--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The wisdom of men is worth little or…" description: "\"The wisdom of men is worth little or nothing.\" — Plato" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/plato-103_littles_the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-not_2050489.jpg" --- # The wisdom of men is worth little or nothing. ![“The wisdom of men is worth little or nothing.” quote by Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/plato-103_littles_the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-not_2050489.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/plato-103_littles_the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-not_2050489.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/plato-103_littles_the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-not_2050489.jpg) > “The wisdom of men is worth little or nothing.” [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Men’s wisdom is often negligible or worthless. **In simple terms:** Men’s wisdom is rarely valuable. Key Takeaway Question the value of claimed wisdom. Themes wisdom value philosophy Mood inquisitive critical Type philosophical didactic When to use this quote - leadership - education - policy making Key Concepts epistemology ethics Questions to Reflect On - What defines true wisdom? - How to discern valuable insight? A Different Perspective Wisdom can be context‑dependent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-worth-554260/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-men-343037/) [Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth/) [Worth Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-little-428593/) ## Related quotes > [I do not think much of the good luck theory of self-made men. It is worth but little attention and has no practical value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-do-not-think-much-of-the-good-luck-theory-of-self-made-men-it-is/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“But the truth is, O men of Athens, that God only is wise; and by his answer he intends to show that the wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-the-truth-is-o-men-of-athens-that-god-only-is-wise-and-by-his/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Even good opinions are worth very little unless we hold them in the broad, intelligent, and spacious way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-morley/even-good-opinions-are-worth-very-little-unless-we-hold-them-in-the/) [John Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-morley/) > [Yes, it is the precepts of men versus the revealed word of God. The more we follow the word of God the less we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/yes-it-is-the-precepts-of-men-versus-the-revealed-word-of-god-the/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Union of the weakest develops strength not wisdom. Can all men, together, avenge one of the leaves that have fallen in autumn? But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/union-of-the-weakest-develops-strength-not-wisdom-can-all-men/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“Most prospects in life are marred by the shuffling worldly wisdom of men, who, forgetting that they cannot serve God and mammon, endeavour to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/most-prospects-in-life-are-marred-by-the-shuffling-worldly-wisdom-of/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [How poor is the wisdom of men, and how uncertain their forecast!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/how-poor-is-the-wisdom-of-men-and-how-uncertain-their-forecast/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [For, until the wisdom of men bear some proportion to the wisdom of God, their attempts to find out the structure of his works,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-reid/for-until-the-wisdom-of-men-bear-some-proportion-to-the-wisdom-of-god/) [Thomas Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-reid/) > [“Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom. ‘All men make mistakes,’ said the ancient Greek Sophocles. ‘But a good man yields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/tragedy-is-a-tool-for-the-living-to-gain-wisdom-all-men-make-mistakes/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others chess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/age-brings-wisdom-to-some-men-and-to-others-chess/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [“Do you want to have a humble share in perpetuating wisdom among men, in gathering up the inheritance of the ages, in formulating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-sertillanges/do-you-want-to-have-a-humble-share-in-perpetuating-wisdom-among-men/) [Antonin Sertillanges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-sertillanges/) > [How much do they be paying you?" he asked mellowly. "The usual salary. A little more than they think I'm worth and a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/how-much-do-they-be-paying-you-he-asked-mellowly-the-usual-salary-a/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“If you invest nothing, the reward is worth little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/if-you-invest-nothing-the-reward-is-worth-little/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [The rewards of golf, and of life too I expect, are worth very little if you don't play the game by the etiquette as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jones/the-rewards-of-golf-and-of-life-too-i-expect-are-worth-very-little-if/) [Bobby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jones/) > [Words are worth little when the heart refuses to hear. Therefore, judge us by our works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-lawhead/words-are-worth-little-when-the-heart-refuses-to-hear-therefore-judge/) [Stephen R. Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/) ## More by Plato > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [You may be sure, dear Crito, that inaccurate language is not only in itself a mistake: it implants evil in men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/you-may-be-sure-dear-crito-that-inaccurate-language-is-not-only-in/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“If men learn this, it will implant forgetfulness in their souls; they will cease to exercise memory because they rely on that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/if-men-learn-this-it-will-implant-forgetfulness-in-their-souls-they/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/knowledge-which-is-acquired-under-compulsion-obtains-no-hold-on-the/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-do-not-think-it-is-permitted-that-a-better-man-be-harmed-by-a-worse/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Any city, however small, is in fact divided into two, one the city of the poor, the other of the rich; these are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/any-city-however-small-is-in-fact-divided-into-two-one-the-city-of/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so as nobody may believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-as-nobody-may-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“The love of man to woman is a thing common and of course, and at first partakes more of instinct and passion than of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-love-of-man-to-woman-is-a-thing-common-and-of-course-and-at-first/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehood's school, and the one man that dares to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/strange-times-are-these-in-which-we-live-when-old-and-young-are/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“He was a wise man who invented God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/he-was-a-wise-man-who-invented-god/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [For let me tell you, that the more the pleasures of the body fade away, the greater to me is the pleasure and charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-let-me-tell-you-that-the-more-the-pleasures-of-the-body-fade-away/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [“What shall we say about those spectators, then, who can see a plurality of beautiful things, but not beauty itself, and who are incapable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/what-shall-we-say-about-those-spectators-then-who-can-see-a-plurality/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [When men speak ill of thee, live so that nobody will believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/when-men-speak-ill-of-thee-live-so-that-nobody-will-believe-them/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [We must, if we are to be consistent, and if we re to have a real pedigree herd, mate the best of our men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/we-must-if-we-are-to-be-consistent-and-if-we-re-to-have-a-real/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) [Explore all 1,278 Plato quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) ## More Littles quotes > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [I was very lucky to get well known much later in life. You need to have flopped quite a few times to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-was-very-lucky-to-get-well-known-much-later-in-life-you-need-to/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [All lyrical work must, as a whole, be perfectly intelligible, but in some particulars a little unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-lyrical-work-must-as-a-whole-be-perfectly-intelligible-but-in/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) [Browse all 27,615 Littles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The wisdom of men is worth little or nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Plato" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Littles" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/plato-103_littles_the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-not_2050489.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/plato-103_littles_the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-not_2050489.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b83/plato-103_littles_the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-not_2050489.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The wisdom of men is worth little or nothing.” — Plato", "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": "Plato", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The wisdom of men is worth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-wisdom-of-men-is-worth-little-or-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```