--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sense never fails to give them that have…" description: "\"“Sense never fails to give them that have it, Words enough to make them understood. It too often happens in some conversations, as in Apothecary Shops,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/william-penn-1104_intelligence_sense-never-fails-to-give-them-that-have_3194728.jpg" --- # Sense never fails to give them that have it, Words enough… ![“Sense never fails to give them that have it, Words enough to make them understood. It too often happens in some conversations, as in Apothecary Shops, that those Pots that are Empty, or have Things of small Value in them, are as gaudily Dress'd as those that are full of precious Drugs. They that…” quote by William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/william-penn-1104_intelligence_sense-never-fails-to-give-them-that-have_3194728.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/william-penn-1104_intelligence_sense-never-fails-to-give-them-that-have_3194728.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fb/william-penn-1104_intelligence_sense-never-fails-to-give-them-that-have_3194728.jpg) > ““Sense never fails to give them that have it, Words enough to make them understood. It too often happens in some conversations, as in Apothecary Shops, that those Pots that are Empty, or have Things of small Value in them, are as gaudily Dress'd as those that are full of precious Drugs. They that soar too high, often fall hard, making a low and level Dwelling preferable. The tallest Trees are most in the Power of the Winds, and Ambitious Men of the Blasts of Fortune. Buildings have need of a good Foundation, that lie so much exposed to the Weather.”” [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Empty vessels are often dressed ornately, while full ones are modest; ambition without foundation leads to downfall; humility and solid foundations are essential. **In simple terms:** Showiness without substance leads to failure; stay grounded. Key Takeaway Build a strong foundation before seeking lofty goals. Themes humility foundation ambition practicality Mood thoughtful cautionary Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - career planning - financial decisions - personal growth - leadership Key Concepts symbolism philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - What foundations are you neglecting? - How can humility protect against overreaching? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on appearance can mask lack of substance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [To make yourself understood you have to think plain and write plain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/to-make-yourself-understood-you-have-to-think-plain-and-write-plain/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [Method is not less requisite in ordinary conversation than in writing, provided a man would talk to make himself understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/method-is-not-less-requisite-in-ordinary-conversation-than-in-writing/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“A writer's task is to interpret his world as he sees it, if not to make it understood, at least to make it understandable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-walker/a-writer-s-task-is-to-interpret-his-world-as-he-sees-it-if-not-to/) Leonard Walker > [The function of art is to make that understood which in the form of argument would be incomprehensible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantin-brancusi/the-function-of-art-is-to-make-that-understood-which-in-the-form-of/) [Constantin Brancusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantin-brancusi/) > [For 30 years I have tried to make it understood that there are no criminals,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-simenon/for-30-years-i-have-tried-to-make-it-understood-that-there-are-no/) [Georges Simenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-simenon/) > [If you make yourself understood, you're always speaking well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/if-you-make-yourself-understood-you-re-always-speaking-well/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [“I swear conversation is such hard work! To make myself understood, it’s like I have to speak in an unknown foreign language, every minute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/i-swear-conversation-is-such-hard-work-to-make-myself-understood-it-s/) [Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/) > [If you can't make yourself understood by your friends, you'll be in trouble when your enemies come for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/if-you-can-t-make-yourself-understood-by-your-friends-you-ll-be-in/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [The most incomprehensible talk comes from people who have no other use for language than to make themselves understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/the-most-incomprehensible-talk-comes-from-people-who-have-no-other/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [To make yourself understood to people, one must first speak to their eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/to-make-yourself-understood-to-people-one-must-first-speak-to-their/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [ We thought \[with Alix MacKenzie\], if those are the kinds of pots from every culture that interest us, why would we think that it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/we-thought-with-alix-mackenzie-if-those-are-the-kinds-of-pots-from/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [I believe when you have your hands on four or five pots at once, you can never have a firm grip on one pot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-yarde/i-believe-when-you-have-your-hands-on-four-or-five-pots-at-once-you/) [Anthony Yarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-yarde/) > [I've studied the way the Internet kids play. I want to know what they're thinking when they play pots against me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hellmuth/i-ve-studied-the-way-the-internet-kids-play-i-want-to-know-what-they/) [Phil Hellmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hellmuth/) > [My mum still needs all her pots and pans, so she's not giving me any of hers yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/my-mum-still-needs-all-her-pots-and-pans-so-she-s-not-giving-me-any/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [If you really want to be a good archaeologist, you have to understand ancient DNA; you have to understand chemical analysis to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/if-you-really-want-to-be-a-good-archaeologist-you-have-to-understand/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) ## More by William Penn > [Love grows. Lust wastes by Enjoyment, and the Reason is, that one springs from an Union of Souls, and the other from an Union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/love-grows-lust-wastes-by-enjoyment-and-the-reason-is-that-one/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Once you've accumulated sufficient knowledge to get by, you're too old to remember it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/once-you-ve-accumulated-sufficient-knowledge-to-get-by-you-re-too-old/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [If thou wouldn't conquer thy weakness thou must not gratify it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/if-thou-wouldn-t-conquer-thy-weakness-thou-must-not-gratify-it/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Religion is the fear of God, and its demonstration good works; and faith is the root of both: For without faith we cannot please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/religion-is-the-fear-of-god-and-its-demonstration-good-works-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [All excess is ill; but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/all-excess-is-ill-but-drunkenness-is-of-the-worst-sort-it-spoils/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [“Let us then try what love can do to mend a broken world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/let-us-then-try-what-love-can-do-to-mend-a-broken-world/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > ['Tis no sin to be tempted, but to be overcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/tis-no-sin-to-be-tempted-but-to-be-overcome/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Perfect love casteth out fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/perfect-love-casteth-out-fear/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [By liberty of conscience, we understand not only a mere liberty of the mind, in believing or disbelieving this or that principle or doctrine;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/by-liberty-of-conscience-we-understand-not-only-a-mere-liberty-of-the/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Content not thyself that thou art virtuous in the general; for one link being wanting, the chain is defective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/content-not-thyself-that-thou-art-virtuous-in-the-general-for-one/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [We are apt to be very pert at censuring others, where we will not endure advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/we-are-apt-to-be-very-pert-at-censuring-others-where-we-will-not/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [It is admirable to consider how many millions of people come into, and go out of the world, ignorant of themselves and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/it-is-admirable-to-consider-how-many-millions-of-people-come-into-and/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [If thou wouldst rule well, thou must rule for God, and to do that, thou must be ruled by him... Those who will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/if-thou-wouldst-rule-well-thou-must-rule-for-god-and-to-do-that-thou/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still. Wait upon God, and feel His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/in-the-rush-and-noise-of-life-as-you-have-intervals-step-home-within/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [Be sure that religion cannot be right that a man is the worse for having.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/be-sure-that-religion-cannot-be-right-that-a-man-is-the-worse-for/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) [Explore all 291 William Penn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) ## More Intelligence quotes > [If you can do anything for love there's no reason you can't do everything to someone you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayjay-guillermo/if-you-can-do-anything-for-love-there-s-no-reason-you-can-t-do/) [Jayjay Guillermo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayjay-guillermo/) > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [“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/) > [“The mystery of the world is revealed only to the person who can look upon the material world with his physical eyes and simultaneously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awdhesh-singh/the-mystery-of-the-world-is-revealed-only-to-the-person-who-can-look/) [Awdhesh Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awdhesh-singh/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“Your mind has the intellect to lift the world, your heart has the wisdom to better the world, and your soul has the genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-mind-has-the-intellect-to-lift-the-world-your-heart-has-the/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [An ex is an ex for a reason, they are an EXample of what you don't want in your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/an-ex-is-an-ex-for-a-reason-they-are-an-example-of-what-you-don-t/) [Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/) > [“When it comes to smarts, adolescents like Jesse have plenty. What they lack, however, are some of the brain-based skills that we all need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-guare/when-it-comes-to-smarts-adolescents-like-jesse-have-plenty-what-they/) [Richard Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-guare/) > [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/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-schramm/a-smart-person-learns-from-his-mistakes-but-a-truly-wise-person/) Ken Schramm > [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/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) [Browse all 9,546 Intelligence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sense never fails to give them that have it, Words enough to make them understood. 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