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. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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“Each human being has the eternal duty of transforming what is hard and brutal into a subtle and tender offering, what is crude into refinement, what is ugly into beauty, ignorance into knowledge, confrontation into collaboration, thereby rediscovering the child’s dream of a creative reality incessantly renewed by death, the servant of life, and by life the servant of love.”
Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A true scientist is bored by knowledge; it is the assault on ignorance that motivates him—the mysteries that previous discoveries have revealed.”
Matt Ridley (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Gazing at those beautiful stars, Bailey realized that nothing mattered to them. All the achievements of humankind were insignificant. Love and hate, death and life, honor and dishonor, knowledge or ignorance—what did any of that matter in the face of this austere and heartless splendor?”
Pat Murphy (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Only one who has learned much can fully appreciate his ignorance. He knows well the limits of his knowledge and how much is waiting to be learned.”
Louis L'Amour (1908–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If knowledge is power, ignorance cannot be bliss.”
James W. Loewen (1942–2021) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong (2007), New York: New Press, p. 342
“The scientific conception of chance is that of a measure based on experience; a knowledge of the average results of many events is used to replace ignorance of the result of any individual event. ...The judgment which Science gives in this case is decisive; judged by the so called "permanences," or runs of colour, Monte Carlo roulette is no true worship of the goddess at all.”
Karl Pearson (1857–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If the reader questions whether there is still war between science and dogma, I must reply that there always will be as long as knowledge is opposed to ignorance. To know requires exertion, and it is intellectually easiest to shirk effort altogether by accepting phrases which cloak the unknown in the undefinable.”
Karl Pearson (1857–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We seem to know a lot about knowledge. What is remarkable, though, is how little we know about ignorance.”
Robert N. Proctor (born 1954) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance, Stanford University Press, 2008, page 1 (ISBN 9780804759014).
“120. Q. What is the light that can dispel this ignorance of ours and remove all sorrows? A. The knowledge of the "Four Noble Truths," as the Buddha called them.”
Henry Steel Olcott (1832–1907) said by 1907 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Duality is ignorance, non-duality is knowledge.”
Swami Samarpanananda wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Arun Shourie, who has dished out ignorance masquerading as knowledge – reason enough to have pity on him and sympathy for his readers!... Acceptance or rejection of this kind of source criticism is welcome if it comes from a professional historian but not from someone who flirts with history as Shourie does... in his pettiness Shourie is quick to discover plagiarism on my part!”
D. N. Jha (1940–2021) said by 2021 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In coming into her political estate woman will find a mass of illiteracy to be dispelled. If knowledge is power, ignorance is also power.”
Frances Harper (1825–1911) said by 1911 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Rather than reduce this to the personality of Modi or his lack of knowledge, I am more interested in the fact how the Hindu Right has made a virtue of anti-intellectualism, ignorance, and fake news/propaganda in the last five years, and how people have been asked to believe the most illogical, irrational, untruthful statements coming out, especially from the PM.”
Nissim Mannathukkaren first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Why the joke is not on Modi but on his 'educated supporters by K.M. Rakesh And G.S. Mudur, published online in 14 May 2019, The Telegraph
“Before talking about resurrection one must state firmly that, just as death is impossible where there exist sinlessness and knowledge that can control the forces of nature, so resurrection is impossible where there exist sin, ignorance and other misfortunes resulting from man's dependence on the blind forces of nature.”
Nikolai Fyodorovich Fyodorov (1828–1903) said by 1903 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Was it better to die in the illusion of sunshine and warmth or face death in a cold darkness of reality? Was it better to die in happy ignorance or terrified knowledge? The answer, if you’re a Londoner, is that it’s better not to die at all.”
Ben Aaronovitch (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When God created the world, He placed sin and ignorance within satisfication of the appetite and knowledge and wisdom withing hunger. When Sahl hungered he was powerful, and whenever he ate, he became weak.”
Sahl al-Tustari (818–896) said by 896 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All magic means is a line between knowledge and ignorance,” Ortega responded. “A magician is someone who can do something you don’t know how to do. All technology, for example, is magic to a primitive.”
Jack L. Chalker (1944–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The influence of woman was, is, and ever will be exercised, directly or indirectly, in good or in evil! It is a part of the scheme of nature. Give her then the lights she is capable of receiving; educate her (whatever her station) for taking her part in society. Her ignorance has often made her interference fatal: her knowledge, never.”
Sydney, Lady Morgan (1783–1859) first seen 1835 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Princess; or, The Béguine (1835), ch. 20
“Having no knowledge of these great men, nor of the matter how far it was true, I had not very much to say about either of them or it; but this silence was not shared (although the ignorance may have been) by the hundreds of people around me.”
R. D. Blackmore (1825–1900) said by 1900 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We must rise to build a society that values knowledge over ignorance, unity over discord, and progress over stagnation”
Joseph Boakai (born 1944) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The history of the world is replete with illustrations to the effect that the greater the ignorance the greater the abomination of unconforming opinion, and the greater the knowledge the greater the charity for dissenting opinions.”
John Wesley Powell (1834–1902) said by 1902 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge; and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance.”
William Ellery Channing (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance.”
Herodotus (misattributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Traditional knowledge when inspiration is available Is like making ablutions with sand when water is near Make yourself ignorant, be submissive, and then You will obtain release from your ignorance.”
