--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A person who speaks cleverly is witty…" description: "\"A person who speaks cleverly is witty; one who asks questions is smart.\" — Terry Carr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/terry-carr-61744_asks_a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-on_3003263.png" --- # A person who speaks cleverly is witty; one who asks… ![“A person who speaks cleverly is witty; one who asks questions is smart.” quote by Terry Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/terry-carr-61744_asks_a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-on_3003263.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/terry-carr-61744_asks_a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-on_3003263.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/terry-carr-61744_asks_a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-on_3003263.png) > “A person who speaks cleverly is witty; one who asks questions is smart.” [Terry Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-carr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clever speech shows wit; asking questions shows intelligence, highlighting different forms of mental agility. **In simple terms:** Wit vs. intelligence. Key Takeaway Value both humor and curiosity. Themes humor intelligence communication Mood playful thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking - education - leadership - debate Key Concepts cognitive flexibility critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance humor and inquiry? - When is wit more effective than questioning? A Different Perspective Wit may be superficial without depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Cleverly Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleverly-witty-4778260/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Questions Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-smart-2174902/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Speaks Cleverly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speaks-cleverly-4778259/) [Witty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witty/) [Witty Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witty-asks-4778261/) ## Related quotes > [“Look for people who have lots of great questions. Smart people are the ones who ask the most thoughtful questions, as opposed to thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/look-for-people-who-have-lots-of-great-questions-smart-people-are-the/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Why are man hole covers around?" If you don't knwo the answer to the questions, you're not smart enough to work at microsoft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/why-are-man-hole-covers-around-if-you-don-t-knwo-the-answer-to-the/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“He seemed convinced that children's questions were much more important than those of an adult. He preferred smart questions to smart answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/he-seemed-convinced-that-children-s-questions-were-much-more/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [“He preferred smart questions to smart answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ogawa/he-preferred-smart-questions-to-smart-answers/) [Yoko Ogawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ogawa/) > [The next best thing to being witty one's self, is to be able to be able to quote another's wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/the-next-best-thing-to-being-witty-one-s-self-is-to-be-able-to-be/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [Tell the truth and you won't have so much to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tell-the-truth-and-you-won-t-have-so-much-to-remember/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If I were in this business only for the business, I wouldn't be in this business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-i-were-in-this-business-only-for-the-business-i-wouldn-t-be-in/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Oxymoron: She's Smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/oxymoron-she-s-smart/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [In case of emergency , Break Dance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/in-case-of-emergency-break-dance/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I don't wanna discuss about it - People who want to discuss about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-don-t-wanna-discuss-about-it-people-who-want-to-discuss-about-it/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/she-was-only-a-whiskey-maker-but-he-loved-her-still/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Yes yes you can count on me - Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/yes-yes-you-can-count-on-me-fingers/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Penis goes in , sperms cums out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/penis-goes-in-sperms-cums-out/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Sometimes I look at my awesome twitter followers & think to myself, What the hell would I do without them :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/sometimes-i-look-at-my-awesome-twitter-followers-think-to-myself-what/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) ## More by Terry Carr > [Jeffrey Carver imagines wonders and allows us to share his vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/jeffrey-carver-imagines-wonders-and-allows-us-to-share-his-vision/) [Terry Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-carr/) > [The Golden Age of science fiction is thirteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/the-golden-age-of-science-fiction-is-thirteen/) [Terry Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-carr/) > [Life is like a simile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/life-is-like-a-simile/) [Terry Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-carr/) > [If the Holy Bible was printed as an Ace Double it would be cut down to two 20,000-word halves with the Old Testament retitled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/if-the-holy-bible-was-printed-as-an-ace-double-it-would-be-cut-down/) [Terry Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-carr/) [Explore all 5 Terry Carr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-carr/) ## More Asks quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Ask God for temp'rance. That's th' appliance only Which your disease requires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/ask-god-for-temp-rance-that-s-th-appliance-only-which-your-disease/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) [Browse all 7,138 Asks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A person who speaks cleverly is witty; one who asks questions is smart.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Carr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-one-who-asks-questions-is-smart/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Asks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-one-who-asks-questions-is-smart/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/terry-carr-61744_asks_a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-on_3003263.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/terry-carr-61744_asks_a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-on_3003263.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59c/terry-carr-61744_asks_a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-on_3003263.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A person who speaks cleverly is witty; one who asks questions is smart.” — Terry Carr", "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": "Terry Carr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-carr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A person who speaks cleverly is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-one-who-asks-questions-is-smart/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-carr/a-person-who-speaks-cleverly-is-witty-one-who-asks-questions-is-smart/#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 } } ] } ```