I had much rather be adorned by beauty of character than by jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, character comes from within.
PlautusRead
Wisdom is not attained by years, but by ability
Interpretation
What this quote means
Wisdom comes from experience and understanding, not just from living a long life.
This quote by Plautus emphasizes that the value of wisdom is not measured by the length of time one has lived but rather by the depth of understanding and the ability to apply knowledge effectively. It suggests that true wisdom arises when individuals learn from their experiences and apply their insights in meaningful ways, making it an active pursuit rather than a mere outcome of age.
Themes
WisdomExperienceKnowledgeUnderstandingGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a mentorship program to inspire young people to seek understanding rather than just experience.
More from Plautus
All quotes βProperty is unstable, and youth perishes in a moment. Life itself is held in the grinning fangs of Death, Yet men delay to obtain release from the world. Alas, the conduct of mankind is surprising.
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Things we do not expect, happen more frequently than we wish.
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The gods confound the man who first found out How to distinguish hours! Confound him, too, Who in this place set up a sun-dial, To cut and hack my days so wretchedly Into small portions.
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I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels. Jewels are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within.
PlautusRead
If I can only keep my good name, I shall have riches enough.
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