Riches, understanding, beauty, are fair gifts of God, but we abuse them shamefully. Yet worldly wisdom and wit are evils, when the cause engaged in is evil, for no man will yield his own particular conceit
 Martin Luther, Table Talk (1566). copy citation

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Author Martin Luther
Source Table Talk
Topic wisdom beauty
Date 1566
Language English
Reference
Note Translated by William Hazlitt
Weblink http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/Luther%20Table%20Talk.pdf

Context

“for through wealth comes pride, through pride dissension, through dissension, wars, poverty; through poverty, great distress and misery. Therefore, they that are rich, must yield a strict and great account; for to whom much is given, of him much will be required. CLXVI. Riches, understanding, beauty, are fair gifts of God, but we abuse them shamefully. Yet worldly wisdom and wit are evils, when the cause engaged in is evil, for no man will yield his own particular conceit; every one will be right. Much better is it that one be of a fair and comely complexion in the face, for the hard lesson, sickness, may come and take that away; but the self-conceited mind is not so soon brought to reason.” source