---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wisdom makes a slow defense against…"
description: "\"Wisdom makes a slow defense against trouble, though a sure one in the end.\" — Oliver Goldsmith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/oliver-goldsmith-772_defense_wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trou_2204719.png"
---

#  Wisdom makes a slow defense against trouble, though a sure…

![“Wisdom makes a slow defense against trouble, though a sure one in the end.” quote by Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/oliver-goldsmith-772_defense_wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trou_2204719.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/oliver-goldsmith-772_defense_wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trou_2204719.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/oliver-goldsmith-772_defense_wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trou_2204719.png)

> “Wisdom makes a slow defense against trouble, though a sure one in the end.”

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Wisdom provides a slow but reliable defense against problems, ultimately proving effective.

**In simple terms:** Wisdom is a steady shield against trouble.

Key Takeaway

Rely on wisdom for lasting protection.

Themes

wisdom defense troubleshooting

Mood

thoughtful steady

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- decision making
- conflict resolution
- long‑term planning

Key Concepts

philosophical insight strategic thinking

Questions to Reflect On

- How does patience play a role in solving issues?
- When is quick action preferable to wisdom?

A Different Perspective

Wisdom may not prevent immediate crises.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-patrick/pain-makes-man-think-thought-makes-man-wise-wisdom-makes-life/)

[John Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-patrick/)

> [It is passion that makes man live; wisdom makes one only last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-chamfort/it-is-passion-that-makes-man-live-wisdom-makes-one-only-last/)

[Nicolas Chamfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-chamfort/)

> [Teach you children poetry; it opens the mind, lends grace to wisdom and makes the heroic virtues hereditary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/teach-you-children-poetry-it-opens-the-mind-lends-grace-to-wisdom-and/)

[Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/)

> [Patience is wisdom which makes us to understand the give circumstances & do away with the emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/patience-is-wisdom-which-makes-us-to-understand-the-give/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [“A wise human life contains several journeys among several experiences, each of them takes him/her to a new level of wisdom in which makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/a-wise-human-life-contains-several-journeys-among-several-experiences/)

[Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/)

> [“When wisdom comes, transformation comes. Wisdom makes the difference between the succeeding man and the failing man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-johnson/when-wisdom-comes-transformation-comes-wisdom-makes-the-difference/)

[Patience Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-johnson/)

> [“The difference between knowledge and wisdom is the former makes you a living, whilst the latter makes life worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/habeeb-akande/the-difference-between-knowledge-and-wisdom-is-the-former-makes-you-a/)

[Habeeb Akande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/habeeb-akande/)

> [Human wisdom makes as ill use of her talent when she exercises it in rescinding from the number and sweetness of those pleasures that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/human-wisdom-makes-as-ill-use-of-her-talent-when-she-exercises-it-in/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [Virtue makes us aim at the right end, and practical wisdom makes us take the right means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/virtue-makes-us-aim-at-the-right-end-and-practical-wisdom-makes-us/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Teach your children poetry; it opens the mind, lends grace to wisdom and makes the heroic virtues hereditary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/teach-your-children-poetry-it-opens-the-mind-lends-grace-to-wisdom/)

[Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/)

> [No one can lead a happy life, or even one that is bearable, without the pursuit of wisdom, and that the perfection of wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/no-one-can-lead-a-happy-life-or-even-one-that-is-bearable-without-the/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Wisdom makes decisions today that will still be good tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/wisdom-makes-decisions-today-that-will-still-be-good-tomorrow/)

[Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/)

> [Wisdom is always connected to beauty. When you see someone acting by their principles, their wisdom makes them beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/wisdom-is-always-connected-to-beauty-when-you-see-someone-acting-by/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [Wisdom makes the face of the wise to shine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-makes-the-face-of-the-wise-to-shine/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Wisdom makes its home at places where there is a welcome mat...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-allen-mccoy/wisdom-makes-its-home-at-places-where-there-is-a-welcome-mat/)

