90 Clever Brainy Quotes to Help Sharpen Your Wit

By Danielle Dahl

Writer, Ph.D Candidate and Inspirational quote curator

Published August 30, 2023

These brainy quotes help explain the difference between being witty and clever.

They also cover formal education and examples of what it looks like being “brainy.”

Is it possible that being brainy, or having too many brainy people involved in a project, could be a bad thing?

Keep reading through these brainy quotes to find out!

We often call brainy people nerdy or geeky.

However, make sure you call a nerd a nerd and a geek, otherwise, you might get quite the lecture.

There was even an Epic Rap Battle about the differences between the two!

Knowing the personality of the brainy people in your life can come in handy when it comes to gift-giving.

We always get my husband some kind of logic puzzle-like chains he has to unlink.

(He is definitely a geek.)

There are some pretty brainy people who had a lot to say on the subject, like Voltaire; so keep reading to enhance your own brainpower!

Don’t forget to also check out these witty quotes to sharpen your cleverness.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration.

Our inspirational quote category page has even more inspirational and educational quotes.

Brainy quotes about education and subjects you might take in school

1. “If a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.” — Francis Bacon

You will also enjoy our article on Edward Scissorhands quotes.

2. “I like physics. I think it is the best science out of all three of them because generally, it’s more useful. You learn about speed and velocity and time, and that’s all clever stuff.” — Tom Felton

3. “I think I’m pretty smart. I think I’m pretty clever. But there’s a lot that you hone in on when you finish your education.” — Michelle Obama

You will also enjoy our article on smart quotes.

4. “As a writer, you get to play; you get alter time; you get to come up with the smart lines and the clever comebacks you wish you’d thought of.” — Iain Banks

5. “Reason is mechanical, wit chemical, and genius organic spirit.” — Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel

6. “So vast is art, so narrow human wit.” — Alexander Pope

7. “Never stop acquiring the commonsense, it is as good as the knowledge.” ― Amit Kalantri

8. “I always thought ‘Of Mice and Men’ was such a perfect book because there’s nothing not to understand, but it’s still really clever and moving and complicated, but everybody understands the complication.” — Nick Hornby

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of ‘Of Mice of Men’ quotes that will inspire you to keep your head up.

Brainy quotes about wit and cleverness

9. “Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food.” — William Hazlitt

10. “Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which, before their union, were not perceived to have any relation.” — Mark Twain

11. “Being clever was when you looked at how things were and used the evidence to work out something new.” ― Mark Haddon

12. “Wit is the epitaph of an emotion.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

13. “Wit is educated insolence.” — Aristotle

brainy quotes about wit is educated insolence

14. “Wit lies in recognizing the resemblance among things which differ and the difference between things which are alike.” — Madame de Stael

15. “Brevity is the soul of wit.” — William Shakespeare

brainy quotes about brevity is the soul of wit

16. “When someone asks a question, don’t assume they don’t know the answer. Clever people will always test you.” ― Wayne Gerard Trotman

Proverbs and examples of brainy quotes

17. “A proverb is the wisdom of many and the wit of one.” — Lord John Russell

18. “A fine quotation is a diamond in the hand of a man of wit and a pebble in the hand of a fool.” — Joseph Roux

19. “Ask for a fish, and you only get one; ask for a net, and you can catch dozens.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo

20. “A wise bird does not lend even the smallest of its feathers to a hunter.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo

21. “The genius, wit, and the spirit of a nation are discovered by their proverbs.” — Francis Bacon

22. “The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with bated breath.” — W. C. Fields

23. “Tiptoeing on a tightrope past insider trading laws may be deft and clever, but it doesn’t make it right.” — Andrew Ross Sorkin

Witty and clever brainy quotes about people

24. “The world is divided into men who have wit and no religion and men who have religion and no wit.” — Avicenna

25. “At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment.” — Benjamin Franklin

26. “No government likes the clever and the honorable men, because it is impossible to bridle them; they are independent!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

27. “Wise people make trails and paths, clever walk on them – stupid people can’t decide.” ― Deyth Banger

28. “You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” — Naguib Mahfouz

29. “A wise man will live as much within his wit as within his income.” — Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

30. “Clever people master life; the wise illuminate it and create fresh difficulties.” — Emil Nolde

31. “It is a sad thing when men have neither the wit to speak well nor the judgment to hold their tongues.” — Jean de La Bruyère

32. “An intelligent mind who trusts nothing but the intelligence will eventually face problems which intelligence won’t solve.” ― Amit Kalantri

33. “You don’t need luck. You are powerful, clever, and fearless.” ― Shannon Hale

34. “Obviously, people want social calm, but if you do not let clever and ingenious people to participate, obviously there must be some dormant volcano that will erupt, sooner or later.” — Lech Walesa

35. “I think there is a basic comfort in clever people who know things.” — Hugh Laurie

