"To think ill of mankind and not wish ill to them, is perhaps the highest wisdom and virtue."

Wisdom

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on wisdom by William Hazlitt resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in wisdom is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About William Hazlitt

William Hazlitt was an English essayist, drama and literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history of the English language, placed in the company of Samuel Johnson and George Orwell. He is also acknowledged as the finest art critic of his age. Despite his high standing among historians of literature and art, his work is currently little read and mostly out of print.

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Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by William Hazlitt

"Defoe says that there were a hundred thousand country fellows in his time ready to fight to the death against popery, without knowing whether popery was a man or a horse."

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More about Wisdom

"It is a quiet truth that a life well-lived leaves an aroma of kindness long after the sun has set — an essential principle for the reflective life."

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