Quotes About Knowledge

Science, which cuts its way through the muddy pond of daily life without mingling with it, casts its wealth to right and left, but the puny boatmen do not know how to fish for it.

Nothing is more common than that a man shall know perfectly well that some possibly trivial habit stands in the way of something that it is his interest or his duty to pursue; but the knowledge lies inoperative in the outermost part of him. It is so in regard to graver things. The majority of the slaves of any vice whatsoever know perfectly well that they ought to give it up, and yet nothing comes of the conviction.

I will tell you why I became a philosopher. I became a philosopher because I wanted to be able to talk about many, many things, ideally with knowledge, but sometimes not quite the amount of knowledge that I would need if I were to be a specialist in them. It allows you to be many different things. And plurality and complexity are very, very important to me.

A man's real possession is his memory. In nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.

How index-learning turns no student pale, Yet holds the eel of science by the tail!

But blind to former as to future fate, what mortal knows his pre-existent state?

Stuff the headWith all such reading as was never read:For thee explain a thing till all men doubt it,And write about it, Goddess, and about it.

The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned lumber in his head.

Say first, of God above or man below,What can we reason but from what we know?

But where's the man who counsel can bestow,Still pleas'd to teach, and yet not proud to know?

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan: The proper study of mankind is man.

Next o'er his books his eyes began to roll,In pleasing memory of all he stole.

The learned is happy, nature to explore The fool is happy, that he knows no more.

A man of business may talk of philosophy; a man who has none may practise it.

Some are bewilder'd in the maze of schools,And some made coxcombs nature meant but fools.

A man should never be ashamed to own he has been wrong, which is but saying, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

Know thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is man.

The fool is happy that he knows no more

A little learning is a dang'rous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again.

There is no study that is not capable of delighting us, after a little application to it.

The pride of aiming at more knowledge, and pretending to more perfection, is the cause of Man's error and misery.

Be sure yourself and your own reach to know How far your genius taste and learning go.

A man should never be ashamed to own that he is wrong, which is but saying in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

Men must be taught as if you taught them not the things unknown, but the things forgotten.