Desiderius Erasmus, Praise of Folly
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Ask a wise man to dinner and he'll upset everyone by his gloomy silence or tiresome questions. Invite him to a dance and you'll have a camel prancing about. Haul him off to a public entertainment and his face will be enough to spoil the people's entertainment.
— Desiderius Erasmus on Intellectual
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Ask a wise man to dinner and he'll upset everyone by his gloomy silence or tiresome questions. Invite him to a dance and you'll have a camel prancing about. Haul him off to a public entertainment and his face will be enough to spoil the people's entertainment." in the context of "Desiderius Erasmus, Praise of Folly" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Intellectual" (E)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (27 October 1466 – 12 July 1536) was a Dutch philosopher, humanist and theologian.
About Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (27 October 1466 – 12 July 1536) was a Dutch philosopher, humanist and theologian.
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