ProverbWisdom
American origin1890
American origin1890The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook
Meaning: True wisdom includes knowing which details and offenses are not worth your attention or energy.
Who said it? William James, The Principles of Psychology, 1890
Origin: From the American psychologist William James's The Principles of Psychology (1890): "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." James meant that clear thinking depends on picking out the one feature of a situation that matters and ignoring the rest.
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