--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A fool may scrawl on a slate and if no…" description: "\"A fool may scrawl on a slate and if no one has the wit to wipe it clean for a thousand years, the scrawl becomes the wisdom of ages.\" — Mark Lawrence" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/mark-lawrence-992_age_a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-o_183770.png" --- # A fool may scrawl on a slate and if no one has the wit to… ![“A fool may scrawl on a slate and if no one has the wit to wipe it clean for a thousand years, the scrawl becomes the wisdom of ages.” quote by Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/mark-lawrence-992_age_a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-o_183770.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/mark-lawrence-992_age_a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-o_183770.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/mark-lawrence-992_age_a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-o_183770.png) > “A fool may scrawl on a slate and if no one has the wit to wipe it clean for a thousand years, the scrawl becomes the wisdom of ages.” [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lasting mistake can become accepted wisdom if not corrected, highlighting the danger of unchallenged errors over time. **In simple terms:** Uncorrected errors become accepted truth. Key Takeaway Question and correct false ideas promptly. Themes knowledge history wisdom error correction Mood reflective skeptical Type aphilosophical advisory When to use this quote - education - policy making - academic research - media reporting Key Concepts critical thinking cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can prevent long‑term misinformation? - How do societies decide which errors become wisdom? A Different Perspective Some errors may be entrenched and hard to overturn. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) ## Related quotes > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [Ranger cradled my face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe the tears from my eyes. "The ceremony is over. Can you make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/ranger-cradled-my-face-in-his-hands-using-his-thumbs-to-wipe-the/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [“How does it decipher which ones to wipe and which ones to forget, and which ones to replay again and again?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-swan/how-does-it-decipher-which-ones-to-wipe-and-which-ones-to-forget-and/) [T.L. Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-swan/) > [Any advice I could give to female directors would be the same as for males: There will be endless difficulties, some seemingly defeating, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deniz-gamze-erguven/any-advice-i-could-give-to-female-directors-would-be-the-same-as-for/) [Deniz Gamze Erguven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deniz-gamze-erguven/) > [Not even death can wipe out our good deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/not-even-death-can-wipe-out-our-good-deeds/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [The only thing I can do is wipe my arse, brush my teeth, turn up and do the best work I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hardy/the-only-thing-i-can-do-is-wipe-my-arse-brush-my-teeth-turn-up-and-do/) [Tom Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hardy/) > [Even with all our technology and the inventions that make modern life so much easier than it once was, it takes just one big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/even-with-all-our-technology-and-the-inventions-that-make-modern-life/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [On Waterloo Bridge where we said our goodbyes, the weather conditions bring tears to my eyes. I wipe them away with a black woolly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/on-waterloo-bridge-where-we-said-our-goodbyes-the-weather-conditions/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [What I love most about makeup is that you can't get attached to one thing, one idea, or one approach - and once you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcgrath/what-i-love-most-about-makeup-is-that-you-can-t-get-attached-to-one/) [Pat McGrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcgrath/) > [If you sprinkle when you tinkle please be neat and wipe the seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/if-you-sprinkle-when-you-tinkle-please-be-neat-and-wipe-the-seat/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [Wake everyday stronger than yesterday, face your fears and wipe your tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/wake-everyday-stronger-than-yesterday-face-your-fears-and-wipe-your/) [Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/) > [You'll see that it'll take more than five and a half months to wipe away peel;scrape away the blanket of ignorance that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-antoine/you-ll-see-that-it-ll-take-more-than-five-and-a-half-months-to-wipe/) Matthew Antoine > [We cannot go back in time and change the past, but we can repent. The Savior can wipe away our tears of regret and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-cannot-go-back-in-time-and-change-the-past-but-we-can-repent-the/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. ... We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/our-nation-was-born-in-genocide-when-it-embraced-the-doctrine-that/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [The Revelations is an amazing, rich material that is full of stories about angels and angels being sent down to Earth to wipe out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/the-revelations-is-an-amazing-rich-material-that-is-full-of-stories/) [Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/) ## More by Mark Lawrence > [“Assassination is murder with a touch more precision. Brother Sim is precise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/assassination-is-murder-with-a-touch-more-precision-brother-sim-is/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [The biggest lies we save for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/the-biggest-lies-we-save-for-ourselves/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“We all practice self-deception to a degree; no man can handle complete honesty without being cut at each turn. There's not enough room in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/we-all-practice-self-deception-to-a-degree-no-man-can-handle-complete/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“I've been known to be contrary. When something pushes me, I shove back. Even if the one doing the pushing is me. It would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/i-ve-been-known-to-be-contrary-when-something-pushes-me-i-shove-back/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [There's a slope down toward evil, a gentle gradient that can be ignored at each step, unfelt. It's not until you look back, see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/there-s-a-slope-down-toward-evil-a-gentle-gradient-that-can-be/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“And that’s the riddle of existence for you. When to move and when to stay. Dwell too long and we become the prisoner of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/and-that-s-the-riddle-of-existence-for-you-when-to-move-and-when-to/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“Fire isn’t patient. Fire does not negotiate. I should have known these things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/fire-isn-t-patient-fire-does-not-negotiate-i-should-have-known-these/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“It's what I am, and if you want excuses, come and take them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/it-s-what-i-am-and-if-you-want-excuses-come-and-take-them/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [No half measures. Some things can’t be cut in half. You can’t half-love someone. You can’t half-betray, or half-lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/no-half-measures-some-things-can-t-be-cut-in-half-you-can-t-half-love/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [I've always seen 'no' as a challenge rather than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/i-ve-always-seen-no-as-a-challenge-rather-than-an-answer/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“We wrap up our violent and mysterious world in a pretense of understanding. We paper over the voids of our comprehension with science and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/we-wrap-up-our-violent-and-mysterious-world-in-a-pretense-of/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“A time of terror comes. A dark time. The graves continue to open and the Dead King prepares to sail.But the world holds worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/a-time-of-terror-comes-a-dark-time-the-graves-continue-to-open-and/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“I didn't ask anything—I hadn't the words. Instead I spoke the smallest one—the one I should have used more in my short and foolish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/i-didn-t-ask-anything-i-hadn-t-the-words-instead-i-spoke-the-smallest/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“In the end though, everybody dies, but not everybody lives—the climber, though he may die young, will have lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/in-the-end-though-everybody-dies-but-not-everybody-lives-the-climber/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [“This is a bad idea." "If you ever stop saying that, I'll know it's time to start worrying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/this-is-a-bad-idea-if-you-ever-stop-saying-that-i-ll-know-it-s-time/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) [Explore all 310 Mark Lawrence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A fool may scrawl on a slate and if no one has the wit to wipe it clean for a thousand years, the scrawl becomes the wisdom of ages.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Lawrence" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-one-has-the-wit-to-wipe-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-one-has-the-wit-to-wipe-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/mark-lawrence-992_age_a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-o_183770.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/mark-lawrence-992_age_a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-o_183770.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/151/mark-lawrence-992_age_a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-o_183770.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A fool may scrawl on a slate and if no one has the wit to wipe it clean for a thousand years, the scrawl…” — Mark Lawrence", "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": "Mark Lawrence", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A fool may scrawl on a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-one-has-the-wit-to-wipe-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/a-fool-may-scrawl-on-a-slate-and-if-no-one-has-the-wit-to-wipe-it/#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 } } ] } ```