Quote#Wisdom
The truth is, that most men want knowledge, not for itself, but for…
Quote bySydney Smith · 1771–1845
Commonly attributed — not confirmed in an authoritative edition. Cited on Wikiquote to: Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy (1849), Lecture IX : On the Conduct of the Understanding.
English (original)
The truth is, that most men want knowledge, not for itself, but for the superiority which knowledge confers; and the means they employ to secure this superiority, are as wrong as the ultimate object, for no man can ever end with being superior, who will not begin with being inferior.
— Sydney Smith
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