It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas.
George SantayanaRead
The quality of wit inspires more admiration than confidence
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wit is often appreciated more than the confidence it might inspire in others.
This quote suggests that cleverness and wit, while highly admired, do not necessarily foster trust or confidence in a person. Instead, it emphasizes the distinction between being entertaining and being reliable, indicating that while humorous or witty remarks can captivate an audience, they do not guarantee that others will have faith in one's capabilities or intentions.
Themes
WitAdmirationConfidenceIntelligenceHumor
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech at a comedy club, I might quote this to highlight the value of humor.
More from George Santayana
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Not to believe in love is a great sign of dullness. There are some people so indirect and lumbering that they think all real affection rests on circumstantial evidence.
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To feel beauty is a better thing than to understand how we come to feel it. To have imagination and taste, to love the best, to be carried by the contemplation of nature to a vivid faith in the ideal, all this is more, a great deal more, than any science can hope to be.
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The vital straining towards an ideal, definite but latent, when it dominates a whole life, may express that ideal more fully than could the best chosen words.
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