--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A fool is someone whose pencil wears out…" description: "\"A fool is someone whose pencil wears out before its eraser does.\" — Marilyn vos Savant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_doe_a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out_3060525.png" --- # A fool is someone whose pencil wears out before its eraser… ![“A fool is someone whose pencil wears out before its eraser does.” quote by Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_doe_a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out_3060525.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_doe_a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out_3060525.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_doe_a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out_3060525.png) > “A fool is someone whose pencil wears out before its eraser does.” [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A fool wastes resources on trivial tasks while neglecting essential tools, indicating poor prioritization. **In simple terms:** A fool spends on pencils, not erasers. Key Takeaway Prioritize essential resources. Themes foolishness prioritization resource management efficiency Mood practical thoughtful Type advice educational When to use this quote - budgeting - project planning - education Key Concepts economics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify essential versus expendable resources? - What habits improve your prioritization? A Different Perspective It may be taken too literally without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Eraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eraser/) [Eraser Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eraser-does-5131993/) [Erasers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erasers/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Fool Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-pencil-5131991/) [Foolishness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolishness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Pencil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencil/) [Pencils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pencils/) [Wears Eraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wears-eraser-5131992/) ## Related quotes > [An old man said Eraser are made For those who make MISTAKES. A youth replied Erasers are made for those who are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/echoyan/an-old-man-said-eraser-are-made-for-those-who-make-mistakes-a-youth/) [EchoYan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/echoyan/) > [...as for helping me in the outside world, the Convent taught me only that if you spit on a pencil eraser, it will erase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/as-for-helping-me-in-the-outside-world-the-convent-taught-me-only/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [No one is perfect, thats why pencils have erasers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/no-one-is-perfect-thats-why-pencils-have-erasers/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The only useful thing I ever learned in school was that if you spit on your eraser it erased ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/the-only-useful-thing-i-ever-learned-in-school-was-that-if-you-spit/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [On my desk, I always have a lemon or a lime drying. I love the fragrance. Also, a Staedtler eraser, a brush for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maira-kalman/on-my-desk-i-always-have-a-lemon-or-a-lime-drying-i-love-the/) [Maira Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maira-kalman/) > [To err is human, but when the eraser wears out ahead of the pencil, you're overdoing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-jenkins/to-err-is-human-but-when-the-eraser-wears-out-ahead-of-the-pencil-you/) [Josh Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-jenkins/) > [My heart is a colored pencil but my brain is an eraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-watsky/my-heart-is-a-colored-pencil-but-my-brain-is-an-eraser/) [George Watsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-watsky/) > [You can't live life without an eraser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/you-can-t-live-life-without-an-eraser/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [The best design tool is a long eraser with a pencil at one end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-neumeier/the-best-design-tool-is-a-long-eraser-with-a-pencil-at-one-end/) [Marty Neumeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-neumeier/) > [You can use an eraser on the drafting table or a sledge hammer on the construction site.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/you-can-use-an-eraser-on-the-drafting-table-or-a-sledge-hammer-on-the/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Once we erase ourselves, then there's no eraser. There never was anyone to erase. We've awakened from the dream and the dream has faded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/once-we-erase-ourselves-then-there-s-no-eraser-there-never-was-anyone/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [He who knows how to shave the razor, will know how to erase the eraser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-michaux/he-who-knows-how-to-shave-the-razor-will-know-how-to-erase-the-eraser/) [Henri Michaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-michaux/) > [All that Hubert needs over there is a gal to answer the phone and a pencil with an eraser on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/all-that-hubert-needs-over-there-is-a-gal-to-answer-the-phone-and-a/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [The best eraser in the world is a good night's sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orlando-aloysius-battista/the-best-eraser-in-the-world-is-a-good-night-s-sleep/) [Orlando Aloysius Battista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orlando-aloysius-battista/) > [Nothing in a graduate degree in art history prepares you for the eloquence of the eraser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-gopnik/nothing-in-a-graduate-degree-in-art-history-prepares-you-for-the/) [Adam Gopnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-gopnik/) ## More by Marilyn vos Savant > [There's plenty of intelligence in the world, but the courage to do things differently is in short supply.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/there-s-plenty-of-intelligence-in-the-world-but-the-courage-to-do/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Society needs people who can manage projects in addition to handling individual tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/society-needs-people-who-can-manage-projects-in-addition-to-handling/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [If you never heard opportunity knock, maybe you're never at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/if-you-never-heard-opportunity-knock-maybe-you-re-never-at-home/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Email, instant messaging, and cell phones give us fabulous communication ability, but because we live and work in our own little worlds, that communication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/email-instant-messaging-and-cell-phones-give-us-fabulous/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Experts say you can't concentrate on more than one task at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/experts-say-you-can-t-concentrate-on-more-than-one-task-at-a-time/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [“If your head tells you one thing and your heart tells you another ,before you do anything,you should first decide wether you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/if-your-head-tells-you-one-thing-and-your-heart-tells-you-another/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom 'to' and freedom 'from.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/what-is-the-essence-of-america-finding-and-maintaining-that-perfect/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [It is a lot easier to prove that you don't love someone than it is to prove that you do, but one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/it-is-a-lot-easier-to-prove-that-you-don-t-love-someone-than-it-is-to/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [I suspect that some apparently homosexual people are really heterosexuals who deeply phobic about the opposite sex or have other emotional problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/i-suspect-that-some-apparently-homosexual-people-are-really/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [A friend is someone who stays by your side all through the troubles he's caused you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/a-friend-is-someone-who-stays-by-your-side-all-through-the-troubles/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Loving behavior contributes to the group at the expense of the individual. Competition contributes to the survival of the individual at the expense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/loving-behavior-contributes-to-the-group-at-the-expense-of-the/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Be able to suffer wearing a necktie or slightly high heels for an entire evening without complaint or early removal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/be-able-to-suffer-wearing-a-necktie-or-slightly-high-heels-for-an/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Be able to describe anything visual, such as a street scene, in words that convey your meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/be-able-to-describe-anything-visual-such-as-a-street-scene-in-words/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [Be able to sneeze without sounding ridiculous. That means neither stifling yourself or spraying your immediate vicinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/be-able-to-sneeze-without-sounding-ridiculous-that-means-neither/) [Marilyn vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) > [At first, I only laughed at myself. Then I noticed that life itself is amusing. I've been in a generally good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/at-first-i-only-laughed-at-myself-then-i-noticed-that-life-itself-is/) [Marilyn Vos Savant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) [Explore all 149 Marilyn vos Savant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/) ## More Doe quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) [Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A fool is someone whose pencil wears out before its eraser does.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilyn vos Savant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out-before-its-eraser-does/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out-before-its-eraser-does/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_doe_a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out_3060525.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_doe_a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out_3060525.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/marilyn-vos-savant-2806_doe_a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out_3060525.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A fool is someone whose pencil wears out before its eraser does.” — Marilyn vos Savant", "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": "Marilyn vos Savant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-vos-savant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A fool is someone whose pencil...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out-before-its-eraser-does/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-vos-savant/a-fool-is-someone-whose-pencil-wears-out-before-its-eraser-does/#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 } } ] } ```