Wisdom of Immanuel Kant

Immanuel Kant (April 22nd, 1724 – February 12th, 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. His comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics made him one of the most influential thinkers in modern Western philosophy.

Below we list some words of wisdom by Immanuel Kant.

"Most men use their knowledge only under guidance from others because they lack the courage to think independently using their own reasoning abilities. It takes intellectual daring to discover the truth."

"Genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person."

"You only know me as you see me, not as I actually am."
"Patience is the strength of the weak, impatience is the weakness of the strong."

"Great minds think for themselves."

"But a lie is a lie, and in itself intrinsically evil, whether it be told with good or bad intents."

"Ingratitude is the essence of vileness."

"If you punish a child for being naughty, and reward him for being good, he will do right merely for the sake of the reward; and when he goes out into the world and finds that goodness is not always rewarded, nor wickedness always punished, he will grow into a man who only thinks about how he may get on in the world, and does right or wrong according as he finds advantage to himself."

"Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for."

"We are not rich by what we possess but by what we can do without."

"Do the right thing because it is right."

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."

"The only thing permanent is change."

"There are two things that don't have to mean anything, one is music and the other is laughter."

"The wise man can change his mind; the stubborn one, never."

"Look closely. The beautiful may be small."

"If justice perishes, human life on Earth has lost its meaning."

"All perception is colored by emotion."

"For peace to reign on Earth, humans must evolve into new beings who have learned to see the whole first."

"Act in such a way that you will be worthy of being happy."

"Enlightenment is man's leaving his self-caused immaturity. Immaturity is the incapacity to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another. Such immaturity is self-caused if it is not caused by lack of intelligence, but by lack of determination and courage to use one's intelligence without being guided by another. Sapere Aude! Have the courage to use your own intelligence! is therefore the motto of the enlightenment."

"Laziness and cowardice explain why so many men. . . remain under a life-long tutelage and why it is so easy for some men to set themselves up as the guardians of all the rest. . . If I have a book which understands for me, a pastor who has a conscience for me, a doctor who decides my diet, I need not trouble myself. If I am willing to pay, I need not think. Others will do it for me."

"Heaven has given human beings three things to balance the odds of life: hope, sleep, and laughter."

"All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason."

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

Copyright © Stephen Petullo, Scott Petullo