--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wisdom is probably the ability to cope…" description: "\"Wisdom is probably the ability to cope. That's why someone who has to walk seven miles every day to get water for their children can be wiser than some..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/stephen-fry-573_ability_wisdom-is-probably-the-ability-to-cope-t_749166.jpg" --- # Wisdom is probably the ability to cope. That's why someone… ![“Wisdom is probably the ability to cope. That's why someone who has to walk seven miles every day to get water for their children can be wiser than someone sitting behind a desk in Wall Street.” quote by Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/stephen-fry-573_ability_wisdom-is-probably-the-ability-to-cope-t_749166.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/stephen-fry-573_ability_wisdom-is-probably-the-ability-to-cope-t_749166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/stephen-fry-573_ability_wisdom-is-probably-the-ability-to-cope-t_749166.jpg) > “Wisdom is probably the ability to cope. That's why someone who has to walk seven miles every day to get water for their children can be wiser than someone sitting behind a desk in Wall Street.” [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wisdom emerges from enduring hardship and practical survival, not merely intellectual pursuits; real‑world challenges foster deeper understanding. **In simple terms:** Hard work and struggle teach more than comfortable jobs. Key Takeaway Value experience and empathy over status. Themes wisdom hardship empathy survival experience Mood thoughtful inspirational analytical Type philosophical motivational reflective When to use this quote - parenting - rural labor - urban professional life - education - policy making Key Concepts practical knowledge humility social inequality Questions to Reflect On - How can we integrate both lived experience and academic insight? - What role does empathy play in judging wisdom? A Different Perspective Wisdom can also be gained through study and reflection, not only through physical toil. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Ability Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability-cope-2592074/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Wiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-wiser-4695442/) [Desks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desks/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Wall St](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-st/) [Wall street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall-street/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-probably-3388763/) [Wiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiser/) [Wiser Sitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiser-sitting-5831429/) ## Related quotes > [Some children are wiser than adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thubten-yeshe/some-children-are-wiser-than-adults/) [Thubten Yeshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thubten-yeshe/) > [At the end of the day, if you're not spanking your child and instilling in them the ideas of selflessness, servitude, and wisdom, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/at-the-end-of-the-day-if-you-re-not-spanking-your-child-and/) [Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/) > [“Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-hawkins/peace-of-mind-is-not-the-absence-of-conflict-but-the-ability-to-cope/) [Scott Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-hawkins/) > [“Having The courage To Find Your Individual Ability To Cope, and Challenge Society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-zackson-koury/having-the-courage-to-find-your-individual-ability-to-cope-and/) [Bonnie Zackson Koury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-zackson-koury/) > [“Peace comes not from the absence of conflict, but from the ability to cope with it. 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Apart from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-ve-never-had-any-illusions-about-being-a-lead-actor-in-films/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Because, let's face it, I do not get offered the parts that Brad Pitt has just turned down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/because-let-s-face-it-i-do-not-get-offered-the-parts-that-brad-pitt/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [I will defend the absolute value of Mozart over Miley Cyrus, of course I will, but we should be wary of false dichotomies. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-will-defend-the-absolute-value-of-mozart-over-miley-cyrus-of-course/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [You can't just say there is a god because the world is beautiful. 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Depression isn't a straightforward response to a bad situation; depression just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/if-you-know-someone-who-s-depressed-please-resolve-never-to-ask-them/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [It's as if scientists exert every effort of will they possess deliberately to find the least significant problems in the world and explain them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/it-s-as-if-scientists-exert-every-effort-of-will-they-possess/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) [Explore all 466 Stephen Fry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 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