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Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2026 6:29 pm
Where Wisdom Comes From:
Most often, it comes from processed experience + pain + reflection. This is why the
elderly are often wiser than the young. This is why people who have gone through
serious trials (loss, betrayal, illness, poverty) frequently become calmer and
deeper. There is a short definition that I really like: “Wisdom is when you no longer
chase what used to seem important, and you no longer hold on to what used to
seem indispensable.” Or even shorter, in plain folk terms: Wisdom is when you stop
proving things and simply live in a way that makes it clear to others. If you want
to test yourself, ask one question: “If I only had a year left to live, would I continue
doing exactly what I’m doing and treating people the same way?” If the answer is
“no,” then there is still room to grow in wisdom. When the answer becomes
“yes, I would continue,” that is when wisdom has truly arrived.
— Where is the topic of wisdom first mentioned in ancient scriptures?
The earliest and most detailed mention of “wisdom” as a divine, cosmic, and
practical principle appears in Ancient Egypt — approximately 2500–2700 BCE.
This is significantly earlier than in the Bible, the Vedas, or Chinese texts.
1. Ancient Egypt (c. 2700–2200 BCE)
Deities: The goddess Sia personifies “divine knowledge” and “perception,” while
the goddess Hu personifies the “divine word of authority.”
Key Texts:
• “The Maxims of Ptahhotep” (c. 2450 BCE, 5th Dynasty): This is the world’s
oldest surviving treatise on wisdom. It contains everything later found
in the Proverbs of Solomon: “It is better to be silent and seem a fool than
to speak and prove it,” “Do not be proud of wealth — it comes and goes,”
“Listen more than you speak,” etc.
• Pyramid Texts (c. 2400 BCE): Wisdom is explicitly called a gift from the
gods, without which a Pharaoh cannot rule the world or the afterlife.
Most often, it comes from processed experience + pain + reflection. This is why the
elderly are often wiser than the young. This is why people who have gone through
serious trials (loss, betrayal, illness, poverty) frequently become calmer and
deeper. There is a short definition that I really like: “Wisdom is when you no longer
chase what used to seem important, and you no longer hold on to what used to
seem indispensable.” Or even shorter, in plain folk terms: Wisdom is when you stop
proving things and simply live in a way that makes it clear to others. If you want
to test yourself, ask one question: “If I only had a year left to live, would I continue
doing exactly what I’m doing and treating people the same way?” If the answer is
“no,” then there is still room to grow in wisdom. When the answer becomes
“yes, I would continue,” that is when wisdom has truly arrived.
— Where is the topic of wisdom first mentioned in ancient scriptures?
The earliest and most detailed mention of “wisdom” as a divine, cosmic, and
practical principle appears in Ancient Egypt — approximately 2500–2700 BCE.
This is significantly earlier than in the Bible, the Vedas, or Chinese texts.
1. Ancient Egypt (c. 2700–2200 BCE)
Deities: The goddess Sia personifies “divine knowledge” and “perception,” while
the goddess Hu personifies the “divine word of authority.”
Key Texts:
• “The Maxims of Ptahhotep” (c. 2450 BCE, 5th Dynasty): This is the world’s
oldest surviving treatise on wisdom. It contains everything later found
in the Proverbs of Solomon: “It is better to be silent and seem a fool than
to speak and prove it,” “Do not be proud of wealth — it comes and goes,”
“Listen more than you speak,” etc.
• Pyramid Texts (c. 2400 BCE): Wisdom is explicitly called a gift from the
gods, without which a Pharaoh cannot rule the world or the afterlife.