--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: he who knows himself is intelligent." description: "\"“he who knows himself is intelligent.”\" — Lao Tzu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/lao-tzu-624_quote_he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent-1476_1476017.jpg" --- # he who knows himself is intelligent. ![“he who knows himself is intelligent.” quote by Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/lao-tzu-624_quote_he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent-1476_1476017.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/lao-tzu-624_quote_he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent-1476_1476017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/lao-tzu-624_quote_he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent-1476_1476017.jpg) > ““he who knows himself is intelligent.”” [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑knowledge is the foundation of true intelligence; understanding oneself leads to wise decisions. **In simple terms:** Knowing yourself makes you smart. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑awareness. Themes self‑knowledge intelligence wisdom reflection personal growth Mood calm thoughtful insightful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - spiritual practice Key Concepts mindfulness philosophy psychology ethical living Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to know yourself better? - How does self‑awareness affect your choices? A Different Perspective self‑knowledge is hard to achieve without effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Knows Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-intelligent-1295477/) ## Related quotes > [“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. 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Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagavad-gita/one-who-sees-inaction-in-action-and-action-in-inaction-is-intelligent/) [Bhagavad Gita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagavad-gita/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. 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That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-majority-is-never-right-never-i-tell-you-that-s-one-of-these-lies/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [I prefer rappers who have something intelligent to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-prefer-rappers-who-have-something-intelligent-to-say/) [Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) [Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) ## More by Lao Tzu > [“This is how they are able to continue and endure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/this-is-how-they-are-able-to-continue-and-endure/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Gravity is the root of lightness;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/gravity-is-the-root-of-lightness/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Therefore the Tao is great;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/therefore-the-tao-is-great/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/not-seeking-not-expecting-she-is-present-and-can-welcome-all-things/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“What all men fear is indeed to be feared;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/what-all-men-fear-is-indeed-to-be-feared/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/just-remain-in-the-center-watching-and-then-forget-that-you-are-there/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“This is what is called 'The mysterious Quality' (of the Tao).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/this-is-what-is-called-the-mysterious-quality-of-the-tao/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine. If you boast, you will have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-you-show-yourself-you-will-not-be-seen-if-you-affirm-yourself-you/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-thirty-spokes-unite-in-the-one-nave-but-it-is-on-the-empty-space/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“To know and yet (think) we do not know is the highest (attainment); not to know (and yet think) we do know is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/to-know-and-yet-think-we-do-not-know-is-the-highest-attainment-not-to/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. 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With no desire, at rest and still, All things go right as of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/simplicity-without-a-name-is-free-from-all-external-aim-with-no/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/when-gold-and-jade-fill-the-hall-their-possessor-cannot-keep-them-safe/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/we-listen-to-it-and-we-do-not-hear-it-and-we-name-it-the-inaudible/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) [Explore all 434 Lao Tzu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) ## More Intelligent quotes > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) [Whitney Balliett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-balliett/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [I prefer rappers who have something intelligent to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemele-hill/i-prefer-rappers-who-have-something-intelligent-to-say/) [Jemele Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemele-hill/) > [The majority is never right. Never, I tell you! That's one of these lies in society that no free and intelligent man can help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/the-majority-is-never-right-never-i-tell-you-that-s-one-of-these-lies/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/) [Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [“It’s an intelligent woman who prepares in advance for any mishaps by ordering a drink the same color as her dress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-sloan/it-s-an-intelligent-woman-who-prepares-in-advance-for-any-mishaps-by/) [Brenda Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-sloan/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [“One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, is intelligent among men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagavad-gita/one-who-sees-inaction-in-action-and-action-in-inaction-is-intelligent/) [Bhagavad Gita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagavad-gita/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we blow ourselves up we will do it by misapplication of science; if we manage to keep from blowing ourselves up, it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-we-blow-ourselves-up-we-will-do-it-by-misapplication-of-science-if/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I am really interested in the idea that art can reach wider, can go further, can go beyond the art world, why not? People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anish-kapoor/i-am-really-interested-in-the-idea-that-art-can-reach-wider-can-go/) [Anish Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anish-kapoor/) > [Man is so intelligent animal on earth that if he was empowered as much as God, he would start battling with him to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/man-is-so-intelligent-animal-on-earth-that-if-he-was-empowered-as/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) [Browse all 2,940 Intelligent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“he who knows himself is intelligent.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lao Tzu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Intelligent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/lao-tzu-624_quote_he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent-1476_1476017.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/lao-tzu-624_quote_he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent-1476_1476017.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/lao-tzu-624_quote_he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent-1476_1476017.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“he who knows himself is intelligent.” — Lao Tzu", "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": "Lao Tzu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“he who knows himself is intelligent.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/he-who-knows-himself-is-intelligent/#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 } } ] } ```