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The more a man knows, the more willing he is to learn-the less a man knows, the more positive he is that he knows everything.
Robert Green Ingersoll
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Knowledge leads to humility, while ignorance fosters arrogance.

This quote emphasizes the relationship between knowledge and one's willingness to learn. It suggests that as individuals gain more knowledge, they become more aware of how much there is still to learn, leading to a humble approach to understanding. Conversely, those with little knowledge often exhibit overconfidence in their beliefs, wrongly assuming they know all there is to know.

Themes

KnowledgeHumilityLearningIgnoranceWisdom

In practice

Example use cases

In a classroom discussion about the importance of lifelong learning, this quote can emphasize the value of staying humble and open-minded.

More from Robert Green Ingersoll

I will follow my logic, no matter where it goes, after it has consulted with my heart. If you ever come to a conclusion without calling the heart in, you will come to a bad conclusion.
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If the guardians of society, the protectors of 'young persons,' could have had their way, we should have known nothing of Byron or Shelley. The voices that thrill the world would now be silent.
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The religion that has to be supported by law is without value, not only, but a fraud and a curse. The religious argument that has to be supported by a musket is hardly worth making.
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There is no slavery but ignorance.
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In all ages the people have honored those who dishonored them. They have worshiped their destroyers; they have canonized the most gigantic liars, and buried the great thieves in marble and gold. Under the loftiest monuments sleeps the dust of murder.
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I believe that there is something far nobler than loyalty to any particular man. Loyalty to the truth as we perceive it - loyalty to our duty as we know it - loyalty to the ideals of our brain and heart - is, to my mind, far greater and far nobler than loyalty to the life of any particular man or God. . . .
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