---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It will often be a question when a man is…"
description: "\"It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise in advancing unpalatable opinions, or in preaching heresies; but it can never be a question th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/george-henry-lewes-4544_advancing_it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-i_2447051.jpg"
---

#  It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise…

![“It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise in advancing unpalatable opinions, or in preaching heresies; but it can never be a question that a man should be silent if unprepared to speak the truth as he conceives it.” quote by George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/george-henry-lewes-4544_advancing_it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-i_2447051.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/george-henry-lewes-4544_advancing_it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-i_2447051.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/george-henry-lewes-4544_advancing_it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-i_2447051.jpg)

> “It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise in advancing unpalatable opinions, or in preaching heresies; but it can never be a question that a man should be silent if unprepared to speak the truth as he conceives it.”

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

## About This Quote

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

One should speak truth even if unpopular, unless unprepared; silence is acceptable when lacking preparation.

**In simple terms:** Speak truth despite opposition, if prepared.

Key Takeaway

Speak truth when ready.

Themes

truth speech wisdom silence preparation

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- public discourse
- academic debate
- activism
- personal conversations

Key Concepts

ethics courage communication

Questions to Reflect On

- When is silence more responsible than speaking?
- How do you assess your readiness to speak truth?

A Different Perspective

Silence may be wiser when knowledge is incomplete.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advancing/) [Heresy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heresy/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Man Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-wise/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Often is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/often-is/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinions Preaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions-preaching-537829/) [Preaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preaching/) [Preaching Heresies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preaching-heresies-537830/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent/) [Silent Unprepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent-unprepared-537831/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Speak the truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-the-truth/) [Speak Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-seeking/) [Unprepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unprepared/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/)

## Related quotes

> [If I advance new views in Philosophy or Theology, I cannot expect to have many adherents among minds altogether unprepared for such views; yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/if-i-advance-new-views-in-philosophy-or-theology-i-cannot-expect-to/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [A man only becomes wise when he begins to calculate the approximate depth of his ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-carlo-menotti/a-man-only-becomes-wise-when-he-begins-to-calculate-the-approximate/)

[Gian Carlo Menotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-carlo-menotti/)

> [Why do not words and kiss, and solemn pledge, And nature that is kind in woman's breast, And reason that in man is wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/why-do-not-words-and-kiss-and-solemn-pledge-and-nature-that-is-kind/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [Man is wise and constantly in quest of more wisdom; but the ultimate wisdom, which deals with beginnings, remains locked in a seed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/man-is-wise-and-constantly-in-quest-of-more-wisdom-but-the-ultimate/)

[Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/)

> [No man can be wise on an empty stomach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/no-man-can-be-wise-on-an-empty-stomach/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“I've heard two ways of looking at it. One says the silent man is the wise man & the other that a man without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-ve-heard-two-ways-of-looking-at-it-one-says-the-silent-man-is-the/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [A man cannot be wise enough to be a great artist without being wise enough to wish to be a philosopher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-man-cannot-be-wise-enough-to-be-a-great-artist-without-being-wise/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [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/)

> [No man was ever wise by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-man-was-ever-wise-by-chance/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Man is wise ... when he recognizes no greater enemy than himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-de-navarre/man-is-wise-when-he-recognizes-no-greater-enemy-than-himself/)

[Marguerite de Navarre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-de-navarre/)

> [“Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tien-t-ai/given-enough-time-any-man-may-master-the-physical-with-enough/)

[Tien T'ai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tien-t-ai/)

> [A man who is wise in speech but not in deeds is not wise for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-man-who-is-wise-in-speech-but-not-in-deeds-is-not-wise-for-me/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [The difference between a boy and a man is a wise choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-coopersmith/the-difference-between-a-boy-and-a-man-is-a-wise-choice/)

[Carol Coopersmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-coopersmith/)

> [A man who is wise is only as wise as his wife thinks he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-man-who-is-wise-is-only-as-wise-as-his-wife-thinks-he-is/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-patrick/pain-makes-man-think-thought-makes-man-wise-wisdom-makes-life/)

[John Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-patrick/)

