How does that quote go?

Factual Questions
1

I’m trying to remember a quote that goes something like: “A truly intelligent man is someone who can keep two contrasting ideas in his head without going mad”

I thought it might have been said by Oscar Wilde, but searching on Google didn’t yield anything productive. Anyone know the quotation that I’m referring to?

2

I think there is a Bartlett’s Quotation source online. Not sure is I spelled that correctly.

3

Thanks for reminding me about that site. I checked it out but still no luck. Did I conjure this quote from my imagination? :slight_smile:

4

Interesting, provocative quote. Have you tried Google Groups:

http://groups.google.com/

I’ll check back in a few hours! :wink:

5

Reminds me of a George Orwell quote from 1984:

6

Is there any chance you’re thinking of Neils Bohr’s old chestnut about a great truth being one thats opposite is also true?

7

Hmm, that sounds like it’s along the same vein, but it’s not the one I’m thinking of.

8

Oooh…I looked that up on Bartlett and saw this:

Attribution: George Orwell (1903–1950), British author. Nineteen Eighty-Four, pt. 2, ch. 9 (1949). Extract from Goldstein’s book; see also F. Scott Fitzgerald’s comment under “intelligence.”

So I looked up that comment on intelligence, and it turned out to be exactly what I had been looking for:

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

Thanks to all for their help :slight_smile: