The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.
Parallel translations
- WEB The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel.
- KJV The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
- NKJV The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.
- NASB The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a person who listens to advice is wise.
- NLT Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A fool thinks his own way is right, but the wise listen to counsel. Teachability distinguishes the wise from the fool.
Overview
This proverb contrasts the self-assured fool, certain of his own rightness, with the wise person who heeds advice. The willingness to receive counsel is a hallmark of true wisdom. Humbly listening rather than trusting our own judgment alone reflects the dependence on God and others that godly wisdom requires.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Prov 3:7Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
- Prov 14:16A wise man fears and turns from evil, but a fool is careless and reckless.
- Prov 26:12Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- Prov 19:20Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.
- Prov 16:2All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.
- Prov 14:12There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
- Prov 16:25There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
- Prov 1:5let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel
- Gal 6:3If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
- Prov 9:9Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.
- Prov 21:2All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.
- Prov 30:12There is a generation of those who are pure in their own eyes and yet unwashed of their filth.
- Prov 26:16The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.
- Prov 28:11A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man with discernment sees through him.
- Jer 38:15–28“If I tell you,” Jeremiah replied, “you will surely put me to death. And even if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.”
- Eccl 4:13Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
- Luke 18:11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 12:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.