ProverbCommunicationItalian origin1666

A fool may ask more questions in half an hour than a wise man can answer in seven years.

Meaning: Foolish questioning consumes time unproductively while wisdom requires patient, deliberate thought to address properly.

Origin: Giovanni Torriano's collection of Italian proverbs (1666) has "One fool may ask more than seven wise men can answer," and Jonathan Swift used a version in Polite Conversation (1738). Asking takes no knowledge; answering takes a great deal.

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