---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Learn to recognise when you need to know…"
description: "\"Learn to recognise when you need to know something.\" — Bruce Nauman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/bruce-nauman-16839_education_learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know_1785756.png"
---

#  Learn to recognise when you need to know something.

![“Learn to recognise when you need to know something.” quote by Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/bruce-nauman-16839_education_learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know_1785756.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/bruce-nauman-16839_education_learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know_1785756.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/bruce-nauman-16839_education_learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know_1785756.png)

> “Learn to recognise when you need to know something.”

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Recognizing knowledge gaps prompts learning and growth.

**In simple terms:** Know when you need to learn.

Key Takeaway

Identify gaps and seek information.

Themes

learning self-awareness growth

Mood

thoughtful curious

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career development
- academic research
- personal hobbies

Key Concepts

cognitive psychology education

Questions to Reflect On

- What do you need to learn now?
- How do you prioritize learning?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on knowledge can cause analysis paralysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

## Related quotes

> [To love, you have to admit your lack, and recognise that you need the other, that you miss him or her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-alain-miller/to-love-you-have-to-admit-your-lack-and-recognise-that-you-need-the/)

[Jacques-Alain Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-alain-miller/)

> [All things good to know are difficult to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greek-proverb/all-things-good-to-know-are-difficult-to-learn/)

Greek Proverb

> [Listen to everyone &amp; learn from everyone because nobody knows everything but everyone know someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/listen-to-everyone-learn-from-everyone-because-nobody-knows/)

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

> [Well, you've got to learn how to make fun of yourself - you know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-jon/well-you-ve-got-to-learn-how-to-make-fun-of-yourself-you-know-what-i/)

[Lil Jon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-jon/)

> [I know how to set an irrigation tube, and I helped with the harvest. I learned the law of the harvest without even knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-l-dew/i-know-how-to-set-an-irrigation-tube-and-i-helped-with-the-harvest-i/)

[Sheri L. Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-l-dew/)

> [Emotional Literacy means being able to recognise what you are feeling, so that it doesn't interfere with thinking. It becomes another dimension to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-orbach/emotional-literacy-means-being-able-to-recognise-what-you-are-feeling/)

[Susie Orbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-orbach/)

> [It's easier for me to act in Spanish, but as soon as I get the lines in English and I know them by heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-la-reguera/it-s-easier-for-me-to-act-in-spanish-but-as-soon-as-i-get-the-lines/)

[Ana de la Reguera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-la-reguera/)

> [I don't know why, but I'm continually amazed to think that two and a half billion of us around the world are connected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kovacs/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-continually-amazed-to-think-that-two-and-a/)

[Gary Kovacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kovacs/)

> [“Learn to say "I don't know" when you really DON'T know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levitt-steven/learn-to-say-i-don-t-know-when-you-really-don-t-know/)

levitt, steven

> [You know, you can learn a lot from your past, but for me, the past is the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-zimmerman/you-know-you-can-learn-a-lot-from-your-past-but-for-me-the-past-is/)

[Ryan Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-zimmerman/)

> [It is important for investors to understand what they do and don't know. Learn to recognize that you cannot possibly know what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/it-is-important-for-investors-to-understand-what-they-do-and-don-t/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [Our Constitution recognises no other power than that of persuasion, for enforcing religious observances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mentor-johnson/our-constitution-recognises-no-other-power-than-that-of-persuasion/)

[Richard Mentor Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mentor-johnson/)

> [I'll reshoot a corridor 13 different ways, and you'll never recognise them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-ll-reshoot-a-corridor-13-different-ways-and-you-ll-never-recognise/)

[Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/)

> [If I walked down a street back home people would recognise me, but they wouldn't approach me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teemu-pukki/if-i-walked-down-a-street-back-home-people-would-recognise-me-but/)

[Teemu Pukki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teemu-pukki/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

## More by Bruce Nauman

> [My work is basically an outgrowth of the anger I feel about the human condition. The aspects of it that make me angry are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/my-work-is-basically-an-outgrowth-of-the-anger-i-feel-about-the-human/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [Did you stop because it was good enough, or could have done more - but then maybe ruined it too? Sometimes you finish because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/did-you-stop-because-it-was-good-enough-or-could-have-done-more-but/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [In art, the only one who really knows whether what you've done is honest is the artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/in-art-the-only-one-who-really-knows-whether-what-you-ve-done-is/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [I like to combine different aspects in my work, to cover different areas, but I do see them as being separate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/i-like-to-combine-different-aspects-in-my-work-to-cover-different/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [If I was an artist, and I was in the studio, then whatever I was doing in the studio must be art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/if-i-was-an-artist-and-i-was-in-the-studio-then-whatever-i-was-doing/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [A good teacher is like a good artist. They go right to the most difficult part of whatever's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/a-good-teacher-is-like-a-good-artist-they-go-right-to-the-most/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [And so I put down some of the things that he said, about keeping your tools sharpened and not letting them lie on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/and-so-i-put-down-some-of-the-things-that-he-said-about-keeping-your/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [Pete and Repeat were sitting on a wall. Pete fell off. Who was left? Repeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/pete-and-repeat-were-sitting-on-a-wall-pete-fell-off-who-was-left/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [I've always been interested in what happens in the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-what-happens-in-the-studio/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [One of the factors that still keeps me in the studio is that every so often I have to more or less start all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/one-of-the-factors-that-still-keeps-me-in-the-studio-is-that-every-so/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [In this case we're building a corner to stretch a fence and hang a gate. It had a real purpose in the ranch here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/in-this-case-we-re-building-a-corner-to-stretch-a-fence-and-hang-a/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [But if you can find that spot - I suppose it's like running - I used to be a swimmer and swim laps, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/but-if-you-can-find-that-spot-i-suppose-it-s-like-running-i-used-to/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [If you choose the wrong questions and you proceed, you still get a result, but it's not interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/if-you-choose-the-wrong-questions-and-you-proceed-you-still-get-a/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [It's interesting when you make things or do things that open up the possibilities for making more things, or different kinds of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/it-s-interesting-when-you-make-things-or-do-things-that-open-up-the/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

> [I thought I might have to give up art, but I couldn't think of anything else to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/i-thought-i-might-have-to-give-up-art-but-i-couldn-t-think-of/)

[Bruce Nauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

[Explore all 38 Bruce Nauman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

Ioannes Amos Commenius

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

H.D. (Hilda Doolittle

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/)

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

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

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

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Learn to recognise when you need to know something.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bruce Nauman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know-something/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know-something/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/bruce-nauman-16839_education_learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know_1785756.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/bruce-nauman-16839_education_learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know_1785756.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/bruce-nauman-16839_education_learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know_1785756.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Learn to recognise when you need to know something.” — Bruce Nauman",
                "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": "Bruce Nauman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-nauman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Learn to recognise when you need...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know-something/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-nauman/learn-to-recognise-when-you-need-to-know-something/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