Rumi (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is harder to conceal ignorance than to acquire knowledge.”
Arnold Glasow (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[...]a person stops searching for information and knowledge of one’s self, ignorance sets in.”
Robert Kiyosaki (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What can be more terrible than not to know whether one is alive or dead? “Justice” should insist that this knowledge or this ignorance should be the prerogative of every human being. p. 3”
Lev Shestov (1866–1938) said by 1938 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For what constitutes a child?--Ignorance. What constitutes a child?--Want of instruction; for they are our equals so far as their degree of knowledge permits.”
Plutarch (40–120) said by 120 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source
“This is a competitive business — there are a lot of women who want these jobs, but experience, education, and smarts go a long way. I’m still figuring it out — I learn new things every day. Once you stop learning, you should get out of the business. It’s just really about being hungry for more.”
Nicole Lapin (born 1984) first seen 2008 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with CosmoGIRL! (May 2008)
“You ask for her secret, though you might not know that's what you're about; and she can't tell you without learning it herself. And she wants not to learn that secret.”
John Crowley (1942–2026) first seen 1979 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Engine Summer (1979), chapter 3.2
“Why?" Dallben interrupted. "In some cases," he said, "we learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself.”
Lloyd Alexander (1924–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's tough when you started out as young as I did to look back and see how far I've come. I try to be easy on myself and go 'Look man, you were younger, you were learning; you learn, you grow.' But I'm not my best judge. I always feel like my best work is still ahead of me.”
Matt Dillon (born 1964) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Duane Dudek (October 12, 1995) "The Development of an Actor", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, p. 1.
“No coach ever stops learning. That's what makes the great coaches great. They strive to learn more every day and they never stop asking questions.”
Tom Crean (basketball coach) first seen 2004 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Foreword to Winning Basketball : Techniques and Drills for Playing Better Offensive Basketball (2004) by Ralph L. Pim
“It is important to distinguish the difficulty of describing and learning a piece of notation from the difficulty of mastering its implications. [...] Indeed, the very suggestiveness of a notation may make it seem harder to learn because of the many properties it suggests for exploration.”
Kenneth E. Iverson (1920–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Young people -it is obvious -cannot achieve such a relationship, but they can, if they understand their life properly, grow up slowly to such happiness and prepare themselves for it. They must not forget, when they love, that they are beginners, bunglers of life, apprentices in love- must learn love, and that like all learning wants peace, patience, and composure.”
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) first seen 1904 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter Seven (14 May 1904)
“Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one's enemies.”
Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) first seen 1924 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Literature and Revolution (1924)
“I am learning that we still have things to learn.”
Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them.”
Richard Bach (born 1936) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But God lets men have their playthings, like the children they are, that they may learn to distinguish them from true possessions. If they are not learning that he takes them from them, and tries the other way: for lack of them and its misery, they will perhaps seek the true!”
George MacDonald (1824–1905) first seen 1883 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Donal Grant (1883)
“Aaron began to learn the Dakota language. Isaac, like a newly ordained Doctor of Philosophy, after years of being nagged into learning, rejoiced to be invited to stand up and look important and teach. He was astonished by his own erudition and by the fact that his class of one did not walk out. ~ Ch. 31”
Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951) said by 1951 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What can we learn from this? It’s not enough to call it a tragedy. Imagine, for a second, getting the call and learning that was your daughter. The last time you spoke to her, she was heading to Washington for a political rally. Now, she’s dead. You’ll never talk to her again. Seriously, imagine that. If you have children, it will put you in the right frame of mind.”
Tucker Carlson (born 1969) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Commenting on the death of Ashli Babbit following the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021; ;
“Sometimes, the only way to learn something really well is to revert to the state of mind of a novice and reawaken to the raw observations that you have accumulated instead of relying on the conclusions you have reached from the exogenous premises absorbed through teaching and bookish learning.”
Erik Naggum (1965–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m a little obsessed with learning new things, and every book is another opportunity to learn something new. My theory of fiction writing isn’t “Write what you know,” it’s “Write what you want to know.”
Ayelet Waldman (born 1964) first seen 2010 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with The Forward (August 5, 2010)
“We expect to learn new tricks because one of our science based abilities is being able to predict. That after all is what science is about. Learning enough about how a thing works so you'll know what comes next. Because as we all know everything obeys the universal laws, all you need is to understand the laws.”
James Burke (science historian) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Learning too soon our limitations, we never learn our powers.”
Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At the heart of this culture is an understanding that an organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive business advantage.”
Jack Welch (1935–2020) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Cited in: Robert Slater (1998), Jack Welch & The G.E. Way: Management Insights and Leadership. p. 12
“Life consists in the alternate process of learning and unlearning; but it is often wiser to unlearn than to learn.”
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873) said by 1873 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Most learning is not the result of instruction. It is rather the result of unhampered participation in a meaningful setting. Most people learn best by being "with it," yet school makes them identify their personal, cognitive growth with elaborate planning and manipulation.”
Ivan Illich (1926–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Learning is not compulsory; it's voluntary. Improvement is not compulsory; it's voluntary. But to survive, we must learn.”
W. Edwards Deming (1900–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Deming: The Way We Knew Him (1995)
“I like to learn things slow I like learning alot I like to get it all again and in the end You know you get what you got”
Zooey Deschanel (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source