Be wiser than other people, if you can; but do not tell them so.

This maxim is associated with Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, whose posthumously published letters to his illegitimate son, Philip Stanhope, became famous as a handbook of worldly prudence and social polish. Written in the 1740s–1750s, the letters repeatedly counsel discretion, self-command, and the careful management of appearances in courtly and diplomatic society. The sentiment fits Chesterfield’s broader advice: cultivate real superiority—learning, judgment, and tact—but avoid the social error of advertising it. In the competitive, status-conscious milieu Chesterfield moved in, overt claims of wisdom could provoke resentment and undermine influence.

The line distinguishes between possessing wisdom and performing it. Chesterfield implies that genuine superiority is best demonstrated indirectly—through sound decisions, restraint, and effective conduct—rather than through self-congratulation. Declaring oneself wiser invites envy, challenges, and social resistance; it converts a private advantage into a public provocation. The aphorism also reflects an ethics of humility (or at least the appearance of it): wisdom includes knowing how others will react, and therefore knowing when to be silent. In this sense, the quote is less anti-intellectual than anti-vanity, recommending tact as an essential companion to intelligence.