--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be humane, we must ever be ready to…" description: "\"To be humane, we must ever be ready to pronounce that wise, ingenious and modest statement 'I do not know'.\" — Galileo Galilei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/galileo-galilei-2377_humane_to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pr_896336.png" --- # To be humane, we must ever be ready to pronounce that… ![“To be humane, we must ever be ready to pronounce that wise, ingenious and modest statement 'I do not know'.” quote by Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/galileo-galilei-2377_humane_to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pr_896336.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/galileo-galilei-2377_humane_to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pr_896336.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/galileo-galilei-2377_humane_to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pr_896336.png) > “To be humane, we must ever be ready to pronounce that wise, ingenious and modest statement 'I do not know'.” [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Admitting ignorance is a sign of humility and openness to learning, essential for scientific progress. **In simple terms:** Saying “I don’t know” shows humility and curiosity. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and seek knowledge. Themes humility learning science Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research discussions - classroom teaching - personal growth - decision making Key Concepts epistemic humility critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - When have you resisted claiming knowledge? - How does humility affect collaboration? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on certainty can hinder action or confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ingenious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingenious/) [Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise/) ## Related quotes > [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. 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He was a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/among-the-great-men-who-have-philosophized-about-the-action-of-the/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [Infinities and indivisibles transcend our finite understanding, the former on account of their magnitude, the latter because of their smallness; Imagine what they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/infinities-and-indivisibles-transcend-our-finite-understanding-the/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-do-not-feel-obliged-to-believe-that-the-same-god-who-has-endowed-us/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [What ever the course of our lives, we should recieve them as the highest gift from the hand of God, in which equally reposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/what-ever-the-course-of-our-lives-we-should-recieve-them-as-the/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [I cannot but be astonished that Sarsi should persist in trying to prove by means of witnesses something that I may see for myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-cannot-but-be-astonished-that-sarsi-should-persist-in-trying-to/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [I would say here something that was heard from an ecclesiastic of the most eminent degree: The intention of the Holy Spirit is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/i-would-say-here-something-that-was-heard-from-an-ecclesiastic-of-the/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [Some, merely to contradict what I had said, did not scruple to cast doubt upon things they had seen with their own eyes again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/some-merely-to-contradict-what-i-had-said-did-not-scruple-to-cast/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [By denying scientific principles, one may maintain any paradox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/by-denying-scientific-principles-one-may-maintain-any-paradox/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) [Explore all 166 Galileo Galilei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) ## More Humane quotes > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Yet hold it more humane, more heav'nly, first, By winning words to conquer willing hearts, And make persuasion do the work of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/yet-hold-it-more-humane-more-heav-nly-first-by-winning-words-to/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“I do not give a damn whether a person is a scientist, a philosopher or a theologian If that person cannot recognize the basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-do-not-give-a-damn-whether-a-person-is-a-scientist-a-philosopher-or/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Let's dream for living in a world where animals are equally respected as humans. It's also high time for us to realise the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandrababu-vs/let-s-dream-for-living-in-a-world-where-animals-are-equally-respected/) [Chandrababu VS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chandrababu-vs/) > [To strive to be perfect is going down the road of self-destruction. To strive to be yourself is going down the road of greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/to-strive-to-be-perfect-is-going-down-the-road-of-self-destruction-to/) Isaiah Harden (Me > [We may observe that, in displaying the praises of any humane, beneficent man, there is one circumstance which never fails to be amply insisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-observe-that-in-displaying-the-praises-of-any-humane/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress in humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/you-find-as-you-look-around-the-world-that-every-single-bit-of/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [I like the Swiss because by and large they are more humane than the other people aming whom I have lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-like-the-swiss-because-by-and-large-they-are-more-humane-than-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I don't have a hands-on fondness for animals. I did not grow up bonded to any particular nonhuman animal. I like them and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-pacelle/i-don-t-have-a-hands-on-fondness-for-animals-i-did-not-grow-up-bonded/) [Wayne Pacelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-pacelle/) > [The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders. This is a great mystery to me because thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/the-truth-is-that-schools-don-t-really-teach-anything-except-how-to/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [What do you regard as most humane? To spare someone shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-do-you-regard-as-most-humane-to-spare-someone-shame/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [If every head of state and every government official spent an hour a day reading poetry we'd live in a much more humane and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/if-every-head-of-state-and-every-government-official-spent-an-hour-a/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [Being compassionate towards hapless creatures is the most humane deed one could do to the nature, regardless of the size, shape or looks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/being-compassionate-towards-hapless-creatures-is-the-most-humane-deed/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Capital punishment kills immediately, whereas lifetime imprisonment does so slowly. Which executioner is more humane? The one who kills you in a few minutes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/capital-punishment-kills-immediately-whereas-lifetime-imprisonment/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [After many years of thinking, reading and writing and looking, I came to believe that there are two basic, essential values which are indispensable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/after-many-years-of-thinking-reading-and-writing-and-looking-i-came/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) Browse all 454 Humane quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be humane, we must ever be ready to pronounce that wise, ingenious and modest statement 'I do not know'.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Galileo Galilei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pronounce-that-wise-ingenious/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humane" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pronounce-that-wise-ingenious/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/galileo-galilei-2377_humane_to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pr_896336.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/galileo-galilei-2377_humane_to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pr_896336.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0c/galileo-galilei-2377_humane_to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pr_896336.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be humane, we must ever be ready to pronounce that wise, ingenious and modest statement 'I do not know'.” — Galileo Galilei", "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": "Galileo Galilei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be humane, we must ever...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pronounce-that-wise-ingenious/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/to-be-humane-we-must-ever-be-ready-to-pronounce-that-wise-ingenious/#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 } } ] } ```