Marilynne Robinson Quotes

Philosophy begins in wonder.

Philosophy is the product of wonder.

If we become increasingly humble about how little we know, we may be more eager to search.

Science means constantly walking a tightrope between blind faith and curiosity; between expertise and creativity; between bias and openness; between experience and epiphany; between ambition and passion; and between arrogance and conviction - in short, between an old today and a new tomorrow.

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

Uncertainty is a very good thing: it's the beginning of an investigation, and the investigation should never end.

Indeed, the most important product of knowledge is ignorance.

Doubt grows with knowledge.

I love to doubt as well as know.

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.

Science and literature give me answers. And they ask me questions I will never be able to answer.

The more knowledge you get, the more questions you ask. The smarter you get, the more you realize that everything can be possible.

Knowledge is knowing that we cannot know.

Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains.

Science is what you know. Philosophy is what you don't know.

If we don’t go, we don’t know.

To me the offer of certainty, the offer of complete security, the offer of an impermeable faith that can’t give way, is an offer of something not worth having. I want to live my life taking the risk all the time that I don’t know anything like enough yet. That I haven’t understood enough. That I can’t know enough. That I’m always hungrily operating on the margins of a potentially great harvest of future knowledge and wisdom… Those who tell you that you can only live by accepting an absolute authority: don’t think of that as a gift. Think of it as a poison chalice. Push it aside, however tempting it is. Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty, and wisdom will come to you that way.

I know that science is very interested in answers, and I'm just happy with a good question.

It really is very true that the more you do, the less you know. I try to keep myself very open-minded in that sense.

I think it's okay to ask questions. I don't think everything is answerable though.

Science is the topography of ignorance.

I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.

Doubting charms me not less than knowledge.

There's a lot of disorder that comes along with wanting to know everything and wanting to try everything and wanting to experience everything, but there's a lot of knowledge that comes out of it too.

Doubt is the incentive to truth and inquiry leads the way.