---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Some wits, too, like oracles, deal in…"
description: "\"Some wits, too, like oracles, deal in ambiguities, but not with equal success; for though ambiguities are the first excellence of an imposter, they are..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/edward-young-1446_ambiguities_some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambig_1225088.png"
---

#  Some wits, too, like oracles, deal in ambiguities, but not…

![“Some wits, too, like oracles, deal in ambiguities, but not with equal success; for though ambiguities are the first excellence of an imposter, they are the last of a wit.” quote by Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/edward-young-1446_ambiguities_some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambig_1225088.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/edward-young-1446_ambiguities_some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambig_1225088.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/edward-young-1446_ambiguities_some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambig_1225088.png)

> “Some wits, too, like oracles, deal in ambiguities, but not with equal success; for though ambiguities are the first excellence of an imposter, they are the last of a wit.”

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Wits may use ambiguity, but true wit avoids the uncertainty that characterizes imposters.

**In simple terms:** Wit thrives on clarity, not ambiguity.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate clear insight.

Themes

wit ambiguity intellectual honesty

Mood

intellectual critical

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- debates
- academic writing
- creative brainstorming

Key Concepts

philosophy literary criticism

Questions to Reflect On

- When does ambiguity enhance wit?
- Can uncertainty be productive?

A Different Perspective

Ambiguity can be a tool, not just a flaw.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ambiguities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguities/) [Ambiguity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguity/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Imposter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imposter/) [Oracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oracles/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/)

## Related quotes

> [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [“Apriority creates ambiguities among ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/apriority-creates-ambiguities-among-ideas/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“The passage that he had found in the book had been riddled with ambiguities and contradictions only reserved for those most valiant in overriding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-passage-that-he-had-found-in-the-book-had-been-riddled-with/)

[Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/)

> ['Apocalypse Now' poses questions without any attempt to provide definitive answers, and the film's profound ambiguities are integral to its enduring magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/apocalypse-now-poses-questions-without-any-attempt-to-provide/)

[James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/)

> [The Russian proposal over Iran's uranium enrichment program is considerable, but it has some problems and ambiguities to be clarified in future talks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-larijani/the-russian-proposal-over-iran-s-uranium-enrichment-program-is/)

[Ali Larijani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-larijani/)

> [The ambiguities of language, both in terms of vocabulary and syntax, are fascinating: how important connotation is, what is lost and what is gained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/the-ambiguities-of-language-both-in-terms-of-vocabulary-and-syntax/)

[Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/)

> [...I am much better now at ambiguities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-am-much-better-now-at-ambiguities/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“A really good story does not answer everything. After all, life doesn't answer everything. There remain ambiguities. There remains room for doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-really-good-story-does-not-answer-everything-after-all-life-doesn-t/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“Indeed, some of the problems commonly engaging the attention of philosophical thought appear to be deprived, not only of all importance, but of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-gu-non/indeed-some-of-the-problems-commonly-engaging-the-attention-of/)

[René Guénon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-gu-non/)

> [I think that being mindful of your own biases tends to lead you into ambiguity, not clarity, and that following those ambiguities is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-think-that-being-mindful-of-your-own-biases-tends-to-lead-you-into/)

[James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/)

> [All my novels are about the ambiguities that lie beneath the sharp edges of the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/all-my-novels-are-about-the-ambiguities-that-lie-beneath-the-sharp/)

[Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/)

> [Warped with satisfactions and terrors, woofed with too many ambiguities and too few certainties, life can be lived best not when we have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-maggio/warped-with-satisfactions-and-terrors-woofed-with-too-many/)

[Rosalie Maggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-maggio/)

> [“What had been in my head for so long would now be out in the real world, no longer afloat in my foreverland of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/what-had-been-in-my-head-for-so-long-would-now-be-out-in-the-real/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [It is the misanthrope who alone has clarity.By standing outside the huddles of man,he sees a lot,and what he often sees is the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-joseph/it-is-the-misanthrope-who-alone-has-clarity-by-standing-outside-the/)

[Manu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-joseph/)

> [“Like the moon shining bright Up high with all its grace, I can only show you at night And hide half of my face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/like-the-moon-shining-bright-up-high-with-all-its-grace-i-can-only/)

[Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/)

## More by Edward Young

> [Give me, indulgent gods with mind serene, And guiltless heart, to range the sylvan scene, No splendid poverty, no smiling care, No well-bred hate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/give-me-indulgent-gods-with-mind-serene-and-guiltless-heart-to-range/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [The spirit walks of every day deceased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-spirit-walks-of-every-day-deceased/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [Tomorrow is a satire on today, And shows its weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/tomorrow-is-a-satire-on-today-and-shows-its-weakness/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [Be wise with speed; a fool at forty is a fool indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/be-wise-with-speed-a-fool-at-forty-is-a-fool-indeed/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [Procrastination is the thief of time: Year after year it steals, till all are fled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/procrastination-is-the-thief-of-time-year-after-year-it-steals-till/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [ \[The\] public path of life Is dirty. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-public-path-of-life-is-dirty/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [He mourns the dead who lives as they desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/he-mourns-the-dead-who-lives-as-they-desire/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [Too low they build who build below the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/too-low-they-build-who-build-below-the-skies/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [We are all born originals, why is it so many of us die copies?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/we-are-all-born-originals-why-is-it-so-many-of-us-die-copies/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [“By night an atheist half believes in God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/by-night-an-atheist-half-believes-in-god/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [Britannia's shame! There took her gloomy flight, On wing impetuous, a black sullen soul . Less base the fear of death than fear of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/britannia-s-shame-there-took-her-gloomy-flight-on-wing-impetuous-a/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [The chamber where the good man meets his fate Is privileg'd beyond the common walk Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-chamber-where-the-good-man-meets-his-fate-is-privileg-d-beyond/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [Some go to Church, proud humbly to repent, And come back much more guilty than they went: One way they look, another way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/some-go-to-church-proud-humbly-to-repent-and-come-back-much-more/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [He that is ungrateful has no guilt but one; all other crimes may pass for virtues in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/he-that-is-ungrateful-has-no-guilt-but-one-all-other-crimes-may-pass/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

> [The maid that loves goes out to sea upon a shattered plank, and puts her trust in miracles for safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/the-maid-that-loves-goes-out-to-sea-upon-a-shattered-plank-and-puts/)

[Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

[Explore all 238 Edward Young quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/)

## More Ambiguities quotes

> [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [It is the misanthrope who alone has clarity.By standing outside the huddles of man,he sees a lot,and what he often sees is the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-joseph/it-is-the-misanthrope-who-alone-has-clarity-by-standing-outside-the/)

[Manu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-joseph/)

> [“What had been in my head for so long would now be out in the real world, no longer afloat in my foreverland of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/what-had-been-in-my-head-for-so-long-would-now-be-out-in-the-real/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [Warped with satisfactions and terrors, woofed with too many ambiguities and too few certainties, life can be lived best not when we have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalie-maggio/warped-with-satisfactions-and-terrors-woofed-with-too-many/)

[Rosalie Maggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalie-maggio/)

> [All my novels are about the ambiguities that lie beneath the sharp edges of the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/all-my-novels-are-about-the-ambiguities-that-lie-beneath-the-sharp/)

[Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/)

> [I think that being mindful of your own biases tends to lead you into ambiguity, not clarity, and that following those ambiguities is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-think-that-being-mindful-of-your-own-biases-tends-to-lead-you-into/)

[James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/)

> [“Indeed, some of the problems commonly engaging the attention of philosophical thought appear to be deprived, not only of all importance, but of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-gu-non/indeed-some-of-the-problems-commonly-engaging-the-attention-of/)

[René Guénon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-gu-non/)

> [“A really good story does not answer everything. After all, life doesn't answer everything. There remain ambiguities. There remains room for doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-really-good-story-does-not-answer-everything-after-all-life-doesn-t/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [...I am much better now at ambiguities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-am-much-better-now-at-ambiguities/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [The ambiguities of language, both in terms of vocabulary and syntax, are fascinating: how important connotation is, what is lost and what is gained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-hacker/the-ambiguities-of-language-both-in-terms-of-vocabulary-and-syntax/)

[Marilyn Hacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-hacker/)

> [The Russian proposal over Iran's uranium enrichment program is considerable, but it has some problems and ambiguities to be clarified in future talks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-larijani/the-russian-proposal-over-iran-s-uranium-enrichment-program-is/)

[Ali Larijani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-larijani/)

> ['Apocalypse Now' poses questions without any attempt to provide definitive answers, and the film's profound ambiguities are integral to its enduring magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gray/apocalypse-now-poses-questions-without-any-attempt-to-provide/)

[James Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gray/)

> [“The passage that he had found in the book had been riddled with ambiguities and contradictions only reserved for those most valiant in overriding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-passage-that-he-had-found-in-the-book-had-been-riddled-with/)

[Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/)

> [“Apriority creates ambiguities among ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/apriority-creates-ambiguities-among-ideas/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“Like the moon shining bright Up high with all its grace, I can only show you at night And hide half of my face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/like-the-moon-shining-bright-up-high-with-all-its-grace-i-can-only/)

[Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/)

[Browse all 23 Ambiguities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguities/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Some wits, too, like oracles, deal in ambiguities, but not with equal success; for though ambiguities are the first excellence of an imposter, they are the last of a wit.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Young"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambiguities-but-not-with-equal/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ambiguities"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambiguities-but-not-with-equal/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/edward-young-1446_ambiguities_some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambig_1225088.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/edward-young-1446_ambiguities_some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambig_1225088.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3c/edward-young-1446_ambiguities_some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambig_1225088.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Some wits, too, like oracles, deal in ambiguities, but not with equal success; for though ambiguities are…” — Edward Young",
                "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": "Edward Young",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Some wits, too, like oracles, deal...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambiguities-but-not-with-equal/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/some-wits-too-like-oracles-deal-in-ambiguities-but-not-with-equal/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```