--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wisdom consists in rising superior both…" description: "\"Wisdom consists in rising superior both to madness and to common sense, and is lending oneself to the universal illusion without becoming its dupe.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/henri-frederic-amiel-1276_becoming_wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both_2258265.jpg" --- # Wisdom consists in rising superior both to madness and to… ![“Wisdom consists in rising superior both to madness and to common sense, and is lending oneself to the universal illusion without becoming its dupe.” quote by Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/henri-frederic-amiel-1276_becoming_wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both_2258265.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/henri-frederic-amiel-1276_becoming_wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both_2258265.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/henri-frederic-amiel-1276_becoming_wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both_2258265.jpg) > “Wisdom consists in rising superior both to madness and to common sense, and is lending oneself to the universal illusion without becoming its dupe.” [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True wisdom rises above both irrationality and ordinary logic, seeing illusion without being deceived. **In simple terms:** Wisdom transcends madness and common sense. Key Takeaway Seek balanced perspective. Themes wisdom illusion philosophy Mood analytical reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - leadership - conflict resolution Key Concepts critical thinking metacognition Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize illusion? - When does common sense fail? A Different Perspective Illusion can be persuasive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Spiritual wisdom consists in finding out the subtleties, policies, and depths of any indwelling sin... to trace this serpent in all its turnings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/spiritual-wisdom-consists-in-finding-out-the-subtleties-policies-and/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [“Perhaps the preacher is hoping to acquire from her reading what I call “middle wisdom.” Let’s say that middle wisdom consists of insights into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-plantinga-jr/perhaps-the-preacher-is-hoping-to-acquire-from-her-reading-what-i/) [Cornelius Plantinga Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelius-plantinga-jr/) > [Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/wisdom-consists-of-knowing-how-to-distinguish-the-nature-of-trouble/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [I believe that all wisdom consists in caring immensely for a few right things, and not caring a straw about the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buchan/i-believe-that-all-wisdom-consists-in-caring-immensely-for-a-few/) [John Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buchan/) > [“Trie and sound wisdom consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/trie-and-sound-wisdom-consists-of-two-parts-the-knowledge-of-god-and/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [True wisdom consists of tracing effects to their causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/true-wisdom-consists-of-tracing-effects-to-their-causes/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“My wisdom consists in my having been many things and in many places in order to become one person—in order to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/my-wisdom-consists-in-my-having-been-many-things-and-in-many-places/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/wisdom-consists-in-being-able-to-distinguish-among-dangers-and-make-a/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“True and sound wisdom consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/true-and-sound-wisdom-consists-of-two-parts-the-knowledge-of-god-and/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/wisdom-consists-of-the-anticipation-of-consequences/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [True wisdom consists in two things: Knowledge of God and Knowledge of Self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/true-wisdom-consists-in-two-things-knowledge-of-god-and-knowledge-of/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Wisdom consists not so much in knowing what to do in the ultimate as in knowing what to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/wisdom-consists-not-so-much-in-knowing-what-to-do-in-the-ultimate-as/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“I find a naturalistic understanding of human nature to be indispensable to leading a wise and mature life, and it is often exhilarating. Wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-find-a-naturalistic-understanding-of-human-nature-to-be/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [“Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/nearly-all-the-wisdom-we-possess-that-is-to-say-true-and-sound-wisdom/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“Wisdom consists in doing the next thing you have to do, doing it with your whole heart, and finding delight in doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/wisdom-consists-in-doing-the-next-thing-you-have-to-do-doing-it-with/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) ## More by Henri Frederic Amiel > [There is only one way of not hating those who do us wrong, and that is by doing them good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/there-is-only-one-way-of-not-hating-those-who-do-us-wrong-and-that-is/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Latent genius is but a presumption. Everything that can be, is bound to come into being, and what never comes into being is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/latent-genius-is-but-a-presumption-everything-that-can-be-is-bound-to/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Order is power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/order-is-power/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Knowledge, love, power-there is the complete life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/knowledge-love-power-there-is-the-complete-life/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Life is short and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are traveling the dark journey with us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/life-is-short-and-we-have-never-too-much-time-for-gladdening-the/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Each bud flowers but once and each flower has but its minute of perfect beauty; so, in the garden of the soul each feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/each-bud-flowers-but-once-and-each-flower-has-but-its-minute-of/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [We are never more discontented with others than when we are discontented with ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/we-are-never-more-discontented-with-others-than-when-we-are/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Only evil grows of itself, while for goodness we want effort and courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/only-evil-grows-of-itself-while-for-goodness-we-want-effort-and/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [A man must be able to cut a knot, for everything cannot be untied; he must know how to disengage what is essential from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/a-man-must-be-able-to-cut-a-knot-for-everything-cannot-be-untied-he/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Our greatest illusion is to believe that we are what we think ourselves to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/our-greatest-illusion-is-to-believe-that-we-are-what-we-think/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Charm is the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/charm-is-the-quality-in-others-that-makes-us-more-satisfied-with/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [The philosopher aspires to explain away all mysteries, to dissolve them into light. Mystery on the other hand is demanded and pursued by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/the-philosopher-aspires-to-explain-away-all-mysteries-to-dissolve/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [The growth and development of the soul is more important than power and glory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/the-growth-and-development-of-the-soul-is-more-important-than-power/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [He who asks of life nothing but the improvement of his own nature... is less liable than anyone else to miss and waste life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/he-who-asks-of-life-nothing-but-the-improvement-of-his-own-nature-is/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [Christianity, if it is to triumph over pantheism, must absorb it. To our pusillanimous eyes Jesus would have borne the marks of a hateful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/christianity-if-it-is-to-triumph-over-pantheism-must-absorb-it-to-our/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) [Explore all 262 Henri Frederic Amiel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) ## More Becoming quotes > [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/) [Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [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's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [When other boys dreamt of going to the moon or becoming doctors, I wanted to be a designer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/when-other-boys-dreamt-of-going-to-the-moon-or-becoming-doctors-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The dream of coming back is becoming a reality. A lot of the uncertainty about the future has been cleared up. A lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tagliabue/the-dream-of-coming-back-is-becoming-a-reality-a-lot-of-the/) [Paul Tagliabue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tagliabue/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) Christopher Wood > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) Browse all 4,715 Becoming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wisdom consists in rising superior both to madness and to common sense, and is lending oneself to the universal illusion without becoming its dupe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Frederic Amiel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both-to-madness-and-to-common/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Becoming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both-to-madness-and-to-common/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/henri-frederic-amiel-1276_becoming_wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both_2258265.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/henri-frederic-amiel-1276_becoming_wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both_2258265.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44c/henri-frederic-amiel-1276_becoming_wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both_2258265.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Wisdom consists in rising superior both to madness and to common sense, and is lending oneself to the…” — Henri Frederic Amiel", "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": "Henri Frederic Amiel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Wisdom consists in rising superior both...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both-to-madness-and-to-common/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/wisdom-consists-in-rising-superior-both-to-madness-and-to-common/#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 } } ] } ```