George Kennan might be a decent dark-horse candidate. He was the first guy to articulate (back in the 40s!) the fact that the Soviet Union was essentially an economic and political basket case waiting to happen, and if it could merely be contained (as opposed to fought and destroyed), it would eventually collapse of its own internal problems. This is the doctrine that gave us the Cold War - which wasn’t fun, but beat the hell out of an actual, you know, Hot War. And Kennan was right - we can talk about the roles of Reagan’s defense spending, and Afghanistan, but ultimately, the Soviet Union fell because its system of governance was simply unworkable. Kennan saw himself proved right in his own lifetime - a good deal if you can get it.
Of course, the less said about his views on domestic policy, the better. But he’s known as the wisest of the foreign policy “Wise Men”, and deservedly so.
Socrates
Just about all natural philosophers of ancient Greece,Newton for lateral thinking (so whys the apple fall down then?Well its not going to fall up now is it !No you dont get my…etc.etc.) andThomas Aquinas .
Er I dont want a mob of enraged American Patriots burning my house down but it sounds just a teensy bit reminiscent of the windy "stating the totally bleeding obvious " in as many high blown words as possible that we see written today by "soundbite"staffers or politicians themselves .Noble sentiments no doubt but hardly original.
Apparently it wasn’t bleeding obvious at the time tho, you see. Heck, there are still people that don’t believe in equality. Also, it was written to appeal to the common rather than the high-brow. Sounds all fancy today because we’ve grown used to 30 second sound bites.
And many philosophers and early scientists ideas seem pretty obvious now.
Wait, what the heck is wrong with us, the answer is obviously “Cecil Adams”
“Bleeding obvious” to who? To you? You do realize that the morals, truths, and beliefs you have are largely influenced by the indoctrination of the culture you were raised in, don’t you? At a time at least 60 years before the Emancipation Proclamation, and in all likelihood almost 100 years before it; these values and ideals were not “bleeding obvious”, and in fact were relatively unheard of.
I also understand that you may not think too highly of proper vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation; but the usage of such does not equate to being “high blown”.
Well, just going by the sound byte, these three deserve consideration. Some, of course have demonstrated more than quotability.
“True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else.” ~ Clarence Seward Darrow ~
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mohandas K. Gandhi ~
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~ Lao-Tzu ~
“The wicked leader is he who the people despise. The good leader is he who the people revere. The great leader is he who the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’” ~ Lao Tzu ~
“The people have always some champion whom they set over them and nurse into greatness…This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector.” ~ Plato ~
Tris
Possibly Newton. Not just for the Math, but also for the Figs.
Jesus and Allah and Buddha a seemed pretty sharp if you can believe half of what people say.
Julius Cesar
Franklin Roosevelt.
I forgot.
Master Po*
*TV series Kung Fu
I’ll buy that. Read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Ben Franklin? The man did everything.
Hmmm…maybe. Smart, yes. Cynical, yes. Funny, yes. Excellent writer, yes. Wise? That might be a reach… BTW, along the same lines, you could make a similar case for H.L. Mencken. 
Don’t forget the Juice!
“Playing with the queen of hearts,
knowing it ain’t really smart
The joker ain’t the only fool
who’ll do anything for you”
Pure wisdom right there!
Gandhi, Shakespeare, Jesus (regardless whether he was the son of God, he had some good ideas)
Nah, be honest. He’s smart, sure. But wise? He’s relied on little Ed all this time.
I know Gandhi and Budda are well know in the west but overall I’d say Shankara
I want honorable mention for Larry David.
Are you really aware of the opinion of Jesus about human nature? In John8:43-44, Jesus said, “Why do you misunderstand what I say? It is because you are unable to hear what I am saying - you cannot bear to listen to My message, your ears are shut to My teachings. You are of your father the devil and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him; for he is a liar himself and the father of lies and all that is false.”
His teachings are fairly sharp about the depravity of mankind’s condition. If you regard Him as “pretty sharp” or that He had “some good ideas”, what’s your response to His view of human nature?
Sounds pretty dead on target to me.
The Buddha.
Fairly accurate. I think the natural tendency of people without guidance is to follow an easy path. The easy path involves going for easy pleasures by any means. I think Christ understood that that is part the nature of man, however he also understood that part of the nature of man is to overcome these limitations. He understood that his philosophies such as turning the other cheek would eventually work for his people. He understood the nature of people to feel empathy towards others, and the good it can work. And while I don’t have a direct quotation, I don’t think Christ was all doom and gloom regarding humanity…because if we were beyond redemption he wouldn’t have been on his mission to save us.