--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is wrong is not the great…" description: "\"What is wrong is not the great discoveries of science—information is always better than ignorance, no matter what information or what ignorance. What i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/archibald-macleish-7676_behinds_what-is-wrong-is-not-the-great-discoveri_1835261.jpg" --- # What is wrong is not the great discoveries of… ![“What is wrong is not the great discoveries of science—information is always better than ignorance, no matter what information or what ignorance. What is wrong is the belief behind the information, the belief that information will change the world. It won’t.” quote by Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/archibald-macleish-7676_behinds_what-is-wrong-is-not-the-great-discoveri_1835261.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/archibald-macleish-7676_behinds_what-is-wrong-is-not-the-great-discoveri_1835261.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4f/archibald-macleish-7676_behinds_what-is-wrong-is-not-the-great-discoveri_1835261.jpg) > “What is wrong is not the great discoveries of science—information is always better than ignorance, no matter what information or what ignorance. What is wrong is the belief behind the information, the belief that information will change the world. It won’t.” [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Knowledge alone does not guarantee progress; belief in its power can be misguided **In simple terms:** Information alone won’t change the world Key Takeaway Question the power of belief in information Themes critical thinking knowledge belief skepticism Mood cautious skeptical Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - policy making - scientific research - media consumption - personal decision making Key Concepts epistemology cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate useful information from harmful belief? - When does belief become a barrier to truth? A Different Perspective Information can be misused or misinterpreted ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/) [Changing the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-the-world/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Ignorance is a matter of laziness, indifference, and apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-tancredo/ignorance-is-a-matter-of-laziness-indifference-and-apathy/) [Tom Tancredo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-tancredo/) > [Everything that happens in our lives is "good information" about the degree to which our choices are working for us. We can, however, choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-crawford/everything-that-happens-in-our-lives-is-good-information-about-the/) [Bill Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-crawford/) > [“Ignorance was the enemy. Lies and superstition, misinformation, disinformation. Sometimes, no information at all. Ignorance killed billions of people. Ignorance caused the Zombie War.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-brooks/ignorance-was-the-enemy-lies-and-superstition-misinformation/) [Max Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-brooks/) > [“Information and ignorance are like light and darkness... When light comes into your room, darkness must fly away. When information rules your mind, ignorance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/information-and-ignorance-are-like-light-and-darkness-when-light/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [In the age of information, ignorance is a choice. Question everything. Don't believe everything you hear. Come to your own conclusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-patterson/in-the-age-of-information-ignorance-is-a-choice-question-everything/) [Mark Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-patterson/) > [In the age of information, ignorance is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-age-of-information-ignorance-is-a-choice/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So what was better for us all? An ignorance, or a cautiousness like his, towards our own hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/so-what-was-better-for-us-all-an-ignorance-or-a-cautiousness-like-his/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [“There were times he thought it would have been far better to never have known. 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Ignorance was the lowest form of humiliation and suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/anything-was-better-than-nothing-half-full-was-better-than-empty/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know - and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise-2/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More by Archibald MacLeish > [Never in all their history have men been able truly to conceive of the world as one: a single sphere, a globe, having the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/never-in-all-their-history-have-men-been-able-truly-to-conceive-of/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [Around, around the sun we go: The moon goes round the earth. We do not die of death: We die of vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/around-around-the-sun-we-go-the-moon-goes-round-the-earth-we-do-not/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [What you really have to know is one: yourself. And the only way you can know that one is in the mirror of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/what-you-really-have-to-know-is-one-yourself-and-the-only-way-you-can/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [Poets... are literal-minded men who will squeeze a word till it hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/poets-are-literal-minded-men-who-will-squeeze-a-word-till-it-hurts/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [“American foreign policy was a mirror image of Russian foreign policy: whatever the Russians did, we did in reverse. American domestic policies were conducted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/american-foreign-policy-was-a-mirror-image-of-russian-foreign-policy/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [To separate journalism and poetry, therefore-history and poetry-to set them up at opposite ends of the world of discourse, is to separate seeing from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/to-separate-journalism-and-poetry-therefore-history-and-poetry-to-set/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [You burned the city of London in our houses and we felt the flames.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/you-burned-the-city-of-london-in-our-houses-and-we-felt-the-flames/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [The infantile cowardice of our time which demands an external pattern, a nonhuman authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/the-infantile-cowardice-of-our-time-which-demands-an-external-pattern/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [Races didn't bother the Americans. They were something a lot better than any race. They were a People. They were the first self-constituted, self-declared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/races-didn-t-bother-the-americans-they-were-something-a-lot-better/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [Young poets are advised by their elders to avoid the practice of journalism as they would wet socks and gin before breakfast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/young-poets-are-advised-by-their-elders-to-avoid-the-practice-of/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [There are those, I know, who will reply that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/there-are-those-i-know-who-will-reply-that-the-liberation-of-humanity/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [“What is freedom? Freedom is the right to choose: the right to create for oneself the alternatives of choice. Without the possibility of choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/what-is-freedom-freedom-is-the-right-to-choose-the-right-to-create/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [A poem should not mean but be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/a-poem-should-not-mean-but-be/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [What once was cuddled must learn to kiss The cold wonn's mouth. That's all the mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/what-once-was-cuddled-must-learn-to-kiss-the-cold-wonn-s-mouth-that-s/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) [Explore all 88 Archibald MacLeish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) ## More Behinds quotes > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. 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Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm really thankful to God, man. Like now, I'm really making a real comeback with my group. 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All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) Browse all 6,789 Behinds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is wrong is not the great discoveries of science—information is always better than ignorance, no matter what information or what ignorance. What is wrong is the belief behind the information, the belief that information will change the world. 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