Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,808 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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“The union of nature and soul removes the veil of ignorance that covers our intelligence.”
B. K. S. Iyengar (1918–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is no escape from the dilemma. There is no middle term in the school for the disinherited class alone; you have either a systematic insistence, by means of false teaching, on error and ignorance, or hatred of those who domineer and exploit.”
Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia (1859–1909) said by 1909 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The status of evil is that of a parasite. It has no permanent life of itself; its whole existence depends on the life it borrows from its parent, and when its connection with the parent is severed nothing remains. Apparent evil is the result of ignorance, and when the truth is presented the error disappears. Jesus called it a liar and the father of lies.”
Charles Fillmore (1854–1948) said by 1948 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Dandish was the ideal empiricist. Pushing back the borders of ignorance, that was his only reason for living.”
Sean Russell (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The art, also, of alchemy or chemistry is surrounded with such insoluble enigmas that we can scarcely gain anything but ignorance therefrom, and ignotum per ignotius.”
Robert Fludd (1574–1637) said by 1637 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Robert Fludd, cited in: Waite (1887, p. 291)
“They had hardly ever spoken of her life before the the day they met in Belém. It was what they had both agreed on, a relationship built on a solid foundation of mutual ignorance.”
Alastair Reynolds (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Intelligent design is intellectual surrender. Not understanding how something works or how it came to be is not an answer. Our current ignorance should only be motivation to keep working the problems. Everything is irreducibly complex—until a scientist figures it out.”
Guy P. Harrison (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Far and away the greatest threat to the sea and to the future of mankind is ignorance. But with knowing comes caring, and with caring, the hope that maybe we'll find the Holy Grail of understanding, strike a balance with the natural systems that sustain us, and thus achieve an enduring place for humankind on a planet that got along without us for billions of years and no doubt could do so again.”
Sylvia Earle (born 1935) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are some of us who in after years say to Fate, 'Now deal us your hardest blow, give us what you will; but let us never again suffer as we suffered when we were children.' The barb in the arrow of childhood's suffering is this: its intense loneliness, its intense ignorance.”
Olive Schreiner (1855–1920) said by 1920 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It’s shocking to wake up in one world and find yourself in another by nightfall, but the situation isn’t actually all that unusual. You wake up married, then your spouse dies over the course of the day; you wake up in peacetime and by noon your country is at war; you wake up in ignorance and by the evening it’s clear that a pandemic is already here.”
Emily St. John Mandel (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a quality of the educated mind which may best be described as a kind of sincerity, and conversely the outstanding trait of ignorance is that of clever insincerity.”
Everett Dean Martin (1880–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“…so long as the public may be manipulated by misrepresentation and by appeal to ignorance and prejudice, it is the public’s own fault if the “knowing ones” make use of questionable methods.”
Everett Dean Martin (1880–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As a national emblem, it is significant of our higher cause, the cause of a superior race, and a higher civilization contending against ignorance, infidelity, and barbarism. Another merit in the new flag is, that it bears no resemblance to the now infamous banner of the Yankee vandals.”
William Tappan Thompson (1812–1882) first seen 1863 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Savannah Morning News (4 May 1863); As quoted in History of the Flag of the United States of America (1882), by George Henry Preble, p. 528
“No longer be one of the many job-hunters who are blinded by your ignorance and self-confidence, who after a lengthy period of unemployment still feel that the world owes them a living.”
Nigel Cumberland (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Enlightenment was not a revolutionary movement; it was not even a political movement. It was a collection of scholars, writers, artists and historians who believed that as reason and education spread, superstition and ignorance would fall away and people would cease to believe in such nonsense as miracles or kings ruling by God’s permission.”
John Hirst (1942–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When ignorance and bigotry is allied with power, it is a dangerous force.”
Cory Booker (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Trump is unexpectedly increasing my enthusiasm for Hillary. What he is saying is not based on facts: it's based on immaturity, bad judgment and ignorance, and I think it's going to be hard for people in uniform who are thoughtful about this, to vote for him.”
Merrill McPeak (born 1936) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "What Does the Military Think of Donald Trump?" (15 June 2016), Time
“With Donald Trump as the presumptive presidential nominee, we are witnessing a populist hijacking of one of the United States' great political parties... [R]ooted in ignorance, prejudice, fear and isolationism... This troubles me deeply as a Republican, but it troubles me even more as an American.”
Henry Paulson (born 1946) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in CBS News (June 2016)
“Intellectual humility and the keen sense of our ignorance are the necessary starting points for genuine philosophical development; therefore, books—even as they transmit brilliant philosophical insights—undercut philosophy at its root.”
Arthur Melzer (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Scientific Revolution... has been above all a revolution of ignorance. The great discovery... was... that humans do not know the answers to their most important questions.”
Yuval Noah Harari (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[T]he prophet Muhammad began... by condemning... fellow Arabs for living in ignorance of the divine truth. Yet Muhammad... argue[d] that he knew the full truth, and... followers began calling him 'the '.”
Yuval Noah Harari (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[W]illingness to admit ignorance... made modern science more dynamic, supple and inquisitive than... previous tradition[s].”
Yuval Noah Harari (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is astonishing what you can do when you have a lot of energy, ambition and plenty of ignorance.”
Alfred P. Sloan (1875–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“O mother! hear thy country's plea: Nurture thy sons with spirits strong Led by the torch of truth whose flame Will banish ignorance and wrong.”
Ilia Chavchavadze (1837–1907) said by 1907 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The voice of the intelligence is soft and weak, said Freud. It is drowned out by the roar of fear. It is ignored by the voice of desire. It is contradicted by the voice of shame. It is hissed away by hate, and extinguished by anger. Most of all it is silenced by ignorance.”
Karl Menninger (1893–1990) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Progressive (October 1955)
“It’s amazing how self-perpetuating ignorance is.”
Algis Budrys (1931–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Misunderstanding of the present is the inevitable consequence of ignorance of the past. But a man may wear himself out just as fruitlessly in seeking to understand the past, if he is totally ignorant of the present...This faculty of understanding the living is, in very truth, the master quality of the historian.”
Marc Bloch (1886–1944) said by 1944 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This, therefore, is mathematics: she reminds you of the invisible form of the soul; she gives life to her own discoveries; she awakens the mind and purifies the intellect; she brings light to our intrinsic ideas; she abolishes oblivion and ignorance which are ours by birth.”
Proclus (412–485) said by 485 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by , Mathematical Thought from Ancient to Modern Times (1972)
“It is impossible for us to calculate the vast amount of utterly unnecessary sorrow and terror and misery which mankind in the aggregate has suffered simply from its ignorance and superstition with regard to this one most important matter.”
Charles Webster Leadbeater (1854–1934) said by 1934 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Popper scoffs at scientists’ hope that they can achieve a final theory of nature. "...I think we have gone very far, but we are much further away." He... returns with his book Conjectures and Refutations. ...[H]e reads his own words with reverence: "In our infinite ignorance we are all equal.”
John Horgan (journalist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Can a skeptic avoid self-contradiction... the Popper paradox? And if he doesn’t, if he preaches but fails to practice intellectual doubt and humility, does that negate his work? Not at all. Such paradoxes corroborate the skeptic’s point... the quest for truth is endless, twisty and riddled with pitfalls, into which even sharp-eyed seekers tumble. In our infinite ignorance we are all equal.”
John Horgan (journalist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There's a saying in the PR business that for every PhD there's an equal and opposite PhD. And if there's not one then you can create one through funding. And if you put a lot of money into manufacturing ignorance, it can actually work.”
Robert N. Proctor (born 1954) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We live in a golden age of ignorance, and Trump and are part of that.”
Robert N. Proctor (born 1954) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Robert N. Proctor, quotes in: , "The problem with facts," FT Magazine, March 9, 2017
“A state law, the one on transplants, voted by a very large majority in the incumbent parliament, has been overturned by obtuse and irresponsible statements. Superficial statements dictated by ignorance of the issue that risk jeopardizing the work done so far to give thousands of sick citizens hope for life and to relieve their families of heavy daily anguish.”
Umberto Veronesi (1925–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have no need to expose myself to your flummery,” Mette said with dignity. “I believe in order that I may know. I do not know in order to believe.” “I marvel at your spite. Of what possible benefit can this willful ignorance be to you?”
Michael Swanwick (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“...enfans de l'ignorance qui ont fait en tous tems le malheur des races humaines.”
François-Noël Babeuf (1760–1797) said by 1797 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Bomanz could not get away from the bird, who, if he had been human, would have hung out in taverns masquerading as the world’s foremost authority, armed with an uninformed and ready opinion on every conceivable subject. His cheerful bigotry and who-cares ignorance drove the old man’s temper to its limit.”
“Ignorance is a chink in the armor a knowledgeable enemy can exploit at will.”
“From a metaphysical standpoint Nibbana is deliverance from suffering. From a psychological standpoint Nibbana is the eradication of egoism. From an ethical standpoint Nibbana is the destruction of lust, hatred and ignorance.”
Narada Maha Thera (1898–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We need only view a Dissection of that large Mass, the Brain, to have ground to bewail our Ignorance...We admire...the Fibres of every Muscle, and ought still more to admire their disposition in the Brain, where an infinite number of them contained in a very small Space, do each execute their particular Offices without confusion or disorder.”
Nicolas Steno (1638–1686) said by 1686 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quoted in Minds Behind the Brain. A History of the Pioneers and Their Discoveries by S. Finger (Introduction; A Voyage Across time) (2000)
“David Eddings: I'm afraid that ignorance, hate, racism, and violence will be exacerbated by silence. If speaking out is not an answer then what is? Markus Persson: Reading up on history, thinking for yourself, and not being an idiot.”
Markus Persson (born 1979) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In Twitter (14 August 2017)
“The only possible innocence that remains to me, while I pay forced tribute to the system, while I profit by its corrupting influences and agencies, while I bear my part in the culpable public ignorance and guilty moral apathy, is that of protest and exhaustless effort.”
George D. Herron (1862–1925) said by 1925 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is only the densest ethical ignorance that talks about a "Christian business" life; for business is now intrinsically evil.”
George D. Herron (1862–1925) said by 1925 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I refuse any kind of support coming from supremacist groups. I recommend that, for coherence, they support the leftist candidate, who loves segregating society. Exploring that to influence an election in Brazil is a big silliness. That's ignorance about the Brazilian people, which is mixed.”
Jair Bolsonaro (born 1955) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On 16 October 2018, about the support by the American white supremacist David Duke. 'Ele soa como nós': David Duke, ex-líder da Ku Klux Klan, elogia Bolsonaro, mas critica proximidade com Israel. BBC Brasil (16 October …
“Malcolm had forgotten how very young eighteen was, with its mixture of invincible assuredness, fragile emotions, and the desperate need to be taken seriously—even when caught in complete ignorance.”
Robert Asprin (1946–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I hear I am being attacked both in Prussian and American papers for being too hard on the Chinese and thus delaying the conclusion of peace. This is the outcome of ill-will and ignorance of the conditions ... One can advance things here only by taking as strong and as relentless measures as possible.”
Alfred von Waldersee (1832–1904) first seen 1900 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Waldersee in his diary, 17 December 1900, in Beijing
“The general biological ignorance bodes ill for democratic decisions on environmental issues.”
Hugh Iltis (1925–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One of the ways Islamic fundamentalists have demonstrated their moral backwardness, bankruptcy and ignorance is through gross human rights violations.”
Leo Igwe (born 1970) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Leo Igwe, Sharia and Human Rights whatsapp dp in Nigeria, Mukto-Mona (October 2007)
“They are liars and cheats to the very backbone. Their whole study is, how to deceive most cunningly the simplicity and ignorance of the people”
Francis Xavier (1506–1552) said by 1552 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the present posture of our national affairs, when the instruments of power, although professedly in the hands of the people, are, in reality, lodged in the hands of a moiety, thereby forming an Aristocracy, rather than a Republic – what are we to expect, but that one portion of the nation will be sunk in ignorance and grovelling [sic] submission.”
Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826–1898) said by 1898 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source