Clever Man, Wise Man

A writer named Naguib Mahfouz (b. 1911) once wrote: “You can tell whether a man is clever by is answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions”

A clever man will always tell you answers. He will tell you things you may not care about. His purpose is to impress. To be more accurate is to see himself reflected in the reaction on your face.

A wise man will not try to convince you anything. A wise man is trying to build himself not to build you. He asks questions because he wants to learn more. He needs to learn more because he is aware of how little he knows about so many things. He is aware less of what he knows than what he does not know. A wise man will share what he knows. But you will have to ask. Otherwise he will be busy. He has his own quest. He will assume that you have your own.

Thank you The dragonheart.