--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I refuse to have a battle of wits with an…" description: "\"I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/oscar-wilde-16_battle_i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-a_468115.jpg" --- # I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man. ![“I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/oscar-wilde-16_battle_i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-a_468115.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/oscar-wilde-16_battle_i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-a_468115.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/oscar-wilde-16_battle_i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-a_468115.jpg) > “I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Refusing to engage intellectually with someone lacking arguments is pointless; choose battles wisely. **In simple terms:** Don’t argue with the unarmed. Key Takeaway Pick worthwhile debates. Themes wisdom strategy communication Mood thoughtful wry Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - debates - negotiations - online discussions - political discourse Key Concepts rhetoric ethical choice Questions to Reflect On - When is silence stronger than words? - Who decides who is “armed”? A Different Perspective Sometimes silence can be misinterpreted as weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) [Battle of wits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle-of-wits-15356/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Refuse Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse-battle-2954632/) [Unarmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unarmed/) [Unarmed Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unarmed-man-859899/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [Wits Unarmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wits-unarmed-2954630/) ## Related quotes > [“I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/button/i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-an-unarmed-person/) [Button](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/button/) > [Never engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/never-engage-in-a-battle-of-wits-with-an-unarmed-man/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Life is a battle of wits, and many people have to fight it unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-battle-of-wits-and-many-people-have-to-fight-it-unarmed/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Never have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/never-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-an-unarmed-person/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I would chalenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-would-chalenge-you-to-a-battle-of-wits-but-i-see-you-are-unarmed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-challenge-you-to-a-battle-of-wits-but-i-see-you-are-unarmed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Id challenge you to a battle of wits but I see you are unarmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/id-challenge-you-to-a-battle-of-wits-but-i-see-you-are-unarmed/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I refuse to engage in an intellectual battle with an unarmed man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-refuse-to-engage-in-an-intellectual-battle-with-an-unarmed-man/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/an-armed-man-will-kill-an-unarmed-man-with-monotonous-regularity/) [Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/) > [The unarmed man is not just defenseless - he is also contemptible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/the-unarmed-man-is-not-just-defenseless-he-is-also-contemptible/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [For an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/for-an-unarmed-man-may-be-attacked-with-greater-confidence-than-an/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [A man was the cause of it all. An unarmed man with a weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/a-man-was-the-cause-of-it-all-an-unarmed-man-with-a-weapon/) [Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/) > [The laws that forbid the carrying of arms... serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-beccaria/the-laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-serve-rather-to-encourage/) [Cesare Beccaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-beccaria/) > [An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/an-unarmed-man-can-only-flee-from-evil-and-evil-is-not-overcome-by/) [Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/) > [I can't see how an unarmed man rejecting a drug deal ended up dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-can-t-see-how-an-unarmed-man-rejecting-a-drug-deal-ended-up-dead/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Battle quotes > [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/) [Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/) > [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. But...hear this: I think that maybe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/which-people-take-the-time-to-care-for-their-souls-these-days-i/) [Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/) > [Only great and general battles can produce great results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/only-great-and-general-battles-can-produce-great-results/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Life is a battle of wits, and many people have to fight it unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-battle-of-wits-and-many-people-have-to-fight-it-unarmed/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [I knew Jimmy Dean. He tested for 'Battle Cry'. Paul Newman tested for 'Battle Cry'. I did nine tests to finally get that role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/i-knew-jimmy-dean-he-tested-for-battle-cry-paul-newman-tested-for/) [Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/) > [“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/when-we-let-go-of-our-battles-and-open-our-heart-to-things-as-they/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [Love is a battle," said Marie-Claude, still smiling. "And I plan to go on fighting. To the end." Love is a battle?" said Franz.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/love-is-a-battle-said-marie-claude-still-smiling-and-i-plan-to-go-on/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [It's almost ironic sitting here watching stories about Norm's courageous 'battle' with cancer. He actually did a bit on stage about how stupid that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macdonald/it-s-almost-ironic-sitting-here-watching-stories-about-norm-s/) [Neil Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macdonald/) > [“Other folk thought the Rage was simple bloodlust, a berserk savagery that neither knew nor cared what its target was, and so it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/other-folk-thought-the-rage-was-simple-bloodlust-a-berserk-savagery/) [David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/) > [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [For many people it's Facebook, or sports on TV, whatever it is. I have my own demons that I battle. But whatever they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-many-people-it-s-facebook-or-sports-on-tv-whatever-it-is-i-have/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) [Browse all 4,526 Battle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-an-unarmed-man/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Battle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-an-unarmed-man/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/oscar-wilde-16_battle_i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-a_468115.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/oscar-wilde-16_battle_i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-a_468115.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa1/oscar-wilde-16_battle_i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-a_468115.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I refuse to have a battle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-an-unarmed-man/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-refuse-to-have-a-battle-of-wits-with-an-unarmed-man/#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 } } ] } ```