Reverence for Wisdom and Learning

Confucianism

At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven.

The Confucian Analects, bk. ii, c. iv, James Legge, 1893

Christianity

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

The Bible (King James Version), Proverbs 4:7, 1611

Buddhism

If you see an intelligent man who tells you where true treasures are to be found, who shows what is to be avoided, and administers reproofs, follow that wise man; it will be better, not worse, for those who follow him.

The Dhammapada, v. 76, F. Max Müller (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 10), 1881

Hinduism

The Guru's Word is the Sound-current of the Naad; the Guru's Word is the Wisdom of the Vedas; the Guru's Word is all-pervading.

Shri Guru Granth Sahib, Japji section, anonymous English translation, 1877

Taoism

Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.

The Tao Te Ching, ch. 81, James Legge (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 39), 1891

Stoicism

Look at things again as thou didst use to look at them; for in this consists the recovery of thy life.

Meditations, Book VII, Marcus Aurelius, George Long, 1862

Islam

Summary: The Quran repeatedly enjoins seeking knowledge and reflecting on the signs of God in creation. The George Sale translation (1734) is available at Project Gutenberg.

The Koran, George Sale, 1734