Wisdom is gained through experience and learning. Riddles can help provide insight into life’s lessons in clever and thought-provoking ways. Here are 55 riddles about wisdom with their answers explained.
Wisdom Riddles
Riddle 1
What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer
Tomorrow. This riddle illustrates that while we can strive for and look forward to the future, we must live in the present.
Riddle 2
You can’t keep it until you give it away. What is it?
Answer
Happiness. True happiness comes from helping others and giving to the world.
Riddle 3
What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer
Your name. Our name is our identity, but others use it more frequently when addressing or referring to us.
Riddle 4
The more you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Answer
Footsteps. As you walk you take more steps, leaving additional footsteps behind you.
Riddle 5
What goes up but never comes down?
Answer
Your age. As we go through life, our age continually increases.
Riddle 6
What can fill a room but takes up no space?
Answer
Light. Though intangible, light fills entire rooms illuminating every corner.
Riddle 7
If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me. What am I?
Answer
A secret. The premise is that if you tell a secret, you have shared it and no longer only possess that information.
Riddle 8
What goes all around the yard without moving?
Answer
A fence. A fence encircles the perimeter of the yard while remaining stationary.
Riddle 9
What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer
A piano. The keys on a pianocannot physically unlock doors or locks.
Riddle 10
What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer
A coin. Coins have a “head” and “tail” side but no main body section.
Riddle 11
What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer
A clock. The hands on a clock cannot come together to clap.
Riddle 12
What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer
A towel. When towel dries something, it absorbs the moisture, becoming wetter itself.
Riddle 13
When can you add two to eleven and get one as the correct answer?
Answer
When you are figuring time. Adding two hours to eleven o’clock gives you one o’clock.
Riddle 14
What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in one thousand years?
Answer
The letter “M”. The letter M appears once in the word minute, twice in moment, but not at all in thousand years.
Riddle 15
What belongs to you but other people use it more than you?
Answer
Your name. Our names belong to us but others reference us by it more frequently than we would reference ourselves.
Riddle 16
The more there is, the less you see. What could it be?
Answer
Darkness. The more darkness or shadow, the harder it is to visually see.
Riddle 17
What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer
The letter “M”. It appears once in minute, twice in moment, but not at all in thousand years.
Riddle 18
What has a neck but no head?
Answer
A bottle. The neck of the bottle leads down to the body.
Riddle 19
What can travel all around the world while staying in one corner?
Answer
A postage stamp. Stamps can be mailed to travel anywhere while also just sticking to their envelope corner.
Riddle 20
The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer
Darkness. Greater amounts of darkness make it harder to visually see.
Riddle 21
What has many keys but can’t open a single lock?
Answer
A piano. Piano keys cannot physically unlock doors or locks.
Riddle 22
What has hands but cannot clap?
Answer
A clock. Clock hands are attached and cannot come together to clap.
Riddle 23
What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer
A coin. Coins have a “head” and “tail” side but no main body section.
Riddle 24
What goes all around a backyard yet never moves?
Answer
A fence. A fence encircles the perimeter of the yard while remaining stationary.
Riddle 25
You can’t keep it until you give it away. What is it?
Answer
Happiness. Happiness increases when you provide it to others.
Riddle 26
The more of them you take, the more you leave behind. What are they?
Answer
Footsteps. Each step you take leaves an additional footprint behind.
Riddle 27
If you have me, you’ll want to share me. If you share me, you won’t have me. What am I?
Answer
A secret. If you tell a secret, you have shared it and it is no longer only your knowledge.
Riddle 28
What belongs to you but others use it more than you do?
Answer
Your name. Others refer to us by our names more than we refer to ourselves.
Riddle 29
What gets wetter the more it dries?
Answer
A towel. When it dries something, the towel absorbs the moisture.
Riddle 30
What has no beginning, end, or middle?
Answer
A doughnut. The hole in the middle forms a continuous loop with no defined start or end.
Riddle 31
What can fill up a room but takes up no space?
Answer
Light. Light fills a room but cannot be physically held or contained.
Riddle 32
What goes up but never comes down?
Answer
Your age. Each passing year increases your age.
Riddle 33
What is always coming but never arrives?
Answer
Tomorrow. Tomorrow never actually comes, it’s always a day away.
Riddle 34
What can you break without ever picking it up?
Answer
A promise. You can break a promise without physically grasping it.
Riddle 35
I have cities but no houses, oceans but no water, deserts but no sand. What am I?
Answer
A map. Maps depict cities, oceans and deserts without physically being made of them.
Riddle 36
What gets sharper the more you use it?
Answer
Your brain or knowledge. As you learn and have new experiences, your mind and knowledge grow sharper.
Riddle 37
What has four fingers and a thumb but is not alive?
Answer
A glove. A glove has five sections like a hand but is an inanimate object.
Riddle 38
What has hands but can’t clap?
Answer
A clock. The hands on a clock are attached and cannot come together to clap.
Riddle 39
David’s father has three sons. Two are named MindYourOwn and Trouble. What is the third son’s name?
Answer
David. He is the narrator whose perspective the riddle takes.
Riddle 40
What has thirteen hearts but no organs?
Answer
A deck of cards. Each card represents a “heart” suit but cards are not organic life forms.
Riddle 41
Feed me and I live. Give me drink and I die. What am I?
Answer
Fire. Fire consumes fuel to live but is extinguished by water.
Riddle 42
What falls down but never gets hurt?
Answer
Rain. Rain falls from clouds but cannot feel physical pain or injury.
Riddle 43
People buy me to eat but never eat me. What am I?
Answer
Plates, dishes, bowls, etc. These are purchased for holding food but not consumed.
Riddle 44
What has words but never speaks?
Answer
A book. Books are full of words but cannot actually vocalize anything.
Riddle 45
The more there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer
Darkness, shadows, etc. Greater amounts make it harder to see visually.
Riddle 46
What has a thumb and four fingers but is not a hand?
Answer
A glove. A glove has five sections like a hand but is not an actual hand.
Riddle 47
What has a head and a tail but no body?
Answer
A coin. Coins have a “head” and “tail” side but no main body section.
Riddle 48
What belongs to you but is used more by others?
Answer
Your name. Others reference us by our names more than we reference ourselves.
Riddle 49
I’m tall when I’m young and short when I’m old. What am I?
Answer
A candle. Candles are tallest when unused and get shorter as they burn down.
Riddle 50
What month of the year has 28 days?
Answer
All months have at least 28 days. February has 28 days most years.
Riddle 51
What is it that given one, you’ll have either two or none?
Answer
A choice. When you’re given a choice you can select one of two options, resulting in two or none.
Riddle 52
The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
Answer
Darkness. The more darkness or shadow, the harder it is to see.
Riddle 53
What begins with “e” and ends with “e” but only contains one letter?
Answer
An envelope. The word contains the letter “e” at both ends but no other letters in between.
Riddle 54
What goes up when rain comes down?
Answer
Umbrellas. People open umbrellas for protection when it starts raining.
Riddle 55
Coal, wood, and fire. What does fire burn that the other two don’t?
Answer
Itself. Unlike raw coal and wood, fire burns and consumes itself as it deteriorates.
Conclusion
Riddles can provide simple yet insightful ways to impart wisdom. Though short and succinct, these riddles encourage us to think from different perspectives and realize that much in life is not as straightforward as it seems. Their answers reveal treasures of knowledge through unconventional means. Wisdom often requires breaking from traditional viewpoints and training our minds to see things in new ways. Just as solving riddles requires imaginative thinking, gaining wisdom means broadening our understanding of the world around us. Through thoughtful reflection, we can continuously learn and grow wiser.
