Fools and Wise Men

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wise people so full of doubts. – Bertrand Russell

The quote above, is one of my personal favorites from a late great; Bertrand Russell. Russell was a famous British philosopher and he was chock full of snippets of brilliance. I particularly like the one above on fools and wise men, and thought I would share it with you to keep you engaged and your brain working (even on the weekend), because of the two ways I see this insight can be applied.

1)   One profound message this taught me is that you should never be foolish enough to consider yourself concrete and secure, no matter where you are in life. Remember the difference between fools and wise men: if you always view yourself as changing and lacking knowledge (as we all truly are), you’ll continue learning, because only then will you be able to truly acquire self confidence.

2)   The other side of the coin is that we shouldn’t be afraid to be too courageous and to have a lot of self courage. Doubt in yourself or your beliefs is only a positive force when you approach these thoughts with the confidence that you will emerge a more whole person.

Although obviously the balance between the two is a difficult one to meet, who said life was easy? And besides, I’ve got no doubt that Russell himself didn’t always know the answers…