--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think about the fool who by his virtue…" description: "\"Think about the fool who by his virtue can be found in a most unusual situation playing jester to the clown.\" — Gordon Lightfoot" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/gordon-lightfoot-7499_adages_think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-c_2363233.jpg" --- # Think about the fool who by his virtue can be found in a… ![“Think about the fool who by his virtue can be found in a most unusual situation playing jester to the clown.” quote by Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/gordon-lightfoot-7499_adages_think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-c_2363233.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/gordon-lightfoot-7499_adages_think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-c_2363233.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/gordon-lightfoot-7499_adages_think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-c_2363233.jpg) > “Think about the fool who by his virtue can be found in a most unusual situation playing jester to the clown.” [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A virtuous fool can appear in unexpected roles, highlighting the paradox of wisdom in folly. **In simple terms:** Wisdom can appear in unlikely, foolish contexts. Key Takeaway Value unexpected sources of insight. Themes wisdom paradox identity role humor Mood thoughtful playful Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - leadership - education - creative collaboration - conflict resolution Key Concepts philosophy literary analysis psychology Questions to Reflect On - When have you found wisdom in an unlikely source? - What risks come with playing the fool? A Different Perspective It may romanticize foolishness without addressing consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adages/) [Clown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clown/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Jester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jester/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a real paradox. Because I'm a very serious person, and I take my work very seriously. But I wrap it up in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-simmons/i-m-a-real-paradox-because-i-m-a-very-serious-person-and-i-take-my/) [Richard Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-simmons/) > [Everything is trust, all the rest is dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/everything-is-trust-all-the-rest-is-dust/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [If you plan to face tomorrow, do it soon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/if-you-plan-to-face-tomorrow-do-it-soon/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [The house you live in will never fall down, if you pity the stranger who stands at your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/the-house-you-live-in-will-never-fall-down-if-you-pity-the-stranger/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [When love is true there is no truer occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/when-love-is-true-there-is-no-truer-occupation/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [Be calm in the face of all common disgraces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/be-calm-in-the-face-of-all-common-disgraces/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [To wear the crown of peace, you must wear the crown of thorns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/to-wear-the-crown-of-peace-you-must-wear-the-crown-of-thorns/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [“I used to think every fool was out of his senses, but now I see that lack of sense is a man's normal state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/i-used-to-think-every-fool-was-out-of-his-senses-but-now-i-see-that/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“One seems inclined to think sometimes that any fool might do an honest business.  But fraud requires a man to be alive and wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/one-seems-inclined-to-think-sometimes-that-any-fool-might-do-an/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Well,if you think I am a fool and waste,then let time teach me,as it taught you once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zarnab/well-if-you-think-i-am-a-fool-and-waste-then-let-time-teach-me-as-it/) [Zarnab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zarnab/) > [I don't think you are a fool, but that's my opinion compared to that of thousands of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-think-you-are-a-fool-but-that-s-my-opinion-compared-to-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Better to allow people to think you’re a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-deveraux/better-to-allow-people-to-think-you-re-a-fool-than-to-open-your-mouth/) [Jude Deveraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-deveraux/) > [“A fool is any man who doesn’t think he’s a fool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ryan/a-fool-is-any-man-who-doesn-t-think-he-s-a-fool/) [Anthony Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ryan/) > [I think you can fool people once but you can't fool the people all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/i-think-you-can-fool-people-once-but-you-can-t-fool-the-people-all/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [I don't think you are a fool, but what's my opinion compared to that of thousands of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-think-you-are-a-fool-but-what-s-my-opinion-compared-to-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gordon Lightfoot > [You just get the vibes of your surroundings and it rubs off on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/you-just-get-the-vibes-of-your-surroundings-and-it-rubs-off-on-you/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [There is always something wrong with a song, you can't be perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/there-is-always-something-wrong-with-a-song-you-can-t-be-perfect/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I love jazz. I still do. Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz are so good. I took a notification course in Jazz Orchestration. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-love-jazz-i-still-do-dave-brubeck-and-stan-getz-are-so-good-i-took/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I was a drummer in the bugle band in cadets. I marched. It's probably quite funny to look back on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-was-a-drummer-in-the-bugle-band-in-cadets-i-marched-it-s-probably/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I wrote one called 'The No Hotel.' I got inspired in 1989 while I was on a trip down to Brazil, and I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-wrote-one-called-the-no-hotel-i-got-inspired-in-1989-while-i-was-on/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I never believed - or knew for sure - if I would be able to make a professional life in music. But it turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-never-believed-or-knew-for-sure-if-i-would-be-able-to-make-a/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I try to keep it light and positive most of the time, whereas earlier on I didn't always do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-try-to-keep-it-light-and-positive-most-of-the-time-whereas-earlier/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I try to write songs. At our concerts, we take the cream of the crop from my back catalogue and I don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-try-to-write-songs-at-our-concerts-we-take-the-cream-of-the-crop/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [Sometimes a broken dream will make you sad or make you mean. Sometimes things ain't bad as they seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/sometimes-a-broken-dream-will-make-you-sad-or-make-you-mean-sometimes/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [She is my flower and she blooms for the one who loves her best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/she-is-my-flower-and-she-blooms-for-the-one-who-loves-her-best/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [If there's a reason for the way that life is I'd like to find it. After all, who's life is it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/if-there-s-a-reason-for-the-way-that-life-is-i-d-like-to-find-it/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [I was happy to be in England, because my mother had always loved the royals, and so do I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/i-was-happy-to-be-in-england-because-my-mother-had-always-loved-the/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [ It was very interesting time to be in England. Even at that point \[John\] Lennon and \[Paul\] McCartney influenced my writing. I thought, "maybe… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/it-was-very-interesting-time-to-be-in-england-even-at-that-point-john/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [The giant neon spinning discs are a reminder of the huge role that Sam Sniderman and his store played in the cultural life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/the-giant-neon-spinning-discs-are-a-reminder-of-the-huge-role-that/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) > [She been looking like a queen in a sailor's dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/she-been-looking-like-a-queen-in-a-sailor-s-dream/) [Gordon Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) [Explore all 90 Gordon Lightfoot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/) ## More Adages quotes > [It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/it-s-not-just-the-adage-write-what-you-know-it-s-about-gathering-up/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Wise is the tongue, wet of perfect thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-francis/wise-is-the-tongue-wet-of-perfect-thought/) [Black Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-francis/) > [Another lesson about a naive fool who came to Babylon, and found out that the pie don't taste so sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/another-lesson-about-a-naive-fool-who-came-to-babylon-and-found-out/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If you need somebody you can trust, trust yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/if-you-need-somebody-you-can-trust-trust-yourself/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Something happens when your subconscious goes to work... That's why 'Sleep on it' is an adage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/something-happens-when-your-subconscious-goes-to-work-that-s-why/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [There's an adage that a lot of coaches have, that I completely disagree with, is if you make the Olympic team too early you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-coughlin/there-s-an-adage-that-a-lot-of-coaches-have-that-i-completely/) [Natalie Coughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-coughlin/) > [An ancient adage warns, "Never go to sea with two chronometers; take one or three."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/an-ancient-adage-warns-never-go-to-sea-with-two-chronometers-take-one/) [Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/) > [Don't judge the picture by the frame, every man is not the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/don-t-judge-the-picture-by-the-frame-every-man-is-not-the-same/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [Failure isn't failure if a lesson from it's learned. I guess love would not be love without a risk of being burned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-brooks/failure-isn-t-failure-if-a-lesson-from-it-s-learned-i-guess-love/) [Garth Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-brooks/) > [When you have everything, you have everything to lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-harper/when-you-have-everything-you-have-everything-to-lose/) [Ben Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-harper/) > [As the old African adage says, 'everybody skin to me ain't kin to me'. So you can't exclusively make that the criteria of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/as-the-old-african-adage-says-everybody-skin-to-me-ain-t-kin-to-me-so/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [Fool you once, you are forgiven. Fool you twice, you're just a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/fool-you-once-you-are-forgiven-fool-you-twice-you-re-just-a-fool/) [Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/) [Browse all 340 Adages quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adages/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Think about the fool who by his virtue can be found in a most unusual situation playing jester to the clown.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gordon Lightfoot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-can-be-found-in-a-most-unusual/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adages" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-can-be-found-in-a-most-unusual/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/gordon-lightfoot-7499_adages_think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-c_2363233.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/gordon-lightfoot-7499_adages_think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-c_2363233.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/041/gordon-lightfoot-7499_adages_think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-c_2363233.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Think about the fool who by his virtue can be found in a most unusual situation playing jester to the clown.” — Gordon Lightfoot", "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": "Gordon Lightfoot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-lightfoot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Think about the fool who by...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-can-be-found-in-a-most-unusual/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-lightfoot/think-about-the-fool-who-by-his-virtue-can-be-found-in-a-most-unusual/#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 } } ] } ```