From the pensive to the playful, questions have always been a source of stimulus for inspiring thought. After all, who doesn’t love wondering: from probing answers to the puzzling mysteries of life, opening up our imaginations and getting us thinking outside the box?

In that spirit, here are 100 intriguing quotes about questions – each one inspiring its own kind of original inquiry!

101 Quotes, Sayings & Captions About Asking Questions

  1. It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question. – Eugene Ionesco
  2. Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing. – Euripedes
  3. The key to wisdom is this – constant and frequent questioning, for by doubting we are led to question, and by questioning we arrive at the truth. – Peter Abelard
  4. The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure. – Joseph Campbell
  5. The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing. – Socrates
  6. A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. – Bruce Lee
  7. The art of proposing a question must be held of higher value than solving it. – Georg Cantor
  8. I questioned God’s silence. I don’t have an answer to that. Does it mean that I stopped having faith? No, I have faith, but I question it. – Elie Wiesel
  9. It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it. – Joseph Joubert
  10. The best scientists and explorers have the attributes of kids! They ask questions and have a sense of wonder. They have curiosity. ‘Who, what, where, why, when, and how!’ They never stop asking questions, and I never stop asking questions, just like a five-year-old. – Sylvia Earle
  11. A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy? – Albert Einstein
  12. I think that probably the most important thing about our education was that it taught us to question even those things we thought we knew. – Thabo Mbeki
  13. A prudent question is one-half of wisdom. – Francis Bacon
  14. Question everything. Every stripe, every star, every word was spoken. Everything. – Ernest Gaines
  15. Question with boldness even the existence of God; because if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. – Thomas Jefferson
  16. The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.
  17. Part of being successful is about asking questions and listening to the answers.
  18. Once you start asking questions, innocence is gone.
  19. The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life. 
  20. The first step to receiving an answer is being brave enough to ask a question.
  21. If you ask the right questions you’ll discover how truly fascinating people are. 
  22. There are years that ask questions and years that answer. 
  23. The key to wisdom is this – constant and frequent questioning, for by doubting we are led to question, and by questioning we arrive at the truth.
  24. It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.
  25. Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing.
  26. The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.
  27. The only true wisdom is in knowing that you know nothing.
  28. A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.
  29. It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.
  30. The master key to knowledge is, indeed, persistent and frequent questioning.
  31. A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.
  32. Sometimes questions are more important than answers. – Nancy Willard
  33. It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question. – Decouvertes
  34. Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.  – Voltaire
  35. Asking the right questions takes as much skill as giving the right answers. – Robert Half
  36. To be able to ask a question clearly is two-thirds of the way to getting it answered. – John Ruskin
  37. If you do not ask the right questions, you do not get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. – Edward Hodnett
  38. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers. – Tony Robbins
  39. For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now? – James Allen
  40. Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much. – Francis Bacon
  41. It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers. – James Thurber
  42. I found I wasn’t asking good enough questions because I assumed I knew something. – Alan Alda
  43. The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a very creative mind to spot wrong questions. – Anthony Jay
  44. We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong. – Bono
  45. If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers. – Thomas Pynchon
  46. There are no right answers to wrong questions. – Ursula K Le Guin
  47. The master key to knowledge is, indeed, persistent and frequent questioning. – Peter Abelard
  48. A prudent question is one-half of wisdom. – Francis Bacon
  49. The one who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions. – Confucius
  50. The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The truly dangerous thing is asking the wrong question. – Peter Drucker
  51. Only the one who does not question is safe from making a mistake. – Albert Einstein
  52. The power to question is the basis of all human progress. – Indira Gandhi
  53. What are you trying to do – one of the easiest to ask and most difficult to answer questions. – Robert K. Greenleaf
  54. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ – Martin Luther King, Jr.
  55. There are no right answers to wrong questions. – Ursula K. Le Guin
  56. You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. – Naguib Mahfouz
  57. Never ask a question unless the answer makes a difference. – Proverb
