--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The wise are balanced, and the foolish…" description: "\"The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme.\" — Sakyong Mipham" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/sakyong-mipham-2871_balanced_the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-ar_2041813.jpg" --- # The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme. ![“The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme.” quote by Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/sakyong-mipham-2871_balanced_the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-ar_2041813.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/sakyong-mipham-2871_balanced_the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-ar_2041813.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/sakyong-mipham-2871_balanced_the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-ar_2041813.jpg) > “The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme.” [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balance leads to wisdom; extremes result in folly, highlighting moderation as a virtue **In simple terms:** Balance yields wisdom Key Takeaway Practice moderation Themes wisdom balance moderation Mood calm reflective Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - decision making - conflict resolution - personal development - leadership Key Concepts ethical philosophy mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - When have you seen extremes succeed? - How can balance be maintained under pressure? A Different Perspective Extremes can be compelling despite risk ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balanced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balanced/) [Balanced Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balanced-foolish-3804578/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Foolish Extreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-extreme-3804580/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) [Wise Balanced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-balanced-3804579/) ## Related quotes > [It is foolish in the extreme not only to resort to force before necessity compels, but especially to madly create the conditions that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-tucker/it-is-foolish-in-the-extreme-not-only-to-resort-to-force-before/) [Benjamin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-tucker/) > [“Extreme intelligence is accused of being as foolish as extreme lack of it; only moderation is good. The majority have laid this down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/extreme-intelligence-is-accused-of-being-as-foolish-as-extreme-lack/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [I think Shambhala can be a very strong force as a social example of how you can try to live a life balanced in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/i-think-shambhala-can-be-a-very-strong-force-as-a-social-example-of/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [...in song the words tend to lose their significance, do often lose it, while at the other extreme, in current prose it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-song-the-words-tend-to-lose-their-significance-do-often-lose-it/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Like, if you look at Heidi Montag, who got 10 surgeries she didn't need, I think that's unfortunate. I've always been voluptuous with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-madison/like-if-you-look-at-heidi-montag-who-got-10-surgeries-she-didn-t-need/) [Holly Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-madison/) > [Youth is seen as everything. You don't know anything when you're young. It's great being older, just having a more balanced perspective. I wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/youth-is-seen-as-everything-you-don-t-know-anything-when-you-re-young/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [The most significant halachic authority of the last 100 years, whose positions helped fashion a balanced and moderate Judaism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovadia-yosef/the-most-significant-halachic-authority-of-the-last-100-years-whose/) [Ovadia Yosef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovadia-yosef/) > [All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/all-fits-of-pleasure-are-balanced-by-an-equal-degree-of-pain-or/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Defense spending as a share of the economy dropped significantly during the early 1990s, and that was one of the things, along with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orszag/defense-spending-as-a-share-of-the-economy-dropped-significantly/) [Peter Orszag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orszag/) > [While opponents label (Howard) Dean a throwback liberal, The New York Times recently noted that as governor, Dean cut income taxes, reformed welfare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/while-opponents-label-howard-dean-a-throwback-liberal-the-new-york/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art. And that means paying attention to my entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-want-my-whole-life-to-be-a-great-work-of-art-not-just-my-art-and/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-d-burton/but-change-must-always-be-balanced-with-some-degree-of-consistency/) [Ron D. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-d-burton/) > [If our homes should provide anything, they should provide a sense of who we are and how we got here, a sense of connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-conran/if-our-homes-should-provide-anything-they-should-provide-a-sense-of/) [Terence Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-conran/) > [There were moments, of course. Those small spaces in time, too soon gone, when everything seems to stand still, and existence is balanced on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/there-were-moments-of-course-those-small-spaces-in-time-too-soon-gone/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## More by Sakyong Mipham > [If we do not appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the human heart, how can we appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/if-we-do-not-appreciate-the-sensitivity-and-subtlety-of-the-human/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [“Thus the mind is more present and at peace. So the clarity and peace of mind we feel after running is mostly because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/thus-the-mind-is-more-present-and-at-peace-so-the-clarity-and-peace/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [If we cut speed and relax with what’s going on in our life right now, kindness and patience will naturally come about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/if-we-cut-speed-and-relax-with-what-s-going-on-in-our-life-right-now/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [A lot of people do their practice. They meditate on compassion. Then they yell at people afterwards. That is not quite working. One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/a-lot-of-people-do-their-practice-they-meditate-on-compassion-then/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Our root fantasy is that "I" am real and that it's possible for "me" to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/our-root-fantasy-is-that-i-am-real-and-that-it-s-possible-for-me-to/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [If we do not push ourselves enough, we do not grow, but if we push ourselves too much, we regress. What is enough will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/if-we-do-not-push-ourselves-enough-we-do-not-grow-but-if-we-push/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Shambhala teachings say we all have the potential to accomplish our enlightened nature - our basic goodness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/shambhala-teachings-say-we-all-have-the-potential-to-accomplish-our/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [True