Georg C. Lichtenberg Quotes

The learned man knows that he is ignorant.

To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge.

A man remains ignorant because he loves ignorance, and chooses ignorant thoughts; a man becomes wise because he loves wisdom and chooses wise thoughts.

Don't hold strong opinions about things you don't truly understand.

To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.

The greatest and noblest pleasure which we have in this world is to discover new truths, and the next is to shake off old prejudices.

Quotations are useful in periods of ignorance or obscurantist beliefs.

A man only becomes wise when he begins to calculate the approximate depth of his ignorance.

Doubt grows with knowledge.

Indeed he knows not how to know who knows not also how to un-know.

The stupidity of people comes from having an answer for everything. The wisdom of the novel comes from having a question for everything.

Until you understand a writer's ignorance, presume yourself ignorant of his understanding.

It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.

Only by ignorance is science threatened.

Let not men think there is no truth, but in the sciences that they study, or the books that they read.

The more you think you know, the more closed-minded you'll be.

Our conjectures pass upon us for truths; we will know what we do not know, and often, what we cannot know: so mortifying to our pride is the base suspicion of ignorance.

If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you. You become a crotchety old person convinced that nonsense is ruling the world. (There is, of course, much data to support you.) But every now and then, a new idea turns out to be on the mark, valid and wonderful. If you are too much in the habit of being skeptical about everything, you are going to miss or resent it, and either way you will be standing in the way of understanding and progress.

The few have said, Think! The many have said, Believe! The first doubt was the womb and cradle of progress, and from the first doubt, man has continued to advance.

If you think you know it all, you are missing something.

Intellectual modesty is humility as to what I know; intellectual humility is modesty as to what I do not know

We must quit thinking we know everything, and quit placing "knowledge" over kindness and compassion.

We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress, we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt.

Again, if you only know what you know, you don't know if something's good or bad. You don't have perspective.

It's good to slowly come to the realization that you understand nothing.