A man is not learned because he talks much; he who is patient, free from hatred and fear, he is called learned.
A shared theme
Wisdom & the Pursuit of Knowledge
Seek knowledge; prize wisdom above gold; learn from everyone; teach what you know. The Quran's first revealed word was 'Read'; Proverbs personifies Wisdom; the Gita calls knowledge the purifier; Confucius and the Buddha both begin with learning. Discernment — knowing what matters — is wisdom's fruit.
Buddhism
7 versesChristianity
6 versesThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Confucianism
10 versesThe Master said, "In teaching there should be no distinction of classes."
Hinduism
2 verses'Now that which is that subtile essence (the root of all), in it all that exists has its self. It is the True. It is the Self, and thou, O Svetaketu, art it.'
Islam
6 verses…but say, "O my Lord! advance me in knowledge."
Jainism
5 versesTherefore, seeker after the highest truth, study the sacred lore, in order to cause yourself and others to attain perfection.
Judaism
6 versesThe beginning of wisdom is: Get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.
Sikhism
2 versesContemplate and reflect upon knowledge, and you will become a benefactor to others.
Sufism
1 verseLittle is known by any one but the spiritual man, / Who has in his heart a touchstone of vital truth. / The others, hovering between two opinions, / Fly towards their nest on a single wing. / Knowledge has two wings, opinion only one wing; / Opinion is weak and lopsided in its flight. …
Taoism
0 versesNo passage in the collection yet.
Where the traditions differ
What counts as the highest knowledge differs: knowledge of God, of the Self (atman), of the Four Noble Truths, of the Way, of ritual and the classics. Hinduism and Buddhism distinguish sharply between intellectual knowledge and liberating insight (jnana, prajna). Judaism's Talmudic culture makes study itself a form of worship. Islam's hadith 'seek knowledge even unto China' and Sikhism's name for the scripture — Granth, book — mark knowledge as sacred. Confucianism and Taoism diverge most: one reveres learning, the other warns that the learned often miss the Way.