Karl Popper Quotes


We do not know anything - this is the first. Therefore, we should be very modest - this is the second. Not to claim that we do know when we do not - this is the third. That's the kind of attitude I'd like to popularize. There is little hope for success.


Citations

Popper, Karl. In Search of a Better World: Lectures and Essays from Thirty Years. Routledge, 1992, p. 40.

Related Quotes

It is amazing that so few politicians and political appointees when asked questions by constituents, subordinates, or the press can bring themselves to say “I don’t know” when they are ignorant about the issue or have not yet made up their minds. It is as if ignorance was a weakness. When the politicians have to face so many complex issues, the reality is that they do not know about most of them, yet they are loathe to admit ignorance in particular situations.


Karl Popper
Karl Popper
  • Born: July 28, 1902
  • Died: September 17, 1994
  • Nationality: Austrian
  • Profession: Philosopher

Sir Karl Raimund Popper CH FBA FRS was an Austrian-British philosopher, academic and social commentator.