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It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.
Mark Twain
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes that false certainties can lead to greater trouble than ignorance.

Mark Twain's quote reflects the idea that having a misguided confidence in incorrect knowledge is more dangerous than being unaware or uninformed. It suggests that certainty in false beliefs can lead to mistakes and difficulties in life, urging people to question their assumptions and beliefs.

Themes

KnowledgeCertaintyTruthWisdomBelief

In practice

Example use cases

During a lecture on critical thinking, this quote can be used to illustrate the importance of questioning our own assumptions.

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Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it
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You can't reason with your heart; it has its own laws, and thumps about things which the intellect scorns.
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To be good is noble; but to show others how to be good is nobler and no trouble.
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In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.
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