He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask remains a fool forever
Meaning: Admitting ignorance and seeking knowledge is always wiser than pretending to understand.
Origin: Circulated in English as a Chinese proverb or a saying of Confucius, but no Chinese source for it has been found. A close match is the Japanese proverb kiku wa ittoki no haji, kikanu wa isshō no haji — to ask is a moment's shame, not to ask is a lifetime's shame.
Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, and German
- French: Celui qui pose une question est un imbécile cinq minutes ; celui qui ne pose pas en reste un pour toujours (literally: He who asks is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask remains a fool forever)
- Spanish: Quien hace una pregunta es tonto por cinco minutos; quien no la hace lo es para siempre (literally: He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who doesn't remains a fool forever)
- Japanese: 質問をする者は五分間の馬鹿、質問しない者は永遠の馬鹿 (Shitsumon wo suru mono wa gofunkan no baka, shitsumon shinai mono wa eien no baka) (literally: He who asks is a fool for five minutes; he who doesn't remains a fool forever)
- German: Wer nicht fragt, bleibt dumm (literally: He who does not ask stays stupid)
More proverbs about Wisdom
- Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped — Focus on the root cause of a problem rather than just its consequence.
- He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything — Good health is the foundation upon which all other good things in life are built.
- Water finds its own level — People and things naturally settle into their proper place over time.
- The moon is not shamed by the barking of dogs — Those with true integrity remain unaffected by baseless criticism or petty noise.
- The more you know, the more you realize you don't know — True knowledge reveals the vastness of what remains to be learned.
- The greatest wealth is health — Good health is more valuable than any material possession or social status.