"Call him wise whose actions, words, and steps are all a clear because to a clear why"
About this Quote
The subtext is a quiet rebuke to performative intelligence. In a culture that often crowns clever talk as insight, Teasdale insists on coherence over charisma: what you do and what you say should be traceable back to a purpose that can survive daylight. "Because" is the everyday word we use to justify ourselves; "why" is the deeper motive we hesitate to name. By yoking them together, she exposes how easily a plausible explanation can mask a confused or self-serving aim.
Context matters. Writing in the early 20th century, Teasdale lived through modernitys churn-war, rapid social change, the commodification of sentiment-and her work often prizes clarity as a form of emotional ethics. This line reads like a compact manifesto against drift: be the kind of person whose life can be read without footnotes.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Teasdale, Sara. (2026, January 15). Call him wise whose actions, words, and steps are all a clear because to a clear why. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/call-him-wise-whose-actions-words-and-steps-are-156001/
Chicago Style
Teasdale, Sara. "Call him wise whose actions, words, and steps are all a clear because to a clear why." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/call-him-wise-whose-actions-words-and-steps-are-156001/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Call him wise whose actions, words, and steps are all a clear because to a clear why." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/call-him-wise-whose-actions-words-and-steps-are-156001/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.











