Remark to James Mackintosh on October 6, 1830, reported in his posthumous memoir, Memoirs of the Life of the Right Honourable Sir James Mackintosh, Vol. 2 (1836), p. 472
“
[A proverb is] one man's wit, and all men's wisdom.
• Variant: [A proverb is] the wisdom of many and the wit of one.
— John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "[A proverb is] one man's wit, and all men's wisdom.
• Variant: [A proverb is] the wisdom of many and the wit of one." in the context of "Remark to James Mackintosh on October 6, 1830, reported in his posthumous memoir, Memoirs of the Life of the Right Honourable Sir James Mackintosh, Vol. 2 (1836), p. 472" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "John Russell, 1st Earl Russell" (Quotes, 1830s)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century.
About John Russell, 1st Earl Russell
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, KG, GCMG, PC (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known as Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century.
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