Wise Words 2

Some more sayings of Idries Shah:

KNOWLEDGE AND POWER: ‘Knowledge is power, they say. But if only power were knowledge, that would be something worth thinking about’

WORDS AND THOUGHT: ‘Words are an aspect of the attempted communication of thought. They are not thought. When we see words described as ‘thoughts’, we should make sure that we know this distinction’

SAYING A THING: ‘It is not important to have said a thing first, or best – or even most interestingly. What is important is to say it on the right occasion’

COMMUNICATION: ‘For a long time now people have been claiming that what is wrong with society is that there is a failure of communication. Many of these have had nothing to communicate other than the assertion that they cannot communicate. They have communicated this effectively enough’

DROWNING: ‘To drown in treacle is just as unpleasant as to drown in mud. People today are in danger of drowning in information; but, because they have been taught that information is useful, they are more willing to drown than they need be. If they could handle information, they would not have to drown at all’