proverb · Words worth keeping
All the wit in the world is not in one head.
All the wit in the world is not in one head.
In print by 1893 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
No individual possesses every useful insight. The saying encourages listening to other people’s understanding, especially when confidence or status makes one person assume that further contributions have nothing to offer.
What the words are saying
The image puts all the world’s wit into a single head and rejects that concentration. Wit here can be read as practical understanding or ingenuity rather than only a talent for jokes. The proverb makes room for different observations and skills within a shared task. One person may see an issue another misses, even when the second is more experienced overall. Listening does not require treating every suggestion as equally sound. Contributions still need examination and a decision may still require responsibility. The lesson is to keep judgment open to information beyond oneself, not to replace careful assessment with automatic agreement.
Everyday example
A designer asks the people using a form which instructions they find unclear.
When to use it
Use it to invite useful contributions from others.
What it does not mean
Openness still requires evaluating the quality of advice.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional proverb
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1893 AD · industrial
In print by 1893: recorded in Dictionary of Quotations (1893). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Dictionary of Quotations (1893) (1893 AD)
Printed citation: Pr. · page_010
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.