It’s a special kind of fool who relies on the promise of a drunkard. Boardwalk Empire s2e4: What Does The Bee Do? Margaret to servants, HBO 2011
But what is equally important, and sobering, is how often we fool ourselves. And we fool ourselves not only individually but en masse. The tendency of a group of human beings to quickly come to believe something that its individual members will later see as obviously false is truly amazing. Some of the worst tragedies of the last century happened because well-meaning people fell for easy solutions proposed by bad leaders. Lee Smolin, The Trouble with Physics
I’m just trying to show you how foolish you are. Rebel Without a Cause 1955 starring James Dean & Natalie Wood & Sal Mineo & Jim Backus & Ann Doran & Corey Allen & William Hopper & Rochelle Hudson & Edward Platt & Nick Adams et al, director Nicholas Ray, father to son
We are all God’s fools, my lord. Becket 1964 starring Peter O’Toole & Richard Burton & John Gielgud & Paolo Stoppa & Donald Wolfit & David Weston & Martita Hunt & Pamela Brown & Felix Aylmer & Gino Cervi & Christopher Rhodes et al, director Peter Glenville, Becket
The truth is I’ve never fooled anyone. I’ve let people fool themselves. They didn’t bother to find out who and what I was. Instead they would invent a character for me. Marilyn Monroe
A fool and his money are soon parted. Thomas Tusser
Who loves not woman, wine, and song
Remains a fool his whole life long. Martin Luther
An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools. Ernest Hemingway
The greatest pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him, and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself, too. Samuel Butler
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1711
Some have at first for wits, then poets passed,
Turned critics next, and proved plain fools at last. Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln, attributions & variations, possibly Maurice Switzer 1907 [viz also Twain; cf. Lincoln]
cf.
It’s easier to fool people than to convince them they’ve been fooled. Mark Twain
The trouble ain’t that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain’t distributed right. Mark Twain
Hain’t we got all the fools in town on our side? and ain’t that a big enough majority in any town? Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
You can only fool a Firefly twice. Duck Soup 1933 starring Grocho Marx & Harpo Marx & Chico Marx & Zeppo Marx & Margaret Dumont & Louis Calhern & Raquel Torres & Edgar Kennedy & Edmund Breese & Edwin Maxwell & William Worthington & Davison Clark et al, director Leo McCary, Rufus T Firefly
Never give a sucker an even break. W C Fields, American humorist
There’s a sucker born every minute. Phineas T Barnum, 1810-1891, attributed
A fool can always find a greater fool to admire him. Nicolas Boileau
He’s a muddle-headed fool, with frequent lucid intervals. Cervantes, Don Quixote
A fool and his words are soon parted. William Shenstone
A knowledgeable fool is a greater fool than an ignorant fool. Moliere aka Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
In the vain laughter of folly, wisdom hears half the applause. George Eliot
We must learn to live together as brothers or we are going to perish together as fools. Martin Luther King
A fool ... is a man who never tried an experiment in his life. Erasmus Darwin, 1731-1802
It my be true that you can’t fool all of the people all of the time but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country. Will Durant, The Story of Civilisation
A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.
For she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
To call passengers who go right on their ways:
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell. Proverbs 9:13-18
Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly. Proverbs 13:16
Go from the presence of a foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.
The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. Proverbs 14:7&18
Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.
Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding: but that which is in the midst of fools is made known. Proverbs 14:1&6&16&33
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. Proverbs 15:7&14
Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. Proverbs 17:24
Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself. Proverbs 18:1&2
A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Proverbs 18:6-8
It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling. Proverbs 20:3
Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Proverbs 23:9
As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honour is not seemly for a fool.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back.
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.
As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool.
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Proverbs 26:1&3-5&8&11
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. Proverbs 29:11
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Psalms 14:1