Vol. 08 · Shakespeare ·Twelfth Night, Act I.v ·Feste
"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit."
Widely misattributed.
The line in full
"Better a witty fool than a foolish wit." Feste — Twelfth Night, Act I.v
Why it matters
Correctly quoted, routinely mis-attributed to a range of writers (including Austen and Wilde). Feste is defending his own trade to Olivia — a professional fool arguing for the value of professional fools.
More from the canon.
Browse the rest of the shelf, or try a cold reading.