Social Question

burntbonez's avatar

What do you think a person who looks wise would look like?

Asked by burntbonez (5194 points ) January 21st, 2013

Obviously, wisdom comes with many looks. Please get at your internal image of wisdom if you can. Consider clothes, hair, body and facial features.

What is it about this look that makes you think the person is wise?

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

26 Answers

rebbel's avatar


Sunny2's avatar

^^^Good answer!
I prefer to think of Hedy Lamar as being typical of a brainy person, but I don’t think physical looks as being indicative of intelligence. Ms Lamar was indeed, brilliant, but her looks are what made her famous.

marinelife's avatar

I don’t see one look for wisdom.

burntbonez's avatar

@marinelife I said that in the question. I am asking you to look beyond that if you can.

ucme's avatar

Dumbledore, only with Stephen Hawking’s haircut & fashion sense.

glacial's avatar

@Sunny2 And Hedley Lamarr would be the exact opposite. :)

lifeflame's avatar

I don’t know about looks but I imagine him or her to have a deep belly voice. One that is able to put people and animals at ease easily. And when they walk they are one with the earth and sky.

augustlan's avatar

^^ Her.

rebbel's avatar

<<<<<< Him

gailcalled's avatar

Milo here: LIke this.
Ask me anything.

janbb's avatar

@rebbel But you’re not a penguin reading a book so how can you look wise?

chyna's avatar

Charlton Heston as he looked in the movie “The Ten Commandments”.

burntbonez's avatar

@janbb Excellent question. Is it the book reading that makes a person look wise?

rebbel's avatar

@janbb Now you made me sad…......~

Unbroken's avatar

Someone rough around the edges with smile lines, a raspy voice like aged whiskey and cigerettes.

Thoughtful and absent minded and knows how to tell a good story that captivates the room, though rarely does.

A musician a nature lover an animal person.

Not the smartest dressed but a certain flair or style unique to them, that people gravitate toward and may attempt to mimic.

Comfortable in their own skin.

wundayatta's avatar

Wise people have many wrinkles, but a kindly look. They do not adorn themselves, as a sign they are beyond that, although I suppose they might have a ring or something to signify wisdom.

In men, a pipe with smoke seems wise. They should wear robes of a dark, rich color, hemmed with gold and possibly containing a mandala or other pattern that symbolizes wisdom. Also, they should wear hats. Large, bulky looking hats like turbans. Mortarboards look too ridiculous to me to be wise. I think the hats should be purple. With gold. Somehow the color purple symbolizes wisdom to me.

They should wear slippers with curly toes.

Wise women do not wear hats. They might wear glasses. Their faces should be softened with age. They speak clearly and concisely. They do not smoke. But they might knit. Or crochet. They also wear robes that look rich and heavy, and they wear sturdy, serious shoes beneath their robes, except when they are being playful, and they wear sneakers.

Bellatrix's avatar

Stephen Fry.

Kropotkin's avatar

Britney Spears.

zensky's avatar


Brian1946's avatar

That person would look like Jim Ignatowski, who went on to invent a time-traveling DeLorean! ;-o

Linda_Owl's avatar

Like Morgan Freeman.

zensky's avatar

But if ol’ Stewart/Picard sounded like Pee Wee Herman… not so much.

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet? Not really. If it were called a skunklebuttocks – it wouldn’t!

thorninmud's avatar

I don’t think that true wisdom has a “look”. Fully developed wisdom is transparent, leaves no traces, seemlesly conforms to the situation. Looking “special” in some way is most often a sign of an ego that has yet to see through its own illusion of wisdom.

One of the best-known Zen teachers in America once greeted a visitor at the temple door who had come to meet the famous “master”. He was wearing his work clothes at the time and, without introducing himself, he invited her in and left to get an attendant to show her around. She asked the attendant when she could meet the Roshi, and he told her that she already had. “I thought that was the gardener!”, the visitor said. When the teacher heard this, he said that was the best compliment he’d ever had.

Answer this question




to answer.
Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther