“Wisdom really never develops in isolation but only in
relation to other people, parents, teachers, family members and, of course, in
relation to the broader culture that has hierarchies and values of its own. It's
fundamentally rooted in an openness to dialogue. Martin Buber called it the
'between,' the area between people where something new is created. In our
neoliberal culture where the 'me' is supreme, thinking about wisdom as
something formed between people is really important. Truly wise people are
always walking on some form of moral ground that recognizes the other
person. That means having humility, both
intellectual and moral.”—American novelist and essayist Siri Hustvedt quoted in
“Soapbox: The Columnists—WSJ. Asks Six Luminaries to Weigh in on Single Topic; This Month: Wisdom,” WSJ. Magazine, January 2022
The image of Siri Hustvedt that accompanies this post, made during "The Writer's Life" panel at the 2014 Brooklyn Book
Festival, was taken Sept. 21, 2014, by Luigi Novi.
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