 Bertrand Russell Quotes 366 |
A stupid man's report of what a clever man says is never accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something that he can understand.
Source: Bertrand Russell: A History of Western Philosophy, 1945, chap. 11 (Socrates), p.101
* a brief comment:
This is a common misconception among those who are always close to great figures (entourage). Words (statements) that seem simple at first glance may have various connotations, but ‘less clever people’ interpret them only according to their surface meaning. The entourage of a great man may well understand the personality of a great man, but it is difficult to understand his ideas. Note that the above quote is a warning (sarcasm) from Russell's History of Western Philosophy. The quotation is preceded by the following sentence, which may help to better understand its purpose.
"There has been a tendency to think that everything Xenophon says must be true, because he had not the wits to think of anything untrue.)"
He then ensures the reader's understanding by writing the following immediately after the above quote.
" I would rather be reported by my bitterest enemy among philosophers than by a friend innocent of philosophy."