Knowledge is gathering factual information we obtain through research, observation, study or investigation. Awareness about things or having information about certain things that may be of interest to us and society can be termed as knowledge.

Whereas wisdom refers to our capability to comprehend whether the knowledge acquired is correct, enduring and applicable to our lives. It refers to our propensity to apply the knowledge to evaluate the worth of things around us that may have an impact of our lives. It is deeper that just being aware about factual information.

Insight refers to the deepest level of perception that allows us to differentiate between factual information and wisdom. It can relate to both knowledge as well as wisdom. It refers to our capacity to learn the very nature of knowledge and crux of wisdom. It is about truly knowing the significance of our life and being aware about the bigger picture pertaining to things that matter. To simplify this further, knowledge can be called as set of information; wisdom can be referred to as understanding and ability to apply that knowledge whereas insight is the level of awareness about the essence of both knowledge and wisdom.

Unfortunately, we can obtain factual information that is knowledge about things but might not be able to see the underlying wisdom. Or we may have the wisdom but still may not be able to understand its deeper significance.

Following are key points highlighting the difference between knowledge, wisdom and insights. For someone who is considering going for a trek may do following:

• Measuring length of path of the desert can be an example of knowledge
• Making provisions for food and water can be an example of wisdom
• Whereas thinking of setting up a portable lemonade stand can be an example of insight

Knowledge is being aware about your finances, keeping track of your savings, expenditure and budgeting. Wisdom is being about the significance that money holds in your life and how does it help in molding your future. Whereas insight is looking at the bigger picture and thinking at macro level, that money is just a tool, its usefulness and worth would be determined by its application.

For a painter, knowledge can be defined as his skill to paint, that he uses to make a living. His capacity to use painting to express his passion for art is his wisdom along with his understanding that art is a medium of communication that touches the lives of its enthusiasts. Insight can be related to his perception of art with things around him and ability to express the essence of art with the help of things around him.

To summarize, knowledge, wisdom and insights all three concepts hold an important place in our lives. Differentiating these concepts might seem daunting but simply being clear in our mind about its application can help us in understanding the true worth of these concepts. We need to learn to distill information and make a judgment based on the facts. We also need to learn about its practical application in our lives.