Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.

The saying contrasts formal education with the deeper, ongoing cultivation of judgment. “Schooling” stands for institutional instruction—useful for transmitting information and skills—while “wisdom” is framed as something earned through sustained curiosity, reflection, and experience over a lifetime. The emphasis on “attempt” suggests that wisdom is not a credential or endpoint but a practice: questioning, revising one’s views, and learning from error. Attributed to Einstein, it resonates with his public skepticism toward rote learning and his belief that genuine understanding comes from independent thought. The quote is often used to argue for lifelong learning and intellectual humility rather than reliance on degrees or classroom achievement.