--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only two kinds of people can attain…" description: "\"Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/anonymous-1_inspirational_only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self_1729734.jpg" --- # Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those… ![“Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/anonymous-1_inspirational_only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self_1729734.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/anonymous-1_inspirational_only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self_1729734.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/anonymous-1_inspirational_only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self_1729734.jpg) > “Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True wisdom arises when one recognizes the limits of personal knowledge, despite extensive study. **In simple terms:** Know your limits. Key Takeaway Accept that you know nothing. Themes humility learning self‑knowledge Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic study - personal reflection - spiritual practice Key Concepts epistemology philosophy introspection Questions to Reflect On - What does admitting ignorance enable? - How can you apply this humility in daily decisions? A Different Perspective May lead to paralysis if over‑emphasized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-knowledge/) ## Related quotes > [“It is but few who hear about the Self. Fewer still dedicate their lives to its Realization. Wonderful is the one Who speaks about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-but-few-who-hear-about-the-self-fewer-still-dedicate-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [TEAMWORK: the fuel that allows common people attain uncommon results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/teamwork-the-fuel-that-allows-common-people-attain-uncommon-results/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [The only people who attain power are those who crave it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-k-stner/the-only-people-who-attain-power-are-those-who-crave-it/) [Erich Kastner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-k-stner/) > [The Highest to which people can attain is wonder; and if the prime phenomenon makes them wonder, let them be content; nothing higher can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-highest-to-which-people-can-attain-is-wonder-and-if-the-prime/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/few-people-attain-great-lives-in-large-part-because-it-is-just-so/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [Ordinary People Attain Extraordinary Success - You Can Too!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-j-zelinski/ordinary-people-attain-extraordinary-success-you-can-too/) [Ernie J Zelinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-j-zelinski/) > [(People) can never attain fulfillment, or sense of meaning, unless it is shared, unless it pertains to other human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/people-can-never-attain-fulfillment-or-sense-of-meaning-unless-it-is/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [When you get to see the world, it changes you. 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The (takers) may eat better, but the (givers) sleep better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-givers-and-takers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are, basically, three kinds of people: the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-basically-three-kinds-of-people-the-unsuccessful-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There are 2 kinds of people in the world- those who walk into a room and say "There you are" and those who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-2-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-those-who-walk-into-a-room/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. 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Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that is to say, whose minds are not over-crowded with thoughts borrowed from others; and those who, after studying all the scriptures and sciences, have come to realise that they know nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self-knowledge-those-who-are-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self-knowledge-those-who-are-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/anonymous-1_inspirational_only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self_1729734.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/anonymous-1_inspirational_only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self_1729734.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/279/anonymous-1_inspirational_only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self_1729734.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only two kinds of people can attain self-knowledge: those who are not encumbered at all with learning, that…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Only two kinds of people can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self-knowledge-those-who-are-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-two-kinds-of-people-can-attain-self-knowledge-those-who-are-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```