Karl Kraus: Inheriting Wisdom
on Saturday, July 9, 2011Karl Kraus Money Quotation saying suggesting that it is far more valuable to gain experience and earn wisdom than to save cash and store earnings. Karl Kraus said:
“Experiences are savings which a miser puts aside. Wisdom is an inheritance which a wastrel cannot exhaust” — Karl Kraus
In this quote, Karl Kraus is contrasting experiences and wisdom. He argues that experiences are like savings that accumulate over time through effort and diligence. However, wisdom is more akin to an inheritance in that it cannot be depleted no matter how unwisely one acts (“a wastrel”).
The implication is that experiences can be “put aside” and collected gradually, but wisdom gained from those experiences becomes a permanent possession that will remain with a person even if they squander other resources or live unproductively.
So in summary, the quote views experiences as a savings that can be depleted, whereas wisdom obtained from experiences is seen as a more enduring inheritance or possession that is not diminished by poor decisions or wasteful behavior.
Birthday: April 28, 1874 – Death: June 12, 1936