From a very long experience of reading, studying and teaching, of participating in Conferences and, in recent years, of editing articles for Journals (and, of course, private contacts and exchanges with scholars in many fields) I acquired the certainty that very few academics use their reason to the full and even fewer are, despite their vociferous protestations to the contrary, interested in truth.

There are plenty of good people, but only a very, very few are precise and disciplined.

Numerous are the academic chairs, but rare are wise and noble teachers. Numerous and large are the lecture halls, but far from numerous the young people who genuinely thirst for truth and justice. Numerous are the wares that nature produces by the dozen, but her choice products are few.
We all know that, so why complain? Was it not always thus and will it not always thus remain? Certainly, and one must take what nature gives as one finds it. But there is also such a thing as a spirit of the times, an attitude of mind characteristic of a particular generation, which is passed on from individual to individual and gives its distinctive mark to a society. Each of us has to his little bit toward transforming this spirit of the times.

There are many who know many things, yet are lacking in wisdom.

The means of learning are abundant, the desire to learn is scarce

One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.

The means of learning are abundant — it’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.

The means of learning are abundant — it’s the desire to learn that is scarce.

The means of learning are abundant, it’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.

The world is full of teachers but devoid of students.

What the world needs is more geniuses with humility, there are so few of us left.

The tools for learning are abundant. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.

The number of people who can copulate properly may be few; the number who can write well are infinitely fewer.

The innumerable fools have made the learned very scarce.