--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The wise are who they are. They work with…" description: "\"“The wise are who they are. They work with what they've got and do what they can do.”\" — Benjamin Hoff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/benjamin-hoff-4297_wisdom_the-wise-are-who-they-are-they-work-with_2912503.png" --- # The wise are who they are. They work with what they've got… ![“The wise are who they are. They work with what they've got and do what they can do.” quote by Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/benjamin-hoff-4297_wisdom_the-wise-are-who-they-are-they-work-with_2912503.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/benjamin-hoff-4297_wisdom_the-wise-are-who-they-are-they-work-with_2912503.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a69/benjamin-hoff-4297_wisdom_the-wise-are-who-they-are-they-work-with_2912503.png) > ““The wise are who they are. They work with what they've got and do what they can do.”” [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wisdom comes from embracing one’s nature and using available resources wisely. **In simple terms:** Be wise by accepting self and using what you have. Key Takeaway Accept yourself and act within your means. Themes wisdom self‑acceptance resourcefulness Taoism Mood gentle encouraging Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - education - life planning Key Concepts philosophy self‑help Questions to Reflect On - How to balance acceptance with ambition? - What resources are truly available? A Different Perspective May seem simplistic for complex problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-work-4202489/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Ve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-ve-927430/) ## Related quotes > [“The wise work with small devils to slay the big ones." "You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-arenson/the-wise-work-with-small-devils-to-slay-the-big-ones-you/) [Daniel Arenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-arenson/) > [Everybody wants to see the results of the work that you've been doing, day by day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/everybody-wants-to-see-the-results-of-the-work-that-you-ve-been-doing/) [Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/) > [My work has never been about me, and I've never made a big deal about my race. I've actually tried hard to avoid ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/my-work-has-never-been-about-me-and-i-ve-never-made-a-big-deal-about/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [I think people do work too much. I've never been able to understand the whole 'make hay while the sun shines' thing. Either I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/i-think-people-do-work-too-much-i-ve-never-been-able-to-understand/) [Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/) > [I want to work and continue to work - that's all I've ever done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-heaton/i-want-to-work-and-continue-to-work-that-s-all-i-ve-ever-done/) [Charlie Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-heaton/) > [I'm very much a leader in a lot of the work that I do or that I've done in my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/i-m-very-much-a-leader-in-a-lot-of-the-work-that-i-do-or-that-i-ve/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [I don't want to put down my work - I'm very proud of the work I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alia-shawkat/i-don-t-want-to-put-down-my-work-i-m-very-proud-of-the-work-i-ve-done/) [Alia Shawkat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alia-shawkat/) > [I'm the type who'd rather not work than work on something I'm not into. I've done that a couple of times, and I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-m-the-type-who-d-rather-not-work-than-work-on-something-i-m-not/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I am content that the work that I've done is wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-bassett/i-am-content-that-the-work-that-i-ve-done-is-wonderful/) [Angela Bassett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-bassett/) > [I will let the work I've done speak for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corrine-brown/i-will-let-the-work-i-ve-done-speak-for-me/) [Corrine Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corrine-brown/) > [I want to be remembered for the work that I've done, rather than the car accidents that I've gotten into, the men that I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-lohan/i-want-to-be-remembered-for-the-work-that-i-ve-done-rather-than-the/) [Lindsay Lohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-lohan/) > [Nothing has been easy for me... I've always had to work for everything I've gotten and everything I've accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-wagner/nothing-has-been-easy-for-me-i-ve-always-had-to-work-for-everything-i/) [Ashley Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-wagner/) > [I never regret any of the work I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asha-bhosle/i-never-regret-any-of-the-work-i-ve-done/) [Asha Bhosle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asha-bhosle/) > [As far as I'm concerned, any work you get is because people have heard other work you've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-brion/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-any-work-you-get-is-because-people-have-heard/) [Jon Brion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-brion/) > [You have to work at everything. You've got to make it work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-catsimatidis/you-have-to-work-at-everything-you-ve-got-to-make-it-work/) [John Catsimatidis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-catsimatidis/) ## More by Benjamin Hoff > [“Those who know what's wrong with them and take care of themselves accordingly will tend to live a lot longer than those who consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/those-who-know-what-s-wrong-with-them-and-take-care-of-themselves/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [There was a man that hated his footprints and his shadow, so one day he thought that if he ran fast enough, his footprints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/there-was-a-man-that-hated-his-footprints-and-his-shadow-so-one-day/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [“Wherever Gandhi went, he transformed situations and lives. As one friend and biographer wrote, "He...changed human beings by regarding them not as what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/wherever-gandhi-went-he-transformed-situations-and-lives-as-one/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [Practically everything from hairstyles to lifestyles is endorsed as some sort of drug to be taken Now for Instant Relief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/practically-everything-from-hairstyles-to-lifestyles-is-endorsed-as/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [The main problem with this great obsession for saving time is very simple: you can't save time. You can only spend it. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/the-main-problem-with-this-great-obsession-for-saving-time-is-very/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [A way of life that keeps saying 'Around the next corner, above the next step,' works against the natural order of things and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/a-way-of-life-that-keeps-saying-around-the-next-corner-above-the-next/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [Everything has its own place and function. That applies to people, although many don't seem to realize it, stuck as they are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/everything-has-its-own-place-and-function-that-applies-to-people/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/when-you-discard-arrogance-complexity-and-a-few-other-things-that-get/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [We simply need to believe in the power that's within us, and use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/we-simply-need-to-believe-in-the-power-that-s-within-us-and-use-it/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [But the basic Taoism that we are concerned with here is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/but-the-basic-taoism-that-we-are-concerned-with-here-is-simply-a/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [Well, it takes all kinds to make a mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/well-it-takes-all-kinds-to-make-a-mess/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [“He tried too hard", said Pooh."and when you try too hard it doesn't work. Try grabbing something quickly and precisely with a tensed up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/he-tried-too-hard-said-pooh-and-when-you-try-too-hard-it-doesn-t-work/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [Like silence after noise, or cool, clear water on a hot, stuffy day, Emptiness cleans out the messy mind and charges up the batteries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/like-silence-after-noise-or-cool-clear-water-on-a-hot-stuffy-day/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [“...you'd be surprised how many people violate this simple principle every day of their lives and try to fit square pegs into round holes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/you-d-be-surprised-how-many-people-violate-this-simple-principle/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [Sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/sourness-and-bitterness-come-from-the-interfering-and-unappreciative/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) [Explore all 112 Benjamin Hoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) ## More Wisdom quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [No judge can stop us from praying for our country and I pray that on May 6, millions of Americans will join me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/no-judge-can-stop-us-from-praying-for-our-country-and-i-pray-that-on/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) > [“Your mind has the intellect to lift the world, your heart has the wisdom to better the world, and your soul has the genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-mind-has-the-intellect-to-lift-the-world-your-heart-has-the/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [If I meet a wise person, I think, 'Yes, tell me more about parenting, about marriage, about how to stay in love. Tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/if-i-meet-a-wise-person-i-think-yes-tell-me-more-about-parenting/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Because I am a transvestite, people often assume that this gives me a special insight into the opposite gender. But this is rubbish: how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/because-i-am-a-transvestite-people-often-assume-that-this-gives-me-a/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [“What is cowardice in the young is wisdom in the old, but all the same one can be ashamed of wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/what-is-cowardice-in-the-young-is-wisdom-in-the-old-but-all-the-same/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) [Browse all 24,117 Wisdom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The wise are who they are. 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