---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To know is to know that you know nothing…"
description: "\"To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/anonymous-1_know_to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing_642883.jpg"
---

#  To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the…

![“To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/anonymous-1_know_to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing_642883.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/anonymous-1_know_to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing_642883.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/anonymous-1_know_to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing_642883.jpg)

> “To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.”

[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.

The quote suggests that true wisdom lies in recognizing one's own ignorance and the limits of knowledge.

**In simple terms:** Admitting ignorance is true knowledge.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humility in learning.

Themes

wisdom humility self-awareness

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- personal growth
- philosophical inquiry
- dialogue

Key Concepts

Socratic paradox epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does acknowledging ignorance affect decision making?
- Can humility replace overconfidence?

A Different Perspective

One may argue that certainty can also drive progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-know/) [Know Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-meaning-1113154/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [True knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-knowledge/)

## Related quotes

> [To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/to-know-what-you-know-and-what-you-do-not-know-that-is-true-knowledge/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. For a man who claims to have knowledge,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing-that-is-the-meaning-of-true-2/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. When you say something, say what you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing-that-is-the-meaning-of-true-3/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [Its sad how a lot of people don't know the meaning of friendship anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-sad-how-a-lot-of-people-don-t-know-the-meaning-of-friendship/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/to-know-that-we-know-what-we-know-and-that-we-do-not-know-what-we-do/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/to-know-that-we-know-what-we-know-and-to-know-that-we-do-not-know/)

[Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/)

> [To take what you know for what you know, and what you do not know for what you do not know, that is knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/to-take-what-you-know-for-what-you-know-and-what-you-do-not-know-for/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [“I know I know nothing, but I know more than some people...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-mckendry/i-know-i-know-nothing-but-i-know-more-than-some-people/)

[Jessica McKendry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-mckendry/)

> [A true knowledge of ourselves is knowledge of our power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-true-knowledge-of-ourselves-is-knowledge-of-our-power/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“True knowledge comes from God, so continue to strive hard!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-knowledge-comes-from-god-so-continue-to-strive-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Not-knowing is true knowledge. Presuming to know is a disease. First realize that you are sick; then you can move toward health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-knowing-is-true-knowledge-presuming-to-know-is-a-disease-first/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Years later, my wife, Ilusion, woke me up to the realization that you can't just "dump" your whole species simply because you've had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/years-later-my-wife-ilusion-woke-me-up-to-the-realization-that-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Jesus came to reveal God to us. He is the defining word on God—on what the heart of God is truly like, on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jesus-came-to-reveal-god-to-us-he-is-the-defining-word-on-god-on-what/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“7 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge,       but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/7-fear-of-the-lord-is-the-foundation-of-true-knowledge-but-fools/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true Knowledge, all else is only a negation of Knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-knowledge-which-purifies-the-mind-and-heart-alone-is-true/)

[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 Know quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [“To know someone, to be known. That matters more than he'd ever thought it would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/to-know-someone-to-be-known-that-matters-more-than-he-d-ever-thought/)

[Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/)

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/)

[Robert Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-preston/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [“Take your time to find and understand what you don’t know and in the end, you shall know that it is not all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/take-your-time-to-find-and-understand-what-you-don-t-know-and-in-the/)

[Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

[Browse all 22,299 Know quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing-that-is-the-meaning-of-true/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Know"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing-that-is-the-meaning-of-true/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/anonymous-1_know_to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing_642883.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/anonymous-1_know_to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing_642883.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a3/anonymous-1_know_to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing_642883.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To know is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.” — 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": "To know is to know that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing-that-is-the-meaning-of-true/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-know-is-to-know-that-you-know-nothing-that-is-the-meaning-of-true/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
