--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No man was more foolish when he had not a…" description: "\"No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/samuel-johnson-50_fool_no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not_1482870.png" --- # No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand… ![“No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/samuel-johnson-50_fool_no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not_1482870.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/samuel-johnson-50_fool_no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not_1482870.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/samuel-johnson-50_fool_no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not_1482870.png) > “No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He warns that lacking a pen leads to foolishness, while possessing one brings wisdom. **In simple terms:** Without tools, we err; with tools, we learn. Key Takeaway Seek tools for insight. Themes wisdom communication learning Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing - teaching - creative work - personal reflection Key Concepts literacy expression Questions to Reflect On - What tools enhance your thinking? - How does writing shape understanding? A Different Perspective May overemphasize one tool. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [Whoever believes in a man is very foolish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-de-france/whoever-believes-in-a-man-is-very-foolish/) [Marie de France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-de-france/) > [A wise man was once foolish and throw foolishness did he become wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-alcala/a-wise-man-was-once-foolish-and-throw-foolishness-did-he-become-wise/) [Enrique Alcala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-alcala/) > [“In a wise community a wise man would not seem foolish!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/in-a-wise-community-a-wise-man-would-not-seem-foolish/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“That ring in particular once belonged to a young man who made a very foolish mistake, as young men often do. He fell in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-allcock/that-ring-in-particular-once-belonged-to-a-young-man-who-made-a-very/) Chris Allcock > [“It is like the man who closes his eyes to the sun and then finds himself walking over the edge of a cliff. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-beitz/it-is-like-the-man-who-closes-his-eyes-to-the-sun-and-then-finds/) Katie Beitz > [“The evil man is within each foolish man who is hidden by a kind man”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-lorenzo-haehnle/the-evil-man-is-within-each-foolish-man-who-is-hidden-by-a-kind-man/) William Graham Lorenzo Haehnle > [It's easy enough to make the truth look silly. A man never seems more foolish-like than he does when he's speaking his whole mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margery-allingham/it-s-easy-enough-to-make-the-truth-look-silly-a-man-never-seems-more/) [Margery Allingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margery-allingham/) > [No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/no-man-is-so-foolish-but-he-may-sometimes-give-another-good-counsel/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [It is not wise for a wise man to fool a foolish man, because the foolish man dont know what he is doing at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuks/it-is-not-wise-for-a-wise-man-to-fool-a-foolish-man-because-the/) Chuks > [“Remorse overwhelmed the old man. He had indeed been foolish to agree to allow this game to dictate the outcome of their dispute. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-b-boyer/remorse-overwhelmed-the-old-man-he-had-indeed-been-foolish-to-agree/) [Dennis B. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-b-boyer/) > [An infatuated man is not only foolish, but wild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-crabbe/an-infatuated-man-is-not-only-foolish-but-wild/) [George Crabbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-crabbe/) > [A wise man was once foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-alcala/a-wise-man-was-once-foolish/) [Enrique Alcala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-alcala/) > [Pope had been flattered till he thought himself one of the moving powers of the system of life. When he talked of laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pope-had-been-flattered-till-he-thought-himself-one-of-the-moving/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Fool quotes > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [A fool and his money get a lot of publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-bernstein/a-fool-and-his-money-get-a-lot-of-publicity/) [Al Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-bernstein/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I'd be a fool to be in this for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hinn/i-d-be-a-fool-to-be-in-this-for-the-money/) [Benny Hinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hinn/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) [Browse all 5,535 Fool quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not-a-pen-in-his-hand-or-more/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fool" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not-a-pen-in-his-hand-or-more/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/samuel-johnson-50_fool_no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not_1482870.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/samuel-johnson-50_fool_no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not_1482870.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c07/samuel-johnson-50_fool_no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not_1482870.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No man was more foolish when he had not a pen in his hand, or more wise when he had” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No man was more foolish when...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not-a-pen-in-his-hand-or-more/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/no-man-was-more-foolish-when-he-had-not-a-pen-in-his-hand-or-more/#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 } } ] } ```