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here is a great difference between knowing a thing and understanding it. You can know a lot and not really understand anything.
Charles Kettering
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Knowing something is different from truly understanding it.

This quote emphasizes the distinction between mere knowledge and deep understanding. It suggests that one can accumulate facts and information without necessarily grasping the underlying concepts or significance, highlighting the importance of comprehension over rote memory.

Themes

KnowledgeUnderstandingWisdomLearningComprehension

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in an educational seminar to emphasize the importance of critical thinking.

More from Charles Kettering

You will never stub your toe standing still. The faster you go, the more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have of getting somewhere.
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It is the 'follow through' that makes the great difference between ultimate success and failure, because it is so easy to stop.
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When I was research head of General Motors and wanted a problem solved, I'd place a table outside the meeting room with a sign: "Leave slide rules here." If I didn't do that, I'd find someone reaching for his slide rule. Then he'd be on his feet saying, "Boss, you can't do it."
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A research problem is not solved by apparatus; it is solved in a man's head.
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My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.
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I often say that research is a way of finding out what you are going to do when you can't keep on doing what you are doing now.
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