  58. There are no foolish questions and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions. – Charles Proteus Steinmetz
  59. The greatest compliment that was ever paid myself was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer. – Henry David Thoreau
  60. It’s better to know some of the questions than all of the answers. – James Thurber
  61. Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are. – Oscar Wilde
  62. An empowered life begins with serious personal questions about oneself. Those answers bare the seeds of success. – Steve Maraboli,
  63. Everything we know has its origins in questions. Questions, we might say, are the principal intellectual instruments available to human beings. – Neil Postman
  64. You don’t have to answer every question that comes to your mind because some questions are like matryoshka dolls; once opened, new ones come out! – Mehmet Murat Ildan
  65. Seeking answers to questions is what draws us forward. When you have no more questions you live in the satisfaction of the present moment. You have no more questions when you finally learn that love is the answer. Love is always the answer. – Kate McGahan
  66. To become a better you, keep asking curious questions about yourself. If you lose, ask why? If you win, ask why not? – Israelmore Ayivor
  67. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers. – Tony Robbins
  68. We get wise by asking questions, and even if these are not answered, we get wise, for a well-packed question carries its answer on its back as a snail carries its shell. – James Stephens
  69. Always ask the questions you want to, life is too short to know if you’ll get a second chance to ask. – Kaitlin Hollon
  70. Think about the answers to the questions that have not yet been asked! When they are asked, you will have the answers ready! – Mehmet Murat Ildan
  71. Would it have made a difference? This is the question we always ask after we have given up. – Thomas King
  72. This is an everyday question and you must take note of it always. When you wake up, it should be among your number one thoughts. What are you doing for others? – Israelmore Ayivor 
  73. When we feel lost in time, with only shadows of the past living in our mind; when the moment, which ‘was’, no longer ‘is’, and when only silence remains, loads of questions arise. – Erik Pevernagie
  74. Sometimes some questions shouldn’t be answered, sometimes some stuff should be kept private, and sometimes some people should just exist in specific places. – Deyth Banger
  75. The only way to learn new things is to ask questions and be curious. Find the people who inspire your curiosity because those are the ones you will learn from the most. – James Altucher
  76. It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question. – Eugene Ionesco
  77. Kick-start your brain. New ideas come from watching something, talking to people, experimenting, asking questions, and getting out of the office! – Steve Jobs
  78. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. – Albert Einstein
  79. Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. – Voltaire
  80. The one real goal of education is to leave a person asking questions. – Max Beerbohm
  81. Millions saw the apple fall but Newton was the one who asked why. – Bernard Baruch
  82. Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. – Albert Einstein
  83. Asking questions is one of the best ways to grow as a human being. – Michael Hyatt
  84. I’m always asking questions – not to find ‘answers,’ but to see where the questions lead. Dead ends sometimes? That’s fine. New directions? Interesting. Great insights? Over-ambitious. A glimpse here and there? Perfect. – Lesley Hazleton, Asking questions and quotes to get answers
  85. A prudent question is one-half of wisdom. – Francis Bacon
  86. In mathematics, the art of asking questions is more valuable than solving problems. – Georg Cantor
  87. If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers. – Thomas Pynchon
  88. We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers. – Abraham Joshua Heschel
  89. For true success ask yourself these four questions: Why? Why not? Why not me? Why not now? – James Allen
  90. By questioning all the aspects of our business, we continuously inject improvement and innovation into our culture. – Michael Dell
  91. To raise new questions, and new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science. – Albert Einstein
  92. A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer. – Bruce Lee
  93. Ask with urgency and passion.
  94. He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. – Chinese Proverb
  95. But to my questions, he gave replies so vague that one.
  96. could not tell whether they came from the mountains or the sea? Natsume Soseki
  97. Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. – Voltaire
  98. Who am I? What is my mission? – Lailah Gifty Akita
  99. A wise man’s question contains half the answer. – Solomon Ibn Gabirol
  100. Beware of the man who knows the answer before he understands the question.
  101. You can ask many questions but you cannot question everything. – Lailah Gifty Akita

Questions are a powerful tool that can open our minds to new possibilities and take us far in life. The collection of 100 quotes about questions has reiterated this profound wisdom, demonstrating how it can help us rethink our beliefs, cultivate curiosity, and explore the unknown.

It also highlights how important it is to acknowledge the unanswered questions in life, as they often bring new perspectives and understanding.

Ultimately, asking questions with an open mind is essential for pushing ourselves forward and leading richer lives.