10 Great Quotes from Writers about Fools

Funny and witty sourced quotes from writers – about fools, folly, and foolishness

Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever. – Charles Lamb, cited in Wordsworth Book of Humorous Quotations

A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. – Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

My nose itch’d, and I knew I should drink wine, or kiss a fool. – Jonathan Swift, ‘Polite Conversation’

In university they don’t tell you that the greater part of the law is learning to tolerate fools. – Doris Lessing, Martha Quest

If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. – Anatole France, cited in Listening and Speaking: A Guide to Effective Oral Communication

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Surprises are foolish things. The pleasure is not enhanced, and the inconvenience is often considerable. – Jane Austen, Emma

He who lives without folly is not as wise as he thinks. – François de la Rochefoucauld, Maximes

Education: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding. – Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary

I have great faith in fools — self-confidence my friends will call it.  Edgar Allan Poe, Marginalia

In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in folly. – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, cited in Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

Image: An original card from the tarot deck of Jean Dodal of Lyon, early eighteenth century; Wikimedia Commons; public domain.

24 thoughts on “10 Great Quotes from Writers about Fools”

  1. You forgot the best one! “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – Shakespeare. Thanks for the wonderful list though! If you’re ever interested in some awesome book reviews and musings, be sure to follow! Thanks!

  2. “Sir, I admit your general rule,
    That every poet is a fool,
    But you yourself may serve to show it,
    That every fool is not a poet.”
    Samuel Taylor Coleridge

  3. Have you missed out Nasrudin? A philosopher had an appointment and called at Nasrudin’s door but found he was out. So he wrote Stupid Fool on the door in a fit of bad temper. Nasrudin came home and realised he had missed an opportunity for a philosophical debate so rushed to the philosopher’s house. When he met the old sage he said. “Sorry I missed you but it was kind of you to leave your name.”

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