But what is Hope? Nothing but the paint on the face of Existence; the least touch of truth rubs it off, and then we see what a hollow-cheeked harlot we have got hold of.
Lord ByronRead
Socrates said, our only knowledge was_x000D_ _x000D_ "To know that nothing could be known;" a pleasant_x000D_ _x000D_ Science enough, which levels to an ass_x000D_ _x000D_ Each Man of Wisdom, future, past, or present._x000D_ _x000D_ Newton, (that Proverb of the Mind,) alas!_x000D_ _x000D_ Declared, with all his grand discoveries recent,_x000D_ _x000D_ That he himself felt only "like a youth_x000D_ _x000D_ Picking up shells by the great Ocean-Truth."
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the idea that true wisdom lies in recognizing the limits of our knowledge.
The quote suggests that genuine understanding is rooted in humility and the acknowledgment that there is much we do not know. Socrates points out that the pursuit of knowledge reveals more questions than answers, while Newton conceptually compares his discoveries to a child gathering shells on a vast beach of uncharted knowledge, highlighting the perpetual journey of learning and the vastness of the unknown.
Themes
KnowledgeWisdomHumilityLearningTruth
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on education at a conference, this quote can be used to highlight the importance of fostering a mindset of inquiry over certainty.
More from Lord Byron
All quotes →It is the lava of the imagination whose eruption prevents an earthquake.
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For what were all these country patriots born? To hunt, and vote, and raise the price of corn?
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Absence - that common cure of love.
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Her great merit is finding out mine; there is nothing so amiable as discernment.
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But words are things, and a small drop of ink, Falling like dew, upon a thought, produces That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
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