Renee Allen McCoy

## More by Oliver Goldsmith

> [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [How happy he who crowns in shades like these, A youth of labour with an age of ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/how-happy-he-who-crowns-in-shades-like-these-a-youth-of-labour-with/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [One man is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and the other with a wooden ladle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/one-man-is-born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-his-mouth-and-the-other-with-a/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [He cast off his friends as a huntsman his pack, For he knew when he pleas'd he could whistle them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/he-cast-off-his-friends-as-a-huntsman-his-pack-for-he-knew-when-he/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Even children follow'd with endearing wile, And pluck'd his gown, to share the good man's smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/even-children-follow-d-with-endearing-wile-and-pluck-d-his-gown-to/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [The premises being thus settled, I proceed to observe that the concatenation of self-existence, proceeding in a reciprocal duplicate ratio, naturally produces a problematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-premises-being-thus-settled-i-proceed-to-observe-that-the/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, and fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/truth-from-his-lips-prevailed-with-double-sway-and-fools-who-came-to/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Politics resemble religion; attempting to divest either of ceremony is the most certain mode of bringing either into contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/politics-resemble-religion-attempting-to-divest-either-of-ceremony-is/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [To what fortuitous occurrence do we not owe every pleasure and convenience of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/to-what-fortuitous-occurrence-do-we-not-owe-every-pleasure-and/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Every acknowledgment of gratitude is a circumstance of humiliation; and some are found to submit to frequent mortifications of this kind, proclaiming what obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/every-acknowledgment-of-gratitude-is-a-circumstance-of-humiliation/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [ \[T\]here are depths of thousands of miles which are hidden from our inquiry. The only tidings we have from those unfathomable regions are by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/t-here-are-depths-of-thousands-of-miles-which-are-hidden-from-our/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Like the bee, we should make our industry our amusement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/like-the-bee-we-should-make-our-industry-our-amusement/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Age, that lessens the enjoyment of life, increases our desire of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/age-that-lessens-the-enjoyment-of-life-increases-our-desire-of-living/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Thus let me hold thee to my heart, And every care resign: And we shall never, never part, My life-my all that's mine!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/thus-let-me-hold-thee-to-my-heart-and-every-care-resign-and-we-shall/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [Here lies David Garrick, describe me who can, An abridgment of all that was pleasant in man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/here-lies-david-garrick-describe-me-who-can-an-abridgment-of-all-that/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

[Explore all 375 Oliver Goldsmith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

## More Defense quotes

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [My last defense / Is the present tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/my-last-defense-is-the-present-tense/)

[Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/)

> [Football is not just all about throwing the ball. You got to run the ball, too. Defense has to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/football-is-not-just-all-about-throwing-the-ball-you-got-to-run-the/)

[Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/)

> [The law is the collective organization of the individual's right to lawful defense of his life, liberty and property. When it is used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-law-is-the-collective-organization-of-the-individual-s-right-to/)

[Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [Witness for the defense, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/witness-for-the-defense-albus-percival-wulfric-brian-dumbledore/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You say I have a bad attitude. But have you ever stopped to check yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-marie/you-say-i-have-a-bad-attitude-but-have-you-ever-stopped-to-check-yours/)

Tasha Marie

> [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [He should release the tax returns tomorrow. It's crazy. You've got to release six, eight, ten years back tax returns. Take the hit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/he-should-release-the-tax-returns-tomorrow-it-s-crazy-you-ve-got-to/)

[William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/)

> [Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/defense-is-a-definite-part-of-the-game-and-a-great-part-of-defense-is/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [When you shoot someone who is fleeing, it's not self-defense. It's an execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-shoot-someone-who-is-fleeing-it-s-not-self-defense-it-s-an/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

Browse all 2,426 Defense quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Wisdom makes a slow defense against trouble, though a sure one in the end.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Oliver Goldsmith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trouble-though-a-sure-one-in-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Defense"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trouble-though-a-sure-one-in-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/oliver-goldsmith-772_defense_wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trou_2204719.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/oliver-goldsmith-772_defense_wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trou_2204719.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/oliver-goldsmith-772_defense_wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trou_2204719.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Wisdom makes a slow defense against trouble, though a sure one in the end.” — Oliver Goldsmith",
                "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": "Oliver Goldsmith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Wisdom makes a slow defense against...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trouble-though-a-sure-one-in-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/wisdom-makes-a-slow-defense-against-trouble-though-a-sure-one-in-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```