Funny and witty brainy quotes

36. “Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.” — William Shakespeare

37. “To be witty is not enough. One must possess sufficient wit to avoid having too much of it.” — Andre Maurois

38. “I appreciate simplicity, true beauty that lasts over time, and a little wit and eclecticism that make life more fun.” — Elliott Erwitt

39. “Next to being witty, the best thing is being able to quote another’s wit.” — Christian Nestell Bovee

40. “There is a certain majesty in simplicity which is far above all the quaintness of wit.” — Alexander Pope

41. “There are so many different kinds of stupidity, and cleverness is one of the worst.” ― Thomas Mann

42. “Intelligence is more important than strength, that is why earth is ruled by men and not by animals.” ― Amit Kalantri

43. “Cleverness isn’t always true nor is the truth always clever.” ― Criss Jami

44. “I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.” — Oscar Wilde

45. “Too clever is dumb.” — Ogden Nash

46. “A clever, imaginative, humorous request can open closed doors and closed minds.” — Percy Ross

47. “Clever people will recognize and tolerate nothing but cleverness.” — Henri Frederic Amiel

48. “What a grand thing it is to be clever and have common sense.” — Terence

49. “The desire to seem clever often keeps us from being so.” — Francois de La Rochefoucauld

50. “I mean, I do love clever and witty, but I think that the ‘Three Stooges’ were geniuses. They’d have to be for their appeal to have lasted this long.” — Paula Poundstone

Brainy Quotes by Smart People

51. “Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent People Ignore.” — Albert Einstein

52. “Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.” — Cale Yarborough

53. “A professor can never better distinguish himself in his work than by encouraging a clever pupil, for the true discoverers are among them, as comets amongst the stars.” Carl Von Linne

54. “Creativity is the catalyst for brilliant accomplishments, but it is also the greatest obstacle.” — Scott Belsky

55. “Clever is when one is crafty enough to mistake your imagination for intelligence. Smart is when one assumes they are too educated to notice the difference.” — Kerry E. Wagner

56. “Minds like razors remain sharp and bright, only if kept in use, otherwise they rust.” — M. K. Soni

57. “The intelligent man is never bored.” — Isaac Asimov

58. “Wisdom is the daughter of experience.” — Leonardo da Vinci

59. “The really clever people now want to be lawyers or journalists.” — A. N. Wilson

60. “I think clever people think that poor people are stupid.” — Norm MacDonald

Brainy Quotes For All The Geeks Out There

61. “No one messes around with a nerd’s computer and escapes unscathed.” ― E.A. Bucchianeri

62. “Nerd life is so much better than regular life.” ― John Green

64. “That’s what I love about geeks, that they can call themselves a geek and be proud of it. I love that.” ― Doug Jones.

65. “I think that nerds, if you want to call them that, have only gotten hipper and more assimilated into the culture.” ― Al Yankovic.

66. “That’s the wonderful thing with nerds: they’re enthusiasts. Not having a life means you get to love things with a passion and nobody bothers you about it.” ― John Burnside.

67. “If you like nerds, raise your hand. If you don’t, raise your standards.” ― Violet Haberdasher.

68. “I hope history remembers me as a cool scientist, not a nerdy one!” ― Steven Magee

69. “Haven’t you heard? Nerds are cool now.”― Jen Wilde

70. “All the geniuses and greats are really just nerds with experience.” ― A.D. Posey

Brainy Quotes to Navigate Wisdom and Insight

71. “A new broom sweeps clean but an old broom knows the corners.” — Virgin Islander

72. “When our imperfect judgments are aggregated in the right way, our collective intelligence is often excellent.” — James Surowiecki

73. “The goal of human nature, of any nature is blessedness. If we do not reach this goal, it is a sign that we are headed in the wrong direction.” — Raimon Pannikar

74. “To know how to grow old is the master work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living.” — Henri Frederic Amiel

75. “Everything will be difficult, if there’s no dream.” — Gregory Skovoroda

76. Injustice towards others is a threat to everybody.” — Baron de Montesquieu

77. “Invisible threads are the strongest ties.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

78. “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” — Jack Benny

79. “The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” — Wayne Dyer

80. “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” — Albert Einstein

Brainy Quotes on Illuminating Life’s Path

81. “In dark days, your best shelter is your clever thoughts!” — Mehmet Murat Ildan

82. Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.” — Confucius

83. In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” — Robert Frost

84. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” — Robert H. Schuller

85. “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” — George Bernard Shaw

86. The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” — Alice Walker

87. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” — Eleanor Roosevelt

88. “Passion makes idiots of the cleverest men, and makes the biggest idiots clever.” — Francois de La Rochefoucauld

89. “When you argue with your inferiors, you convince them of only one thing: they are as clever as you.” — Irving Layton

90. Take from a man his reputation for probity, and the more shrewd and clever he is, the more hated and mistrusted he becomes.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero