--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Folly, thou conquerest, and I must yield!…" description: "\"Folly, thou conquerest, and I must yield! Against stupidity the very gods Themselves contend in vain. Exalted reason, Resplendent daughter of the head ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/friedrich-schiller-832_abyss_folly-thou-conquerest-and-i-must-yield-a_1979374.jpg" --- # Folly, thou conquerest, and I must yield! Against… ![“Folly, thou conquerest, and I must yield! Against stupidity the very gods Themselves contend in vain. Exalted reason, Resplendent daughter of the head divine, Wise foundress of the system of the world, Guide of the stars, who are thou then, if thou, Bound to the tail of folly's uncurb'd steed…” quote by Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/friedrich-schiller-832_abyss_folly-thou-conquerest-and-i-must-yield-a_1979374.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/friedrich-schiller-832_abyss_folly-thou-conquerest-and-i-must-yield-a_1979374.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d0/friedrich-schiller-832_abyss_folly-thou-conquerest-and-i-must-yield-a_1979374.jpg) > “Folly, thou conquerest, and I must yield! Against stupidity the very gods Themselves contend in vain. Exalted reason, Resplendent daughter of the head divine, Wise foundress of the system of the world, Guide of the stars, who are thou then, if thou, Bound to the tail of folly's uncurb'd steed, Must, vainly shrieking, with the drunken crowd, Eyes open, plunge down headlong in the abyss.” [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reason and wisdom are eclipsed by folly and collective stupidity. **In simple terms:** Folly overwhelms reason. Key Takeaway Guard against groupthink. Themes reason folly human nature Mood critical cautious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - political debate - team decision making - public policy - media consumption Key Concepts cognitive bias collective intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain rationality in chaotic groups? - What safeguards protect reason? A Different Perspective Even the wise can be misled by crowds. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abyss/) [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Crowds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crowds/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Exalted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exalted/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Eyes Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-open/) [Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly/) [Folly Thou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly-thou-3371087/) [Gods Contend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gods-contend-326769/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Plunge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plunge/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) [Stupidity Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity-gods-326768/) [Tails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tails/) [Thou Conquerest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thou-conquerest-3371088/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Yield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yield/) ## Related quotes > [Against stupidity the very gods themselves contend in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/against-stupidity-the-very-gods-themselves-contend-in-vain/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/against-stupidity-the-gods-themselves-contend-in-vain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Gegen die Dummheit kämpfen selbst die Götter vergebens ("Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-von-schiller/gegen-die-dummheit-k-mpfen-selbst-die-g-tter-vergebens-against/) [Friedrich Von Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-von-schiller/) > [“Who?” “Schiller. 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