Henry David Thoreau Quotes

The man who realizes his ignorance has taken the first step toward knowledge.

To conceal ignorance is to increase it. An honest confession of it, however, gives ground for the hope that it will diminish some day or the other.

It's nothing to be ashamed of. There comes a time in everything when you don't know something.

Teach thy tongue to say 'I do not know', and thou shalt progress.

To make no mistakes is not in the power of man; but from their errors and mistakes the wise and good learn wisdom for the future.

I make mistakes like anybody else, I will make mistakes. And you have to reflect on it, and you have to listen to people. That is the key.

The little I know I owe to my ignorance.

It would not be wise for us to say we know what we don't know.

Don't let your heart get big because of your knowledge. Take counsel with the ignorant as well as with the scholar.

Each day, we have the opportunity to learn something new, apologize for our mistakes, and become better.

Wisdom comes out of dialogue so you have to develop the capacity to expose your own ignorance in order that they may discover their own wisdom.

Knowing what I don't know helps me every day.

As we strive to teach others we must have the humility to acknowledge that we too still have much to learn.

The wise know too well their weakness to assume infallibility; and he who knows most knows best how little he knows.

We do need knowledge. And perhaps in a thousand years we might pick smaller cliffs to jump off. The books are to remind us what asses and fools we are.

One never realizes how much and how little he knows until he starts talking.

Pride comes from not knowing yourself and the world. The older you grow, and the more you see, the less reason you will find for being proud. Ignorance and inexperience are the pedestal of pride; once the pedestal is removed - pride will soon come down.

Nor is he the wisest man who never proved himself a fool.

The man who feels himself ignorant should, at least, be modest.

If you hide your ignorance, no one will hit you and you'll never learn.

Wisdom comes to those who learn nothing, unlearn everything.

The balance between confidence and humility is best learned through extensive experience and mistakes.

The more one gardens, the more one learns; And the more one learns, the more one realizes how little one knows.

Wisdom loves the children of men, but she prefers those who come through foolishness to wisdom.

We learn nothing by being right.