--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A wise man who's ignored is about as…" description: "\"“A wise man who's ignored is about as effective as an idiot who's listened to.”\" — Anna Smith Spark" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/anna-smith-spark-80487_fool_a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-eff_332443.jpg" --- # A wise man who's ignored is about as effective as an idiot… ![“A wise man who's ignored is about as effective as an idiot who's listened to.” quote by Anna Smith Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/anna-smith-spark-80487_fool_a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-eff_332443.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/anna-smith-spark-80487_fool_a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-eff_332443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/anna-smith-spark-80487_fool_a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-eff_332443.jpg) > ““A wise man who's ignored is about as effective as an idiot who's listened to.”” [Anna Smith Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-smith-spark/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being ignored renders wisdom useless, while listening to foolishness can be harmful **In simple terms:** Ignored wisdom is wasted, listening to fools is harmful Key Takeaway Seek platforms for insight and avoid heedless advice Themes wisdom communication effectiveness Mood thoughtful serious Type advisory reflective When to use this quote - team meetings - public speaking - advice columns Key Concepts psychology social dynamics leadership Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your voice is heard? - When should you ignore noisy opinions? A Different Perspective Not all listeners are discerning; context matters ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Effective Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effective-idiot-3107935/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Idiot Listened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot-listened-3107936/) [Ignored Effective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignored-effective-1580826/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-man/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s a simple idiot-proofing scheme that’s very effective. But no idiot-proofing can overcome a determined idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-weir/it-s-a-simple-idiot-proofing-scheme-that-s-very-effective-but-no/) [Andy Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-weir/) > [I look back at the first Groves fight, and it was all so bad, so wrong. Everyone was telling me it was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/i-look-back-at-the-first-groves-fight-and-it-was-all-so-bad-so-wrong/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [“Any act worth a damn can not be ignored and when an effective person is ignored it’s the result of a deliberate series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/any-act-worth-a-damn-can-not-be-ignored-and-when-an-effective-person/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) > [When the Wise man points at the moon... the idiot looks at the finger...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avinash-wandre/when-the-wise-man-points-at-the-moon-the-idiot-looks-at-the-finger/) [Avinash Wandre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avinash-wandre/) > [“According to Seneca, Chrysippus’ quipped that the wise man needs nothing and yet he can make good use of anything, whereas the fool ‘needs’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/according-to-seneca-chrysippus-quipped-that-the-wise-man-needs/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He Who Knows And Knows That He Knows Is A Wise Man - Follow Him; He Who Knows Not And Knows Not That He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/he-who-knows-and-knows-that-he-knows-is-a-wise-man-follow-him-he-who/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [I know only one thing. when i sleep, i know no fear, no, trouble no bliss. blessing on him who invented sleep. the common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/i-know-only-one-thing-when-i-sleep-i-know-no-fear-no-trouble-no-bliss/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) > [I've often heard it said, as the common proverb goes, that a fool can teach a wise man well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/i-ve-often-heard-it-said-as-the-common-proverb-goes-that-a-fool-can/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [How strange it is, that a fool or knave, with riches, should be treated with more respect by the world, than a good man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/how-strange-it-is-that-a-fool-or-knave-with-riches-should-be-treated/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [“A fool shouts charge when he should retreat, A coward shouts retreat when he should charge and a wise man knows the difference. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonny-k-brown/a-fool-shouts-charge-when-he-should-retreat-a-coward-shouts-retreat/) [Tonny K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonny-k-brown/) > [A wise man first thinks and then speaks and a fool speaks first and then thinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/a-wise-man-first-thinks-and-then-speaks-and-a-fool-speaks-first-and/) [Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/) > [“What the wise man knows he questions but what the fool believes he sees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/what-the-wise-man-knows-he-questions-but-what-the-fool-believes-he/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [Always win fools first. They talk much, and what they have once uttered they will stick to; whereas there is always time, up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/always-win-fools-first-they-talk-much-and-what-they-have-once-uttered/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [Only fools use their mouth to speak. A smart man uses his brain, and a wise man uses his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/only-fools-use-their-mouth-to-speak-a-smart-man-uses-his-brain-and-a/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [A wise man listens no matter how stupidly someone is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-wise-man-listens-no-matter-how-stupidly-someone-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anna Smith Spark > [“The war drums pound out a beat like that of the human heart. The terrible, awful sound of living, that one first learns to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-smith-spark/the-war-drums-pound-out-a-beat-like-that-of-the-human-heart-the/) [Anna Smith Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-smith-spark/) > [“Soldiers do not believe in gods until they do something to offend them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-smith-spark/soldiers-do-not-believe-in-gods-until-they-do-something-to-offend-them/) [Anna Smith Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-smith-spark/) [Explore all 3 Anna Smith Spark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-smith-spark/) ## More Fool quotes > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [A fool and his money get a lot of publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-bernstein/a-fool-and-his-money-get-a-lot-of-publicity/) [Al Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-bernstein/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I'd be a fool to be in this for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hinn/i-d-be-a-fool-to-be-in-this-for-the-money/) [Benny Hinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hinn/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) [Browse all 5,535 Fool quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A wise man who's ignored is about as effective as an idiot who's listened to.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anna Smith Spark" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-smith-spark/a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-effective-as-an-idiot-who-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fool" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-smith-spark/a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-effective-as-an-idiot-who-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/anna-smith-spark-80487_fool_a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-eff_332443.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/anna-smith-spark-80487_fool_a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-eff_332443.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d0/anna-smith-spark-80487_fool_a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-eff_332443.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A wise man who's ignored is about as effective as an idiot who's listened to.” — Anna Smith Spark", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anna Smith Spark", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-smith-spark/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A wise man who's ignored is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-smith-spark/a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-effective-as-an-idiot-who-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-smith-spark/a-wise-man-who-s-ignored-is-about-as-effective-as-an-idiot-who-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```