Discernment Quotes

Do not believe in an absurdity no matter who says it.

You've got to love what's lovable, and hate what's hateable. It takes brains to see the difference.

The greatest of all gifts is the power to estimate things at their true worth

A SEEING eye is better than three hundred blind men's: The eye can distinguish pearls from pebbles.

We can know a person by observing his behaviour, understanding the reasons for his actions and ascertaining his intentions. If we do this, how can we not know him?

[A]s you partake of the world's bill of fare,that's darned good advice to follow.Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.And be careful what you swallow.

There are three friendships which are advantageous, and three which are injurious. Friendship with the upright; friendship with the sincere; and friendship with the man of much observation: these are advantageous. Friendship with the man of specious airs; friendship with the insinuatingly soft; and friendship with the glib-tongued: these are injurious.

Develop a built-in bullshit detector.

Not to converse with a man worthy of conversation is to waste the man. To converse with a man not worthy of conversation is to waste words. The wise waste neither men nor words.

It is salutary for us to learn to hold cheap such things, be they good or evil, as attach indifferently to good men and bad, and to covet those good things which belong only to good men, and flee those evils which belong only to evil men.

Discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.

Do not sit long with a sad friend. When you go to a garden do you look at the weeds? Spend more time with the roses and jasmines.

I will keep where there is wit stirring, and leave the faction of fools.

There may be men who act without understanding why. I do not. To listen much, pick out the good and follow it; to see much and ponder it: this comes next to understanding.

He who knows others is clever; He who knows himself has discernment.

If what one has to say is not better than silence, then one should keep silent.

When the remedy you have offered only increases the disease, then leave him who will not be cured, and tell your story to someone who seeks the truth.

Search men's governing principles, and consider the wise, what they shun and what they cleave to.

Look beneath the surface; let not the several quality of a thing nor its worth escape thee.

If thou canst see sharp, look and judge wisely, says the philosopher.

If I were travelling with two partners, one virtuous and one dishonest, both would be useful as teachers. I would perceive what's good of the first one and I would imitate him whereas I would try to correct in me the defects I may see in the second one.

Do not answer the person whose questions are vile. Do not question a person whose answers are vile.

Criticism ... makes very little dent upon me, unless I think there is some real justification and something should be done.

Since all things are good, men fail at last to distinguish which is the bane and which the antidote.

The fool who has not sense to discriminate between what is good and what is bad is well nigh as dangerous as the man who does discriminate and yet chooses the bad.

Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil.

Sound judgement, with discernment is the best of seers

To know how to distinguish the agitation arising from covetousness, from the agitation arising from principles, to fight the one and aid the other, in this lies the genius and the power of great revolutionary leaders.

Look closely into his aims, observe the means by which he pursues them, discover what brings him content - and can the man's real worth remain hidden from you?

He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful may be called intelligent indeed.

When a new idea comes our way, we must put it on our mental scales and weigh it carefully before deciding its value.

Look at the means which a man employs, consider his motives, observe his pleasures. A man simply cannot conceal himself!

Not to waste time on nonsense. Not to be taken in by conjurors and hoodoo artists with their talk about incantations and exorcism and all the rest of it. Not to be obsessed with quail-fighting or other crazes like that.

To be able to discern that what is true is true, and that what is false is false,--this is the mark and character of intelligence.

Each and every part of the world is a snare for the fool and a means of deliverance for the wise.

It is difficult to say what truth is, but sometimes it is so easy to recognize a falsehood.

I used to take on trust a man's deeds after having listened to his words. Now having listened to a man's words I go on to observe his deeds.

Do not let a leader lead you on a bad path.

Be with those who help your being. Don't sit with indifferent people, whose breath comes cold out of their mouths.

To throw oneself into strange teachings is quite dangerous.

Look to the essence of a thing, whether it be a point of doctrine, of practice, or of interpretation.

An education which does not teach us to discriminate between good and bad, to assimilate the one and eschew the other, is a misnomer

This phantom world gave you false signs But you turned from the illusion and journeyed to the land of truth.

The feeling of right or wrong is the beginning of wisdom.

Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

Be suspicious of what you want.

Nonsense is nonsense whether it rhymes or not, just as bad half-pennies are good for nothing whether they jingle or lie quiet.

When a wise man points at the moon the imbecile examines the finger.

Revile those who flatter you.

Believe only half of the praise and half of the criticism.

In order to be a great writer a person must have a built-in, shockproof crap detector.

Smart leaders believe only half of what theyhear. Discerning leaders know which haveto believe.

If you don't find true balance, anyone can deceive you.

Wisdom consists in knowing what not to want as well as what to want.

Let it be your constant method to look into the design of people's actions, and see what they would be at, as often as it is practicable; and to make this custom the more significant, practice it first upon yourself.

Behind every smile there's teeth.

Friendship of the wise is good; a wise enemy is better than a foolish friend.

Water the fruit trees and don’t water the thorns.

There are three sorts of pleasures which are advantageous, and three which are injurious. Finding pleasure in the discriminating study of ceremonies and music, finding pleasure in discussing the good points in the conduct of others, and finding pleasure in having many wise friends, these are advantageous. But finding pleasure in profligate enjoyments, finding pleasure in idle gadding about, and finding pleasure in feasting, these are injurious.

Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction.