Wear your learning like your watch, in a private pocket; and do not pull it out, and strike it, merely to show that you have one.
Philip Stanhope, 4Th Earl Of ChesterfieldRead
Never seem more learned than the people you are with. Wear your learning like a pocket watch and keep it hidden. Do not pull it out to count the hours, but give the time when you are asked.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Emphasize humility over pride in knowledge and share it only when appropriate.
This quote highlights the importance of humility in social interactions. It suggests that while one may possess knowledge or learning, it is wise to avoid displaying it in a way that makes others feel inferior. Instead, one should remain approachable and only share insights when asked, thereby fostering a more inclusive and respectful atmosphere in conversations.
Themes
HumilityLearningKnowledgeWisdomSocial Interactions
In practice
Example use cases
During a group meeting, instead of dominating the discussion, one could reference this quote to encourage quieter members to share their thoughts.
More from Philip Stanhope, 4Th Earl Of Chesterfield
All quotes →In the mass of mankind, I fear, there is too great a majority of fools and knaves; who, singly from their number, must to a certain degree be respected, though they are by no means respectable.
Philip Stanhope, 4Th Earl Of ChesterfieldRead
It is always right to detect a fraud, and to perceive a folly; but it is very often wrong to expose either. A man of business should always have his eyes open, but must often seem to have them shut.
Philip Stanhope, 4Th Earl Of ChesterfieldRead
Be wiser than other people if you can, but do not tell them so.
Philip Stanhope, 4Th Earl Of ChesterfieldRead
Similar quotes
There is no knowledge, no light, no wisdom that you are in possession of, but what you have received it from some source.
Brigham YoungRead
A Stoic is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.
Nassim Nicholas TalebRead
Spiritual maturity is not reached by the passing of the years, but by obedience to the will of God. Some people mature into an understanding of God’s will more quickly than others because they obey more readily; they more readily sacrifice the life of nature to the will of God.
Oswald ChambersRead
Understanding comes with life. As a man grows he sees life and death, he is happy and sad, he works, plays, meets people - sometimes it takes a lifetime to acquire understanding, because in the end understanding simply means having sympathy for people.
Rudolfo AnayaRead
One of the essential tasks for living a wise life is letting go. Letting go is the path to freedom. It is only by letting go of the hopes, the fears, the pain, the past, the stories that have a hold on us that we can quiet our mind and open our heart.
Jack KornfieldRead
For your information, I'm staying like this, and everyone else can just get used to it! If people don't like me the way I am, well TOUGH BEANS! It's a free country! I don't need anyone's permission to be the way I want! This is who I am - Take it or leave it!
Bill WattersonRead