Wisdom of Bernard Williams

Sir Bernard Arthur Owen Williams (September 21st, 1929 – June 10th, 2003) was an English moral philosopher. His authored the books Problems of the Self, Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy, Shame and Necessity, and Truth and Truthfulness.

He was a Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and a Deutsch Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Below we list some words of wisdom from Bernard Williams.

"If we try and fail, we have temporary disappointments. But if we do not try at all, we have permanent regrets."

"Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit."

"There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope."

"It is almost impossible to watch a sunset and not dream."

"We grow a little every time we do not take advantage of somebody's weakness."

"Life is supposed to be a series of peaks and valleys. The secret is to keep the valleys from becoming Grand Canyons."

"Unsolicited advice is the junk mail of life."

"We must escape our illusions of correctness to understand the actions and beliefs of others."

"I like the word "indolence." It makes my laziness seem classy."

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."

"We may pass violets looking for roses. We may pass contentment looking for victory."

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring."
"Few things move as quietly as the future."

"Talent is a flame. Genius is a fire."

"Sooner or later we all quote our mothers."

"This is the end of the day, but soon there will be a new day."

"A half-truth is usually less than half of that."

"Tranquility is like quicksilver. The harder you grab for it, the less likely you will grasp it."

"A friend is a lot of things, but a critic isn't."

"The average man will bristle if you say his father was dishonest, but he will brag a little if he discovers that his great-grandfather was a Pirate."

"If a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance."

"Few things are as democratic as a snowstorm."

"No symphony orchestra ever played music like a two-year-old girl laughing with a puppy."

"People who say, 'Let the chips fall where they may,' usually figure they will not be hit by a chip."

"September tries its best to have us forget summer."

"You are mature when you know what is foolhardy and what is courage."

"Books had instant replay long before televised sports."

"An extravagance is something that your spirit thinks is a necessity."

"Women have a favorite room, men a favorite chair."

"Laziness has many disguises. Soon "winter doldrums" will become "spring fever.""

"Laziness has many disguises. Soon "winter doldrums" will become "spring fever.""

"Americans are optimists. They hope they'll be wealthy someday - and they're positive they can get one more brushful of paint out of an empty can."

"Ideas are like wandering sons. They show up when you least expect them."

Copyright © Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo