QuoteProject
I would rather be ignorant than knowledgeable of evils.
Aeschylus
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The speaker prefers not to know about the existence of evil rather than being burdened by that knowledge.

This quote by Aeschylus reflects a philosophical stance on the nature of knowledge and ignorance. It suggests that sometimes, ignorance can be a form of emotional protection, allowing a person to live without the added weight of understanding the darker aspects of life. The quote provokes thought about the benefits and burdens of knowledge, especially regarding difficult or painful truths.

Themes

IgnoranceKnowledgeEvilPhilosophyTruth

In practice

Example use cases

During a discussion about the impact of harsh realities on mental health, this quote could illustrate the comfort found in ignorance.

More from Aeschylus

A god implants in mortal guilt whenever he wants utterly to confound a house.
AeschylusRead
Neither a life of anarchy nor a life under a despot should you praise. To all that lies in the middle has a god given excellence.
AeschylusRead
In every tyrant's heart there springs in the end this poison, that he cannot trust a friend.
AeschylusRead
It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.
AeschylusRead
In war, truth is the first casualty.
AeschylusRead
There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief.
AeschylusRead

Similar quotes

Sin contains its own judgement and punishment.
Dalai LamaRead
Government has coddled, accepted, and ignored white collar crime for too long. It is time the nation woke up and realized that it's not the armed robbers or drug dealers who cause the most economic harm, it's the white collar criminals living in the most expensive homes who have the most impressive resumes who harm us the most. They steal our pensions, bankrupt our companies, and destroy thousands of jobs, ruining countless lives.
Harry MarkopolosRead
Regret is a short, evocative and achingly beautiful word: an elegy to lost possibilities even in its brief annunciation.
David WhyteRead
...loneliness is not a function of solitude.
David Foster WallaceRead
Out of Mahat comes universal egoism.
Swami VivekanandaRead
Man is not logical and his intellectual history is a record of mental reserves and compromises. He hangs on to what he can in his old beliefs even when he is compelled to surrender their logical basis.
John DeweyRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Aeschylus | QuoteProject