In idling, the motor's running, but you're letting your mind take in anything. Things pop into it. Those are the gifts of subterranean conscious.
Mortimer AdlerRead
The person who says he knows what he thinks but cannot express it usually does not know what he thinks.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True understanding requires the ability to articulate thoughts clearly.
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and clarity of thought. Mortimer Adler suggests that if someone believes they understand their own thoughts but struggles to express them, it is likely that they haven't fully grasped those thoughts, highlighting a gap between knowledge and expression.
Themes
UnderstandingExpressionThoughtKnowledgeClarity
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on philosophy, one might say this quote to illustrate the necessity of articulating complex ideas.
More from Mortimer Adler
All quotes →The only standard we have for judging all of our social, economic, and political institutions and arrangements as just or unjust, as good or bad, as better or worse, derives from our conception of the good life for man on earth, and from our conviction that, given certain external conditions, it is possible for men to make good lives for themselves by their own efforts.
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A good book can teach you about the world and about yourself. You learn more than how to read better; you also learn more about life. You become wiser.
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If you are reading in order to become a better reader, you cannot read just any book or article. You will not improve as a reader if all you read are books that are well within your capacity. You must tackle books that are beyond you, or, as we have said, books that are over your head. Only books of that sort will make you stretch your mind. And unless you stretch, you will not learn.
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In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you.
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If your friend wishes to read your 'Plutarch's Lives,' 'Shakespeare,' or 'The Federalist Papers,' tell him gently but firmly, to buy a copy. You will lend him your car or your coat - but your books are as much a part of you as your head or your heart.
Mortimer AdlerRead
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