--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Common sense is an instinct given to man…" description: "\"Common sense is an instinct given to man and enough of it is genius. Smartness is measured by the level of common sense one has, not by how much educat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/josh-billings-777_common_common-sense-is-an-instinct-given-to-man_871770.png" --- # Common sense is an instinct given to man and enough of it… ![“Common sense is an instinct given to man and enough of it is genius. Smartness is measured by the level of common sense one has, not by how much educated or knowledgeable he is.” quote by Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/josh-billings-777_common_common-sense-is-an-instinct-given-to-man_871770.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/josh-billings-777_common_common-sense-is-an-instinct-given-to-man_871770.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/834/josh-billings-777_common_common-sense-is-an-instinct-given-to-man_871770.png) > “Common sense is an instinct given to man and enough of it is genius. Smartness is measured by the level of common sense one has, not by how much educated or knowledgeable he is.” [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## 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 stems from practical common sense rather than formal education. **In simple terms:** Common sense is true intelligence. Key Takeaway Value practical judgment over book knowledge. Themes wisdom common sense humility Mood reflective pragmatic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - decision making - leadership - conflict resolution - teaching Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - When have you relied on common sense over theory? - How can you cultivate common sense? A Different Perspective Education alone doesn't guarantee insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [To read Wilson.. is to be instructed and amused in the highest sense - that is, to be educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-atlas/to-read-wilson-is-to-be-instructed-and-amused-in-the-highest-sense/) [James Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-atlas/) > [As long as we are lucky we attribute it to our smartness; our bad luck we give the gods credit for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/as-long-as-we-are-lucky-we-attribute-it-to-our-smartness-our-bad-luck/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [“The intellectual distinction of a house and its smartness are generally in inverse rather than direct ratio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-intellectual-distinction-of-a-house-and-its-smartness-are/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Never assimilate, simulate or co-relate somebody's cleverness with his life's smartness. Cleverness is to hide weakness and smartness is to project strength of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/never-assimilate-simulate-or-co-relate-somebody-s-cleverness-with-his/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [There is fascism , leading only into the blackness which it has chosen as its symbol, into smartness and yapping out of orders,and self-righteous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/there-is-fascism-leading-only-into-the-blackness-which-it-has-chosen/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Never treat somebody’s cleverness as his life’s smartness. Cleverness is to hide the weakness and the smartness is to project the strength of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/never-treat-somebody-s-cleverness-as-his-life-s-smartness-cleverness/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [We all like smart people but we hate it when they show their smartness to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-mittal/we-all-like-smart-people-but-we-hate-it-when-they-show-their/) Rohit Mittal > [What we think of as 'Physical beauty' is almost certainly a tag for a complex of useful survival characteristics. Smartness - intelligence - among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/what-we-think-of-as-physical-beauty-is-almost-certainly-a-tag-for-a/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I had worked on the markets with my father before going to university, so I possessed an apparent street-smartness, had access to a colourful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-jacobson/i-had-worked-on-the-markets-with-my-father-before-going-to-university/) [Howard Jacobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-jacobson/) > [Some of Mr. Gregory's poems have merely appeared in The New Yorker ; others are New Yorker poems: the inclusive topicality, the informed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-jarrell/some-of-mr-gregory-s-poems-have-merely-appeared-in-the-new-yorker/) [Randall Jarrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-jarrell/) > [Good people eat all their veggies and all the fruits, but they still have good grades. I call this, Freakonomics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pazandak/good-people-eat-all-their-veggies-and-all-the-fruits-but-they-still/) Adam Pazandak > [The Australian accent is sort of like going down a step in smartness, you could say, because you guys pronounce things as they're spelled.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callan-mcauliffe/the-australian-accent-is-sort-of-like-going-down-a-step-in-smartness/) [Callan McAuliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callan-mcauliffe/) > [Whenever you wash dishes, cook, or clean, if you make no sound, this is smartness itself. A person who enters a house and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kushi/whenever-you-wash-dishes-cook-or-clean-if-you-make-no-sound-this-is/) [Michio Kushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kushi/) > [“Rather, your smartness and your effectiveness depend on how well you capitalize on your strongest connections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-clifton/rather-your-smartness-and-your-effectiveness-depend-on-how-well-you/) [Donald O. Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-clifton/) > [“If you think that you're so smart and holy, that means you haven't yet realized that a part of what we experience today...is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/if-you-think-that-you-re-so-smart-and-holy-that-means-you-haven-t-yet/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) ## More by Josh Billings > [It ain't because lovers are so sensitive that they quarrel so often; it is because there is so much fun n the making up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/it-ain-t-because-lovers-are-so-sensitive-that-they-quarrel-so-often/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Man was created a little lower than the angels and has been getting a little lower ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/man-was-created-a-little-lower-than-the-angels-and-has-been-getting-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [There is only one good substitute for the endearments of a sister, and that is the endearments of some other fellow's sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/there-is-only-one-good-substitute-for-the-endearments-of-a-sister-and/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Life is a grindstone, and whether it grinds a man down or polishes him up depends on the stuff he's made of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/life-is-a-grindstone-and-whether-it-grinds-a-man-down-or-polishes-him/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Its harly my dog A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/its-harly-my-dog-a-dog-is-the-only-thing-on-earth-that-loves-you-more/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Perseverance is king.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/perseverance-is-king/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Unless we put heart and soul into our labor we but brutify our actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/unless-we-put-heart-and-soul-into-our-labor-we-but-brutify-our-actions/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [A secret ceases to be a secret if it is once confided - it is like a dollar bill, once broken, it is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/a-secret-ceases-to-be-a-secret-if-it-is-once-confided-it-is-like-a/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [If a man is right, he can't be too radical; if he is wrong, he can't be too conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/if-a-man-is-right-he-can-t-be-too-radical-if-he-is-wrong-he-can-t-be/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [As a general rule, if you want to get at the truth - hear both sides and believe neither.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/as-a-general-rule-if-you-want-to-get-at-the-truth-hear-both-sides-and/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Economy is a savings-bank, into which men drop pennies, and get dollars in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/economy-is-a-savings-bank-into-which-men-drop-pennies-and-get-dollars/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Self-made men are most always apt to be a little too proud of the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/self-made-men-are-most-always-apt-to-be-a-little-too-proud-of-the-job/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [Poverty is one of them kind of misfortunes that we all of us dread but none of us pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/poverty-is-one-of-them-kind-of-misfortunes-that-we-all-of-us-dread/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [If the world despises a hypocrite, what must they think of him in heaven?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/if-the-world-despises-a-hypocrite-what-must-they-think-of-him-in/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [The man who gets bit twice by the same dog is better adapted for that kind of business than any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/the-man-who-gets-bit-twice-by-the-same-dog-is-better-adapted-for-that/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) [Explore all 372 Josh Billings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Common sense is an instinct given to man and enough of it is genius. 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