happiness is always available to us, but first we have to create the environment for it to flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/true-happiness-is-always-available-to-us-but-first-we-have-to-create/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Auspicious coincidence is the right thing happening at the right time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/auspicious-coincidence-is-the-right-thing-happening-at-the-right-time/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [A lot of times people do spiritual practice just for themselves. I try to turn that a little bit. I try to make spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/a-lot-of-times-people-do-spiritual-practice-just-for-themselves-i-try/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [Enlightened Society is all about nurturing the human spirit - waking up to the goodness, kindness and strength that we already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/enlightened-society-is-all-about-nurturing-the-human-spirit-waking-up/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [After you run, there's a sense of accomplishment; you feel like your life is meaningful. It's a moment of clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/after-you-run-there-s-a-sense-of-accomplishment-you-feel-like-your/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [“Gentleness can be developed with simple thoughts. First, appreciate who you are and make friends with yourself. Look at what you can do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/gentleness-can-be-developed-with-simple-thoughts-first-appreciate-who/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [You have people who are good at English but don't have the training in Buddhism or Shambhala, or they have the training but are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/you-have-people-who-are-good-at-english-but-don-t-have-the-training/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [“Past events are already gone, and the future is yet to happen. It is only in the present that we can be in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/past-events-are-already-gone-and-the-future-is-yet-to-happen-it-is/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) [Explore all 147 Sakyong Mipham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) ## More Balanced quotes > [There were moments, of course. Those small spaces in time, too soon gone, when everything seems to stand still, and existence is balanced on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/there-were-moments-of-course-those-small-spaces-in-time-too-soon-gone/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [If our homes should provide anything, they should provide a sense of who we are and how we got here, a sense of connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-conran/if-our-homes-should-provide-anything-they-should-provide-a-sense-of/) [Terence Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-conran/) > [But change must always be balanced with some degree of consistency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-d-burton/but-change-must-always-be-balanced-with-some-degree-of-consistency/) [Ron D. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-d-burton/) > [I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art. And that means paying attention to my entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewel/i-want-my-whole-life-to-be-a-great-work-of-art-not-just-my-art-and/) [Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jewel/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [While opponents label (Howard) Dean a throwback liberal, The New York Times recently noted that as governor, Dean cut income taxes, reformed welfare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/while-opponents-label-howard-dean-a-throwback-liberal-the-new-york/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Defense spending as a share of the economy dropped significantly during the early 1990s, and that was one of the things, along with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orszag/defense-spending-as-a-share-of-the-economy-dropped-significantly/) [Peter Orszag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orszag/) > [All fits of pleasure are balanced by an equal degree of pain or languor; it is like spending this year part of the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/all-fits-of-pleasure-are-balanced-by-an-equal-degree-of-pain-or/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [The most significant halachic authority of the last 100 years, whose positions helped fashion a balanced and moderate Judaism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovadia-yosef/the-most-significant-halachic-authority-of-the-last-100-years-whose/) [Ovadia Yosef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovadia-yosef/) > [Youth is seen as everything. You don't know anything when you're young. It's great being older, just having a more balanced perspective. I wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/youth-is-seen-as-everything-you-don-t-know-anything-when-you-re-young/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [Like, if you look at Heidi Montag, who got 10 surgeries she didn't need, I think that's unfortunate. I've always been voluptuous with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-madison/like-if-you-look-at-heidi-montag-who-got-10-surgeries-she-didn-t-need/) [Holly Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-madison/) > [For the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel peaceful. Not happy. Not sad. Not anxious. Not horny. Just all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/for-the-first-time-in-longer-than-i-can-remember-i-feel-peaceful-not/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Jane' is really about finding that thing in your life to keep you balanced and free from stress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-marley/jane-is-really-about-finding-that-thing-in-your-life-to-keep-you/) [Skip Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skip-marley/) > [I was the chairman of the House Budget Committee and one of the chief architects the last time we balanced a budget, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kasich/i-was-the-chairman-of-the-house-budget-committee-and-one-of-the-chief/) [John Kasich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kasich/) > [I do try to watch it. I'm not saying you have to put yourself on a diet, because I hate the word "diet." But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-sims/i-do-try-to-watch-it-i-m-not-saying-you-have-to-put-yourself-on-a/) [Molly Sims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-sims/) [Browse all 909 Balanced quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balanced/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sakyong Mipham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-are-extreme/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balanced" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-are-extreme/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/sakyong-mipham-2871_balanced_the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-ar_2041813.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/sakyong-mipham-2871_balanced_the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-ar_2041813.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39c/sakyong-mipham-2871_balanced_the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-ar_2041813.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The wise are balanced, and the foolish are extreme.” — Sakyong Mipham", "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": "Sakyong Mipham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The wise are balanced, and the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-are-extreme/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/the-wise-are-balanced-and-the-foolish-are-extreme/#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 } } ] } ```