--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to realize what you don't know…" description: "\"You have to realize what you don't know before you can learn about it.\" — Christopher Jones" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/christopher-jones-38924_education_you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know_538554.jpg" --- # You have to realize what you don't know before you can… ![“You have to realize what you don't know before you can learn about it.” quote by Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/christopher-jones-38924_education_you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know_538554.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/christopher-jones-38924_education_you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know_538554.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/christopher-jones-38924_education_you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know_538554.jpg) > “You have to realize what you don't know before you can learn about it.” [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One must recognize their own ignorance before they can acquire knowledge Themes self-awareness learning humility Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical When to use this quote - education - personal development - skill acquisition Key Concepts metacognition epistemology growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - What do you admit you don’t know? - How can you identify gaps in understanding? A Different Perspective Self-recognition can be difficult and may hinder progress ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [As you get older and you realize you really don't know as much as you think you know, you listen more. Because then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-keoghan/as-you-get-older-and-you-realize-you-really-don-t-know-as-much-as-you/) [Phil Keoghan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-keoghan/) > [No matter how much you know, you can always learn more and be a good listener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-jonas/no-matter-how-much-you-know-you-can-always-learn-more-and-be-a-good/) [Kevin Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-jonas/) > [“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 > [As a kid, you don't know what's going on at the time. But once you get older, you start to realize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/as-a-kid-you-don-t-know-what-s-going-on-at-the-time-but-once-you-get/) [Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/) > [People don't realize a lot of things about me. A lot of things, they don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cabrera/people-don-t-realize-a-lot-of-things-about-me-a-lot-of-things-they/) [Miguel Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cabrera/) > [The more I see and hear, the more I realize how much I don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/the-more-i-see-and-hear-the-more-i-realize-how-much-i-don-t-know/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [Sometimes when you find something you didn't really realize you were looking for, you just don't know how to react.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-when-you-find-something-you-didn-t-really-realize-you-were/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Most of the book deals with things we already know yet never learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huston-smith/most-of-the-book-deals-with-things-we-already-know-yet-never-learn/) [Huston Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huston-smith/) > [Of course much remains to know, but we know how to learn: through scientific research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-bunge/of-course-much-remains-to-know-but-we-know-how-to-learn-through/) [Mario Bunge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-bunge/) > [“There’s much to be said for taking people unawares. You never know what you might learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/there-s-much-to-be-said-for-taking-people-unawares-you-never-know/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Although Dad taught me everything I needed to know, I had to learn to do it for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-rose/although-dad-taught-me-everything-i-needed-to-know-i-had-to-learn-to/) [Justin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-rose/) > [Knowledge can be acquired by a suitable and complete study, no matter what the starting point is. Only one must know how to 'learn.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/knowledge-can-be-acquired-by-a-suitable-and-complete-study-no-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Keep an open mind and know that you can always learn more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/keep-an-open-mind-and-know-that-you-can-always-learn-more/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [I have come to know that we learn much more of what is important when we concentrate on helping others than when we concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-groberg/i-have-come-to-know-that-we-learn-much-more-of-what-is-important-when/) [John H. Groberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-groberg/) ## More by Christopher Jones > [The saying "the cherry on top" is only a good metaphor if the person listening or reading actually likes cherries on top of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/the-saying-the-cherry-on-top-is-only-a-good-metaphor-if-the-person/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [It is not wrong to strive to be better than a fellow human being. Nor is it wrong to desire to be better or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/it-is-not-wrong-to-strive-to-be-better-than-a-fellow-human-being-nor/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [What if there were no hypothetical situations?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/what-if-there-were-no-hypothetical-situations/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [In order to maintain a friendship, do not avoid confrontation, but rather, embrace it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/in-order-to-maintain-a-friendship-do-not-avoid-confrontation-but/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [If life was a piece of cake, it wouldn't be worth eating!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/if-life-was-a-piece-of-cake-it-wouldn-t-be-worth-eating/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [Do not kick people when they are down because you will surely fall right beside them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/do-not-kick-people-when-they-are-down-because-you-will-surely-fall/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [To help someone who is down on their luck is admirable. To help an adversary who is down on their luck is divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/to-help-someone-who-is-down-on-their-luck-is-admirable-to-help-an/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [Don't waste time thinking about what could have been when you could be thinking about what could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/don-t-waste-time-thinking-about-what-could-have-been-when-you-could/) [Christopher Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/) > [When the world changes, you have to adapt and change with it. 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(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": "You have to realize what you don't know before you can learn about it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Jones" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know-before-you-can-learn-about-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know-before-you-can-learn-about-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/christopher-jones-38924_education_you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know_538554.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/christopher-jones-38924_education_you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know_538554.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/886/christopher-jones-38924_education_you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know_538554.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have to realize what you don't know before you can learn about it.” — Christopher Jones", "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": "Christopher Jones", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-jones/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You have to realize what you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know-before-you-can-learn-about-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-jones/you-have-to-realize-what-you-don-t-know-before-you-can-learn-about-it/#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 } } ] } ```