## More by George Henry Lewes

> [Heart and Brain are the two lords of life. In the metaphors of ordinary speech and in the stricter language of science, we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/heart-and-brain-are-the-two-lords-of-life-in-the-metaphors-of/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [It is unhappily true that much insincere Literature and Art, executed solely with a view to effect, does succeed by deceiving the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/it-is-unhappily-true-that-much-insincere-literature-and-art-executed/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [I have always considered The Merry Wives one of the worst plays, if not altogether the worst, that Shakespeare has left us. The wit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/i-have-always-considered-the-merry-wives-one-of-the-worst-plays-if/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [Literature is at once the cause and the effect of social progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/literature-is-at-once-the-cause-and-the-effect-of-social-progress/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [Science is the systematic classification of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/science-is-the-systematic-classification-of-experience/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [In complex trains of thought signs are indispensable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/in-complex-trains-of-thought-signs-are-indispensable/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [Literature is at once the cause and the effect of social progress. It deepens our natural sensibilities, and strengthens by exercise our intellectual capacities.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/literature-is-at-once-the-cause-and-the-effect-of-social-progress-it/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [If you feel yourself to be above the mass, speak so as to raise the mass to the height of your argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/if-you-feel-yourself-to-be-above-the-mass-speak-so-as-to-raise-the/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [The artist is called a creator...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-artist-is-called-a-creator/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [To some men popularity is always suspicious. Enjoying none themselves, they are prone to suspect the validity of those attainments which command it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/to-some-men-popularity-is-always-suspicious-enjoying-none-themselves/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [The art of writing is not, as many seem to imagine, the art of bringing fine phrases into rhythmical order, but the art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/the-art-of-writing-is-not-as-many-seem-to-imagine-the-art-of-bringing/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [Literature delivers tidings of the world within and the world without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/literature-delivers-tidings-of-the-world-within-and-the-world-without/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [If the members of a class do not understand -- if those directly addressed fail to listen, or listening, fail to recognize a power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/if-the-members-of-a-class-do-not-understand-if-those-directly/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [No man was ever eloquent by trying to be eloquent, but only by being so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/no-man-was-ever-eloquent-by-trying-to-be-eloquent-but-only-by-being-so/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

> [To love is for the Soul to choose a companion, and travel with it along the perilous defiles and winding ways of life; mutually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/to-love-is-for-the-soul-to-choose-a-companion-and-travel-with-it/)

[George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

[Explore all 109 George Henry Lewes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/)

## More Advancing quotes

> [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/)

[Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/)

> [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/)

[William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/)

> [I needed to save every penny…I needed to be strong, and needed to find some way to secure a future. That’s why I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-ka-shing/i-needed-to-save-every-penny-i-needed-to-be-strong-and-needed-to-find/)

[Li Ka-shing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-ka-shing/)

> [The corporation is not an independent "person" with its own rights, needs, and desires that regulators must respect. It is a state created tool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-bakan/the-corporation-is-not-an-independent-person-with-its-own-rights/)

[Joel Bakan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-bakan/)

> [I believe that the manned space program can engage the public by advancing the space frontier. Every next mission takes you farther out in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-believe-that-the-manned-space-program-can-engage-the-public-by/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Five qualities there are wine's praise advancing; Strong, beautiful, fragrant, cool and dancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-harington/five-qualities-there-are-wine-s-praise-advancing-strong-beautiful/)

[John Harington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-harington/)

> [Ladies: Anne Hathaway is a feminist and she has amazing teeth. Let's save our bad attitudes for the ones who aren't advancing the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/ladies-anne-hathaway-is-a-feminist-and-she-has-amazing-teeth-let-s/)

[Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/)

> [Increasingly constructive doubt is the sign of advancing civilization. We must put question marks along many of our inherited legal dogmas, since they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-frank/increasingly-constructive-doubt-is-the-sign-of-advancing-civilization/)

[Jerome Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-frank/)

> [What's important is how we use our time on this earth, not how conspicuously we give our money away. What's important is the energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/what-s-important-is-how-we-use-our-time-on-this-earth-not-how/)

[Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/)

> [Advancing bourgeois society liquidates memory, time, recollection as irrational leftovers of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/advancing-bourgeois-society-liquidates-memory-time-recollection-as/)

[Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/)

> [The real debate is we've had an activist court, and the American people don't want an activist court. And the real fear from those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-coburn/the-real-debate-is-we-ve-had-an-activist-court-and-the-american/)

[Tom Coburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-coburn/)

> [When one has made a decision to kill a person, even if it will be very difficult to succeed by advancing straight ahead, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/when-one-has-made-a-decision-to-kill-a-person-even-if-it-will-be-very/)

[Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/)

> [The universe is deathless; Is deathless because, having no finite self, it stays infinite. A sound man by not advancing himself stays the further…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-universe-is-deathless-is-deathless-because-having-no-finite-self/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [I'm convinced after spending three weeks in China and Tibet, unless the United States gets its act together, our grandchildren will be living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-kondracke/i-m-convinced-after-spending-three-weeks-in-china-and-tibet-unless/)

[Mort Kondracke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-kondracke/)

[Browse all 266 Advancing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advancing/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise in advancing unpalatable opinions, or in preaching heresies; but it can never be a question that a man should be silent if unprepared to speak the truth as he conceives it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Henry Lewes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-is-or-is-not-wise-in-advancing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advancing"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-is-or-is-not-wise-in-advancing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/george-henry-lewes-4544_advancing_it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-i_2447051.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/george-henry-lewes-4544_advancing_it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-i_2447051.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33a/george-henry-lewes-4544_advancing_it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-i_2447051.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It will often be a question when a man is or is not wise in advancing unpalatable opinions, or in preaching…” — George Henry Lewes",
                "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": "George Henry Lewes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It will often be a question...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-is-or-is-not-wise-in-advancing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/it-will-often-be-a-question-when-a-man-is-or-is-not-wise-in-advancing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```