The first chapter of fools is to think themselves wise. (Strauss, 1994 p. 879)
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Foolish people often believe they are wise
Examples
The first chapter of fools is to think themselves wise
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “The first chapter of fools is to think themselves wise. (Strauss, 1994 p. 879)” mean?
Foolish people often believe they are wise
Is “The first chapter of fools is to think themselves wise. (Strauss, 1994 p. 879)” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.