It is around 50 years since I learned to talk. It took most of that time to learn to shut up.

It is easier to write wisely than to talk wisely, and very hard to talk wisely until you have learned to not talk. Often it is wiser to continue not talking.

Reading strengthens the mind, and writing makes it clearer.

Good books are like friends, and even mediocre books are like comrades. But there are some books that will hurt you, just as there are people.

Before you speak with conviction about what you have not experienced yourself, make sure to have read many books about it, not one or two or five.

Being intelligent is like inheriting money: It is nothing to be proud of, it is easy to waste, and you end up being held responsible for more.

Intelligence is not enough for wisdom. I am wiser than some who are more intelligent than me, and more foolish than some who are less intelligent.

No amount of running will take you to the goal if you start in the wrong direction and never turn. The same goes for thinking, no matter how smart you are.

Thinking for yourself is highly overrated. By the time you discover the wheel, those who listened carefully have been to the moon and back. First stand on the shoulders of giants, then reach for the stars.

When we are children, we cannot choose who to learn from. As we grow older and seek to learn deeper truth, the right teacher becomes very important. A good rule is to know them by their fruits.

Being highly skilled is often less useful than being able to cooperate with others. Even if you are strong, there are things you cannot lift but which three or four can lift together.