above all, he liked it that everything was one’s own fault. There was only oneself to praise or blame. Luck was a servant and not a master. Luck had to be accepted with a shrug or taken advantage of up to the hilt. But it had to be understood and recognized for what it was and not confused with a faulty appreciation of the odds, for, at gambling, the deadly sin is to mistake bad play for bad luck. And luck in all its moods had to be loved and not feared.”

Ian Fleming · Casino Royale, 1953 · Primary source

“And people with obsessions, reflected Bond, were blind to danger.”

Ian Fleming · Moonraker, 1955 · Primary source

“Bond mistrusted anyone who tied his tie with a Windsor knot. It showed too much vanity. It was often the mark of a cad. Bond decided to forget his prejudice.”

Ian Fleming · From Russia, with Love, 1957 · Primary source

“Fear always springs from ignorance.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · The American Scholar, 1837 · Primary source

“Good criticism is very rare, and always precious.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Culture, 1860 · Primary source

“If you have competence, you pretty much know its boundaries already. To ask the question [of whether you are past the boundary] is to answer it.”

Charlie Munger · Poor Charlie’s Almanack, 2005 · Primary source

“Our game is recognize a big idea when it comes along, when one doesn’t come along very often. Opportunity comes to the prepared mind.”

Charlie Munger · Poor Charlie’s Almanack, 2005 · Primary source

“Being able to recognize that you are wrong is a godsend.”

Charlie Munger · Daily Journal Corporation Annual Meeting, 2020 · Primary source

“I don’t play in a game where the other people are wise and I’m stupid. I look for a place where I’m wise and they’re stupid.”

Charlie Munger · Daily Journal Corporation Annual Meeting, 2020 · Primary source

“Ask advice of him who governs himself well.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“He who thinks little, errs much.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“Experience never errs; it is only your judgments that err by promising themselves effects such as are not caused by your experiments.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“Take things always by their smooth handle.”

Thomas Jefferson · Letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith, 1825 · Primary source

“I think the two things most opposed to good counsel are haste and passion; haste usually goes hand in hand with folly, passion with coarseness and narrowness of mind.”

Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War, 431 BC · Primary source

“Nothing is as good or as bad as it seems.”

Scott Galloway · How Does the End Begin?, 2025 · Primary source

“Better is the enemy of best.”

Alan Kay · Alan Kay’s talk at Creative Think seminar, 1982 · Secondary source

Works

Ralph Waldo Emerson · 1841
Prudence

An examination of practical wisdom, arguing that sound judgement requires attention to material realities, consequences, discipline, health, and everyday conduct.

Read summary·Explore 2 quotes

Related Tags

Decision-making 35 Transcendentalism 32 Experience 30 Risk 29 Perseverance 29 Responsibility 27 Trust 21 Perspective 21 Perception 20 Uncertainty 20 Character 20 Learning 19 Integrity 19 Self-discipline 19 Evidence 19 Accountability 18 Knowledge 18 Observation 17 Friendship 16 Truth 16 Understanding 15 Beauty 14 Self-control 13 Critical thinking 13 Consequences 12 Reliability 12 Fear 12 Honesty 11 Reflection 10 Self-awareness 10 Criticism 10 Resolve 9 Experimentation 9 Adaptability 9 Artificial intelligence 9 Love 8 Deception 8 Reasoning 8 Pride 7 Resistance 7 Patience 7 Bias 6 Discernment 6 Preparedness 6 Competitive advantage 6 Self-deception 6 Prioritisation 6 Vanity 5 Appearance 5 Mistakes 5 Alcohol 5 Specialisation 5 Practical wisdom 5 Composure 5 Anger 4 Hypocrisy 4 Practical knowledge 4 Foresight 4 Prediction 4 Planning 4 Improvement 4 Mental models 4 Intellectual humility 4 Advice 4 Causation 4 Justification 3 Omission 3 Folly 3 Scholarship 3 Circle of competence 3 Haste 3 High standards 3 Compromise 3 Speech 2 Common sense 2 Association 2 Teamwork 2 Honour 2 Luck 2 Obsession 2 Prejudice 2 Ignorance 2 Feedback 2 Opportunity recognition 2 Opportunity selection 2 Thinking 2 Opinion 2 Deliberation 2 Expectations 2 Silence 1 Practical learning 1 Foolishness 1 Treachery 1 Intoxication 1 Blind spots 1 Self-correction 1 Knowledge limits 1 Error correction 1 Self-governance 1 Error 1 Passion 1 Emotional balance 1 Excellence 1 Material reality 1