--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are going to learn, you need to…" description: "\"“If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you know. - Pokey”\" — Christopher Moore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/christopher-moore-353_education_if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-fo_903839.png" --- # If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you… ![“If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you know. - Pokey” quote by Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/christopher-moore-353_education_if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-fo_903839.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/christopher-moore-353_education_if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-fo_903839.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/christopher-moore-353_education_if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-fo_903839.png) > ““If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you know. - Pokey”” [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. To truly learn, you must discard outdated beliefs and be open to new information. **In simple terms:** Forget old ideas to learn new ones. Key Takeaway Embrace mental flexibility. Themes learning growth open‑mindedness Mood inquisitive motivational Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - education - career change - skill acquisition Key Concepts cognitive flexibility unlearning innovation Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs are holding you back? - How can you safely challenge them? A Different Perspective Unlearning can be uncomfortable and risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-know-894469/) [Going Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-learn/) [Know Pokey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-pokey-1265818/) [Need Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-forget-316296/) ## Related quotes > [“If you're going to learn, you need to forget what you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/if-you-re-going-to-learn-you-need-to-forget-what-you-know/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [We may with advantage at times forget what we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-may-with-advantage-at-times-forget-what-we-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Science tells us what we can know, but what we can know is little, and if we forget how much we cannot know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/science-tells-us-what-we-can-know-but-what-we-can-know-is-little-and/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [What is stupidity? It is when you still communicating the person you need to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-angela/what-is-stupidity-it-is-when-you-still-communicating-the-person-you/) [Kara Angela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-angela/) > [Sometimes we need to forget some people from out past because of one simple reason: THEY JUST DON'T BELONG TO OUR FUTURE!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-we-need-to-forget-some-people-from-out-past-because-of-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is sometimes expedient to forget what you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/it-is-sometimes-expedient-to-forget-what-you-know/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [“1) Step one is to forget everything which you know... ... That's how change you can apply!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deyth-banger/1-step-one-is-to-forget-everything-which-you-know-that-s-how-change/) [Deyth Banger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deyth-banger/) > [“You can forget about yourself and still know you will always do everything you are supposed to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-spiewak-eng/you-can-forget-about-yourself-and-still-know-you-will-always-do/) [Jill Spiewak Eng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-spiewak-eng/) > [The more you learn, the more you know. The more you know, the more you forget. The more you forget, the less you know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-more-you-learn-the-more-you-know-the-more-you-know-the-more-you/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Forget all you know & learn something every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-james/forget-all-you-know-learn-something-every-day/) [Charles James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-james/) > [We travel because we do not know. We know that we do not know the best before we start. That is why we start.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-benson/we-travel-because-we-do-not-know-we-know-that-we-do-not-know-the-best/) [Stella Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-benson/) > [“The more we learn, the more we know. The more we know, the more we forget. The more we forget, the less we know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anounymous/the-more-we-learn-the-more-we-know-the-more-we-know-the-more-we/) [Anounymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anounymous/) > [This one commercial said, "Forget everything you know about slipcovers." So I did, and it was a load off of my mind. Then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/this-one-commercial-said-forget-everything-you-know-about-slipcovers/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Forget what you know about disability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktoria-modesta/forget-what-you-know-about-disability/) [Viktoria Modesta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktoria-modesta/) > [“but I so often forget what I know! QUARANTINE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/but-i-so-often-forget-what-i-know-quarantine/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) ## More by Christopher Moore > [“Love them all," said Renoir. "That is the secret, young man. Love them all." The painter let go of his arm and shrugged. "Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/love-them-all-said-renoir-that-is-the-secret-young-man-love-them-all/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I tried cutting myself to express my heartbreak over Tommy (Lord Flood) rejecting me, but OMFG it hurts like flaming fuck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-tried-cutting-myself-to-express-my-heartbreak-over-tommy-lord-flood/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Canada is a myth people made up to entertain children, like the Tooth Fairy. There’s no such place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/canada-is-a-myth-people-made-up-to-entertain-children-like-the-tooth/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Sarcasm will make your tits fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/sarcasm-will-make-your-tits-fall-off/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“I hope you are not here to ask me to do my bawdy business- the monkey has a nosebleed and the circus, sir, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/i-hope-you-are-not-here-to-ask-me-to-do-my-bawdy-business-the-monkey/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [The prospect of change is a many-fanged beast, my dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-prospect-of-change-is-a-many-fanged-beast-my-dear/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“The night was crisp and the stars shone with a cold blue light like loneliness or infinity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/the-night-was-crisp-and-the-stars-shone-with-a-cold-blue-light-like/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Children see magic because they look for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/children-see-magic-because-they-look-for-it/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Abby Von Normal - And I'm like, "Don't change the subject, Kung Pao, what I want to know is if you're ready to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/abby-von-normal-and-i-m-like-don-t-change-the-subject-kung-pao-what-i/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“You can't just go around blurting out the truth like a prophet with Tourette's syndrome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/you-can-t-just-go-around-blurting-out-the-truth-like-a-prophet-with/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [How could you deal with a creature as devious as woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/how-could-you-deal-with-a-creature-as-devious-as-woman/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“…turning your ankle hurts like hell, even if you're a superhero.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/turning-your-ankle-hurts-like-hell-even-if-you-re-a-superhero/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [Lonliness evaporated off of them like the steam off dry ice, and by morning it was just a cloud on the ceiling of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/lonliness-evaporated-off-of-them-like-the-steam-off-dry-ice-and-by/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“Give us a call or you know, flash a searchlight in the sky with your logo on it, because we monitor everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/give-us-a-call-or-you-know-flash-a-searchlight-in-the-sky-with-your/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“it wasn't so much like the hands of time had stood still here, more like they'd been thrown in the air in exasperation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/it-wasn-t-so-much-like-the-hands-of-time-had-stood-still-here-more/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) [Explore all 591 Christopher Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you know. - Pokey”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-forget-what-you-know-pokey/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-forget-what-you-know-pokey/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/christopher-moore-353_education_if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-fo_903839.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/christopher-moore-353_education_if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-fo_903839.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e2/christopher-moore-353_education_if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-fo_903839.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you know. - Pokey” — Christopher Moore", "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 Moore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you are going to learn,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-forget-what-you-know-pokey/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/if-you-are-going-to-learn-you-need-to-forget-what-you-know-pokey/#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 } } ] } ```