Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. — Aristotle · Smartyfair

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Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. — Aristotle · Smartyfair

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Aristotle384–322 BC · philosopher · Ancient GreeceAristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher who studied nearly everything — biology, physics, poetry, and politics — and organized knowledge in ways that shaped science for centuries.6 quotes

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In plain words

Understanding yourself is where being wise starts.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 33% sureLots of sources credit Aristotle with this, and they agree with each other. The book or the speech it first came from hasn't turned up yet.
What turned up: Does not appear anywhere on Wikiquote's Aristotle page. Commonly and inconsistently attributed across Aristotle, Plato, and Laozi, and often conflated with the Delphic/Socratic maxim "Know thyself."
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 20 August 2026

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