--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The man who says what he thinks is…" description: "\"The man who says what he thinks is finished, and the man who thinks what he says is an idiot.\" — Rolf Hochhuth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a9/rolf-hochhuth-62682_finished_the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finis_628903.jpg" --- # The man who says what he thinks is finished, and the man… ![“The man who says what he thinks is finished, and the man who thinks what he says is an idiot.” quote by Rolf Hochhuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a9/rolf-hochhuth-62682_finished_the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finis_628903.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a9/rolf-hochhuth-62682_finished_the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finis_628903.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a9/rolf-hochhuth-62682_finished_the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finis_628903.jpg) > “The man who says what he thinks is finished, and the man who thinks what he says is an idiot.” [Rolf Hochhuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It warns that speaking without thought and thinking without speaking are both foolish; true wisdom requires thoughtful expression. **In simple terms:** Think before speaking; speak with purpose. Key Takeaway Align speech with genuine belief. Themes communication integrity wisdom Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - public speaking - leadership - personal relationships - media commentary Key Concepts critical thinking authenticity Questions to Reflect On - When have you spoken without thinking? - How can you ensure your words reflect your thoughts? A Different Perspective Overthinking can lead to silence; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [He man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he-man/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Man Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-says/) [Man Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-thinks/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Says Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-idiot-1213815/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinks Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-finished-3285410/) ## Related quotes > [He doesn’t scowl, but his mouth is so tense that I know he’s angry with me. 'Don’t be an idiot,' he says. 'An idiot?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-doesn-t-scowl-but-his-mouth-is-so-tense-that-i-know-he-s-angry/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [He who thinks that he is finished is finished. How true. Those who think that they have arrived, have lost their way. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-who-thinks-that-he-is-finished-is-finished-how-true-those-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't have to think exactly like me. When people go, "I don't agree with everything you say," you know what, if you agree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-miller/you-don-t-have-to-think-exactly-like-me-when-people-go-i-don-t-agree/) [Stephanie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-miller/) > [She's in front of me, crying, he just left her, she says he's an idiot, she's an idiot the whole goddam world is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-s-in-front-of-me-crying-he-just-left-her-she-says-he-s-an-idiot/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My wife says, "You're an idiot! Why do you Google your name and all you're doing is looking for trouble?" Because I'm thin-skinned. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-bissinger/my-wife-says-you-re-an-idiot-why-do-you-google-your-name-and-all-you/) [Buzz Bissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-bissinger/) > [Al walks in, and I don't even have to ask him to help me, he just walks over and strips bedding with me. i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/al-walks-in-and-i-don-t-even-have-to-ask-him-to-help-me-he-just-walks/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“In these days, a man who says a thing cannot be done, quite apt to be interrupted by some idiot doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-these-days-a-man-who-says-a-thing-cannot-be-done-quite-apt-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Man who says he can, and the man who says he can not.. Are both correct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-man-who-says-he-can-and-the-man-who-says-he-can-not-are-both/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [When a man says he doesn't understand a woman it's because he won't take the trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/when-a-man-says-he-doesn-t-understand-a-woman-it-s-because-he-won-t/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [When a man says he approves of something in principle, it means he hasn't the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/when-a-man-says-he-approves-of-something-in-principle-it-means-he/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [The man who says that he does not deserve his wife is probably right, but not for the reasons he thinks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-fagg/the-man-who-says-that-he-does-not-deserve-his-wife-is-probably-right/) [Lawrence Fagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-fagg/) > [The man who says he has exhausted life generally means that life has exhausted him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-man-who-says-he-has-exhausted-life-generally-means-that-life-has/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [There is always a type of man who says he loves his fellow men, and expects to make a living at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-w-howe/there-is-always-a-type-of-man-who-says-he-loves-his-fellow-men-and/) [E. W. Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-w-howe/) > [Only the man who says no is free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/only-the-man-who-says-no-is-free/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I care more about what God knows than what man says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mustaine/i-care-more-about-what-god-knows-than-what-man-says/) [Dave Mustaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mustaine/) ## More by Rolf Hochhuth > [Men may be linked in friendship. Nations are linked only by interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/men-may-be-linked-in-friendship-nations-are-linked-only-by-interests/) [Rolf Hochhuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/) > [Nationality was the most pernicious, depersonalizing, homogenizing label that could ever be attached to the human individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/nationality-was-the-most-pernicious-depersonalizing-homogenizing/) [Rolf Hochhuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/) > [Truth is with the victors-who, as you know, also controls the historians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/truth-is-with-the-victors-who-as-you-know-also-controls-the-historians/) [Rolf Hochhuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/) > [“Tell my mother I stopped feeling frightened once I told myself they couldn't inflict half as much pain on me as she suffered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/tell-my-mother-i-stopped-feeling-frightened-once-i-told-myself-they/) [Rolf Hochhuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/) [Explore all 5 Rolf Hochhuth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/) ## More Finished quotes > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . 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It looks as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-zeisel/when-you-begin-your-work-nothing-exists-when-it-is-finished-it-looks/) [Eva Zeisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-zeisel/) > [You've got to be careful against classy fighters, especially counter-punchers because if you go for the finish too early, you can end up getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/you-ve-got-to-be-careful-against-classy-fighters-especially-counter/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I think I can recognize when a piece is at a state of completion. I always say to my wife, "Oh yeah, it's roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-dyer/i-think-i-can-recognize-when-a-piece-is-at-a-state-of-completion-i/) [Geoff Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-dyer/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [A good, finished scandal, fully armed and equipped, such as circulates in the world, is rarely the production of a single individual, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/a-good-finished-scandal-fully-armed-and-equipped-such-as-circulates/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/) [Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/) > [Don't be intimidated by the size of your problem or the size of your dream. God will see to it that it is finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-be-intimidated-by-the-size-of-your-problem-or-the-size-of-your/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-adam-was-a-gardener-and-god-who-made-him-sees-that-half-a-proper/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Since the recording process is instantaneous, and the nature of the image such that it cannot survive corrective handwork, it is obvious that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/since-the-recording-process-is-instantaneous-and-the-nature-of-the/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [As a matter of fact, even when I finished law school, I had no notion of public service then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dinkins/as-a-matter-of-fact-even-when-i-finished-law-school-i-had-no-notion/) [David Dinkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dinkins/) [Browse all 2,024 Finished quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The man who says what he thinks is finished, and the man who thinks what he says is an idiot.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rolf Hochhuth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finished-and-the-man-who-thinks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finished" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finished-and-the-man-who-thinks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a9/rolf-hochhuth-62682_finished_the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finis_628903.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a9/rolf-hochhuth-62682_finished_the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finis_628903.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a9/rolf-hochhuth-62682_finished_the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finis_628903.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The man who says what he thinks is finished, and the man who thinks what he says is an idiot.” — Rolf Hochhuth", "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": "Rolf Hochhuth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-hochhuth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The man who says what he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finished-and-the-man-who-thinks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-hochhuth/the-man-who-says-what-he-thinks-is-finished-and-the-man-who-thinks/#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 } } ] } ```