--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He whose wisdom exceeds his works, to…" description: "\"He whose wisdom exceeds his works, to what may he be likened? To a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few. The wind comes along and u..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/the-talmud-28689_genius_he-whose-wisdom-exceeds-his-works-to-wha_877536.jpg" --- # He whose wisdom exceeds his works, to what may he be… ![“He whose wisdom exceeds his works, to what may he be likened? To a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few. The wind comes along and uproots it and sweeps it down.” quote by The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/the-talmud-28689_genius_he-whose-wisdom-exceeds-his-works-to-wha_877536.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/the-talmud-28689_genius_he-whose-wisdom-exceeds-his-works-to-wha_877536.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2b/the-talmud-28689_genius_he-whose-wisdom-exceeds-his-works-to-wha_877536.jpg) > “He whose wisdom exceeds his works, to what may he be likened? To a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few. The wind comes along and uproots it and sweeps it down.” [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wisdom without deep roots is fragile; without solid foundations, even great achievements can be easily destroyed. **In simple terms:** Wisdom needs strong foundations. Key Takeaway Build deep, lasting principles. Themes wisdom foundations fragility growth Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - leadership training - organizational culture Key Concepts metaphor ethical teaching Questions to Reflect On - What foundations are you neglecting? - How can you strengthen your core values? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on superficial achievements can neglect deeper learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Branches Numerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/branches-numerous-1018362/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [Likened Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likened-tree-1018361/) [Numerous Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numerous-roots-1018360/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Exceeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-exceeds-1018359/) ## Related quotes > [The wisdom of God exceeds that of the wisest man, more than his wisdom exceeds that of a child. If a child were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-reid/the-wisdom-of-god-exceeds-that-of-the-wisest-man-more-than-his-wisdom/) [Thomas Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-reid/) > [Never try to judge any one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajat-dogra/never-try-to-judge-any-one/) [Rajat Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajat-dogra/) > [With the proper training, I could've been an evil genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/with-the-proper-training-i-could-ve-been-an-evil-genius/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [The beginning of genius is being scared shitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/the-beginning-of-genius-is-being-scared-shitless/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/i-have-known-many-chess-players-but-among-them-there-has-been-only/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) ## More by The Talmud > [To break an oral agreement which is not legally binding is morally wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/to-break-an-oral-agreement-which-is-not-legally-binding-is-morally/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [The Divine Spirit does not reside in any except the joyful heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/the-divine-spirit-does-not-reside-in-any-except-the-joyful-heart/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [A legal decision depends not on the teacher's age, but on the force of his argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/a-legal-decision-depends-not-on-the-teacher-s-age-but-on-the-force-of/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [The highest form of wisdom is kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/the-highest-form-of-wisdom-is-kindness/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [There is no pity for a man who moans about living in one town and does not move to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/there-is-no-pity-for-a-man-who-moans-about-living-in-one-town-and/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [Man has three friends on whose company he relies. First, wealth - which goes with him only while good fortune lasts. Second, his relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/man-has-three-friends-on-whose-company-he-relies-first-wealth-which/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [You can educate a fool, but you cannot make him think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/you-can-educate-a-fool-but-you-cannot-make-him-think/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [Doubt cannot override a certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/doubt-cannot-override-a-certainty/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/a-dream-which-is-not-interpreted-is-like-a-letter-which-is-not-read/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [The sacred books should be burned rather than made available to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/the-sacred-books-should-be-burned-rather-than-made-available-to-women/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [For the unlearned, old age is winter; for the learned it is the season of the harvest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/for-the-unlearned-old-age-is-winter-for-the-learned-it-is-the-season/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [A person will be called to account on Judgment Day for every permissible thing he might have enjoyed but did not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/a-person-will-be-called-to-account-on-judgment-day-for-every/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [Sin is sweet in the beginning, but bitter in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/sin-is-sweet-in-the-beginning-but-bitter-in-the-end/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [I thank You, God, in Heaven, for friends. Margaret Elizabeth Sangster Join the company of lions rather than assume the lead among foxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/i-thank-you-god-in-heaven-for-friends-margaret-elizabeth-sangster/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) > [Make your books your companions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-talmud/make-your-books-your-companions/) [The Talmud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) [Explore all 19 The Talmud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-talmud/) ## More Genius quotes > [“If people fully understand you, they will think of you as a normal, if they half understand you, will think of you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/if-people-fully-understand-you-they-will-think-of-you-as-a-normal-if/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The truth is I've just never had any kind of plan at all for my career, which is probably not a very flattering thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty-burrell/the-truth-is-i-ve-just-never-had-any-kind-of-plan-at-all-for-my/) [Ty Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ty-burrell/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I have known many chess players, but among them there has been only one genius - Capablanca!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/i-have-known-many-chess-players-but-among-them-there-has-been-only/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [The beginning of genius is being scared shitless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/the-beginning-of-genius-is-being-scared-shitless/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/mediocrity-knows-nothing-higher-than-itself-but-talent-instantly/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [With the proper training, I could've been an evil genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/with-the-proper-training-i-could-ve-been-an-evil-genius/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Never try to judge any one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajat-dogra/never-try-to-judge-any-one/) [Rajat Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajat-dogra/) > [“genius is a path that we can all take and derive much benefit, happiness, fulfillment, and success from...not a genetic windfall or divine gift.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-patrick/genius-is-a-path-that-we-can-all-take-and-derive-much-benefit/) [Sean Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-patrick/) [Browse all 5,125 Genius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He whose wisdom exceeds his works, to what may he be likened? 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