Stupidity

Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or sense. The modern English word "stupid" has a broad range of application, from being slow of mind (indicating a lack of intelligence, care or reason), dullness of feeling or sensation (torpidity, senseless, insensitivity), or lacking interest or point (vexing, exasperating). It can either infer a congenital lack of capacity for reasoning, or a temporary state of daze or slow-mindedness. This page is for quotes regarding various notions of stupidity.

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• We are growing serious, and, let me tell you, that's the very next step to being dull.
  • Joseph Addison, The Drummer (1715), Act IV. 6.

• A fool's mind is at the mercy of his tongue and a wise man's tongue is under the control of his mind.
  • Ali, A Hundred Sayings

• I never heard tell of any clever man that came of entirely stupid people.
  • Thomas Carlyle, Rectorial Address at Edinburgh, 2nd April 1886

• With various readings stored his empty skull,
  Learn'd without sense, and venerably dull.
  • Charles Churchill, The Rosciad (1761), line 591.

• I find we are growing serious, and then we are in great danger of being dull.
  • William Congreve, Old Bachelor (1693), Act II. 2.

• Aristotle taught that the brain exists merely to cool the blood and is not involved in the process of thinking. This is true only of certain persons.
  • Will Cuppy, The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody, 1950

• The fool of nature stood with stupid eyes
  And gaping mouth, that testified surprise.
  • John Dryden, Cymon and Iphigenia (1700), line 107.

• Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
  • Robert J. Hanlon, Murphy's Law book two: More reasons why things go wrong! (1980) ISBN 0843106743 by Arthur Bloch page 52.

• Why, Sir, Sherry is dull, naturally dull; but it must have taken him a great deal of pains to become what we now see him. Such an excess of stupidity, Sir, is not in Nature.
  • Samuel Johnson, of Sheridan, reported in James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson (1763).

• He is not only dull himself, but the cause of dulness in others.
  • Samuel Johnson, reported in James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson (1783).

• "Folly is as great as the sea. It can compass anything."
  • Antef, Nomarch of Thebes, in Bolesław Prus's novel Pharaoh (1895), chapter 61.

• The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read,
  With loads of learned lumber in his head.
  • Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism (1709), line 612.

• The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.
  • Bertrand Russell, "The Triumph of Stupidity" (1933-05-10) in Mortals and Others: Bertrand Russell's American Essays, 1931-1935 (Routledge, 1998, ISBN 0-415-17866-5), p. 28

• Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.
  • Against stupidity the very gods
    Themselves contend in vain.
  • Friedrich Schiller, Die Jungfrau von Orleans (The Maid of Orleans, at Project Gutenberg), Act III, scene vi (as translated by Anna Swanwick) (1801)
  • Variants:

    Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.

    Against stupidity the gods themselves labor in vain.

    Against stupidity the gods themselves fight unvictorious

    Against stupidity even the gods contend in vain.

    Against stupidity gods themselves contend in vain.

    With stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain.

    With stupidity the gods themselves struggle in vain.

  • Against Stupidity, The Gods Themselves and Contend In Vain? are the titles of the three parts of Isaac Asimov's book The Gods Themselves

• A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it.
  • Ed Solomon, screenplay, Men in Black

• There is no sin except stupidity.
  • Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist, Part ii

• After a foolish action comes remorse.
  • Anonymous; cited as a proverb among negroes in "The Mind of the African Negro as Reflected in His Proverbs" by A. O. Stafford in The Journal of Negro History Vol. 1. No. 1 (January 1916) edited by Carter G. Woodson

• Weapons-Grade Stupidity: Tech-support slang for customer intelligence that is so low it poses a severe hazard to those who come in contact with it.
  • "Jargon Watch". Wired. April 2001. Retrieved on 2007-02-02.  (author?)

• When the world begets too many fools, nature provides a Foolkiller.
  • Greg Salinger in Issue 10 of Foolkiller limited series (1990-91) (author?)

• I'd all but given up my crusade to rid the world of fools…there are, I found, just too many!
  • Foolkiller in Issue 225 of The Amazing Spider-Man (Roger Stern)

Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations

Quotes reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 758.

• La faute en est aux dieux, qui la firent si bête.
  • The fault rests with the gods, who have made her so stupid.
  • Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset, Méchant, II. 7.

• The impenetrable stupidity of Prince George (son-in-law of James II.) served his turn. It was his habit, when any news was told him, to exclaim, "Est il possible?"—"Is it possible?"
  • Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, History of England, Volume I, Chapter IX.

• Schad'um die Leut'! Sind sonst wackre Brüder.
  Aber das denkt, wie ein Seifensieder.
  • A pity about the people! they are brave enough comrades, but they have heads like a soapboiler's.
  • Friedrich Schiller, Wallenstein's Lager, XI. 347.

• Peter was dull; he was at first
  Dull,—Oh, so dull—so very dull!
  Whether he talked, wrote, or rehearsed—
  Still with his dulness was he cursed—
  Dull—beyond all conception—dull.
  • Percy Bysshe Shelley, Peter Bell the Third, Part VII, XI.

• Personally, I have a great admiration for stupidity.
  • Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband, Act II.

External links

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