Acquire Quote by Jorge Luis Borges
“The man who acquires an encyclopedia does not thereby acquire every line, every paragraph, every page, and every illustration; he acquires the possibility of becoming familiar with one and another of those things.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "The Book of Imaginary Beings", 1957 (paraphrased)
Owning a reference work grants the potential to explore knowledge, not instant mastery of every detail.
In simple terms: Books open doors to learning.
Key Takeaway
Use resources to gradually deepen understanding.
Themes
learning
curiosity
potential
Mood
inquisitive
encouraging
Type
educational
inspirational
When to use this quote
- studying
- research
- self‑education
- library use
Key Concepts
epistemology
knowledge acquisition
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you turn information into insight?
- What habits foster deeper learning?
A Different Perspective
Assuming access alone leads to expertise can be misleading.
![“On those remote pages [of 'a certain Chinese encyclopedia'] it is written that animals are divided into (a) those that belong to the Emperor, (b) embalmed ones, (c) those that are trained, (d) suckling pigs, (e) mermaids, (f ) fabulous ones, (g) stray dogs, (h) those that are included in this…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6bd/jorge-luis-borges-275_animal_on-those-remote-pages-of-a-certain-chine_1416502.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
