--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... the only thing we require to be good…" description: "\"... the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder...\" — Jostein Gaarder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/jostein-gaarder-676_be-good_the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-phi_3206586.png" --- # ... the only thing we require to be good philosophers is… ![“... the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder...” quote by Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/jostein-gaarder-676_be-good_the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-phi_3206586.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/jostein-gaarder-676_be-good_the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-phi_3206586.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/jostein-gaarder-676_be-good_the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-phi_3206586.png) > “... the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder...” [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wonder is the essential curiosity that drives philosophical inquiry and deeper understanding. **In simple terms:** Wonder fuels philosophy. Key Takeaway Nurture curiosity. Themes curiosity philosophy wonder Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - education - reading - creative thinking - problem solving Key Concepts epistemology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What questions spark your curiosity? - How can you turn wonder into action? A Different Perspective Excessive wonder can cause indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) [Faculty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculty/) [Faculty Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculty-wonder-5974402/) [Good Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-philosophers-2896894/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers/) [Philosophers Faculty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophers-faculty-5974401/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“So now you must choose... Are you a child who has not yet become world-weary? Or are you a philosopher who will vow never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/so-now-you-must-choose-are-you-a-child-who-has-not-yet-become-world/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Bad philosophers may have a certain influence; good philosophers, never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/bad-philosophers-may-have-a-certain-influence-good-philosophers-never/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Let us become thoroughly sensible of the weakness, blindness, and narrow limits of human reason: Let us duly consider its uncertainty and endless contrarieties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/let-us-become-thoroughly-sensible-of-the-weakness-blindness-and/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [People complain that our generation has no philosophers. They are wrong. They now sit in another faculty. Their names are Max Planck and Albert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-von-harnack/people-complain-that-our-generation-has-no-philosophers-they-are/) [Adolf von Harnack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-von-harnack/) > [To the best of my recollection, I became a philosopher because my parents wanted me to become a lawyer. It seems to me, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-fodor/to-the-best-of-my-recollection-i-became-a-philosopher-because-my/) [Jerry Fodor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-fodor/) > [Only philosophers embark on this perilous expedition to the outermost reaches of language and existence. Some of them fall off, but others cling on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/only-philosophers-embark-on-this-perilous-expedition-to-the-outermost/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“It seems as if in the process of growing up we lose the ability to wonder about the world. And in doing so, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/it-seems-as-if-in-the-process-of-growing-up-we-lose-the-ability-to/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“and to be quite frank, that is precisely what we need philosophers for. We do not need them to choose a beauty queen or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/and-to-be-quite-frank-that-is-precisely-what-we-need-philosophers-for/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“This is precisely where philosophers are a notable exception. A philosopher never gets quite used to the world. to him or her, the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/this-is-precisely-where-philosophers-are-a-notable-exception-a/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Philosophers are always trying to climb up the fine hairs of the fur in order to stare right into the magician's eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/philosophers-are-always-trying-to-climb-up-the-fine-hairs-of-the-fur/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [ “Socrates (770-399 B.C.\[E.\]) is possibly the most enigmatic figure in the entire history of philosophy. He never wrote a single line. Yet he is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/socrates-770-399-b-c-e-is-possibly-the-most-enigmatic-figure-in-the/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [It would be fun too to put some of the great philosophers and political scientists of the past couple centuries into a time machine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-d-anthony/it-would-be-fun-too-to-put-some-of-the-great-philosophers-and/) [Scott D. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) > [Socrates himself said, 'One thing only I know, and this is that I know nothing.' Remember this statement, because it is an admission that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/socrates-himself-said-one-thing-only-i-know-and-this-is-that-i-know/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Throughout the entire history of philosophy, philosophers have sought to discover what man is - or what human nature is. But Sartre believed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/throughout-the-entire-history-of-philosophy-philosophers-have-sought/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“To be more precise: although philosophical questions concern us all, we do not all become philosophers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/to-be-more-precise-although-philosophical-questions-concern-us-all-we/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## More by Jostein Gaarder > [“I no longer feel the need to see and sense more than I've already experienced. I just want so desperately to hang on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/i-no-longer-feel-the-need-to-see-and-sense-more-than-i-ve-already/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The most subversive people are those who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The sophists were as a rule men who had traveled widely and seen different forms of government. Both conventions and local laws in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-sophists-were-as-a-rule-men-who-had-traveled-widely-and-seen/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Where did the world come from? The question has an answer, even though I cannot get to it. It is a good question. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/where-did-the-world-come-from-the-question-has-an-answer-even-though/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“As soon as she concentrated on being alive now, the thought of dying also came into her mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/as-soon-as-she-concentrated-on-being-alive-now-the-thought-of-dying/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Po haljini sam mogao da vidim kako njeno telo diše, jer se haljina dizala i spuštala, dizala i spuštala, skoro kao da morski talasi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/po-haljini-sam-mogao-da-vidim-kako-njeno-telo-di-e-jer-se-haljina/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Since the Renaissance, people have had to get used to living their life on a random planet in the vast galaxy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/since-the-renaissance-people-have-had-to-get-used-to-living-their/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“without imagination, nothing really new will ever be created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/without-imagination-nothing-really-new-will-ever-be-created/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“The German poet Goethe once said that "he who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth." I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-german-poet-goethe-once-said-that-he-who-cannot-draw-on-three/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Sophie left the den and wandered about in the large garden. She tried to forget what she had learned at school, especially in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/sophie-left-the-den-and-wandered-about-in-the-large-garden-she-tried/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [...long before the child learns to talk properly-and long before it learns to think philosophically-the world will have become a habit. A pity, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/long-before-the-child-learns-to-talk-properly-and-long-before-it/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“any one question can be more explosive than a thousand answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/any-one-question-can-be-more-explosive-than-a-thousand-answers/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“We can't own each other's past. The question is whether we have a future together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/we-can-t-own-each-other-s-past-the-question-is-whether-we-have-a/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Uno no muere en medio del quinto acto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/uno-no-muere-en-medio-del-quinto-acto/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Wer das Schicksal durchschauen will, muss es überleben.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/wer-das-schicksal-durchschauen-will-muss-es-berleben/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) [Explore all 305 Jostein Gaarder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Everybody wants to be good, but not many are prepared to make the sacrifices it takes to be great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/everybody-wants-to-be-good-but-not-many-are-prepared-to-make-the/) [Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/) > [There's such cultural rot taking place, such a disintegration throughout our culture. Values, morality, you name it. Standards have been relaxed, and people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-s-such-cultural-rot-taking-place-such-a-disintegration/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The difference in being good at some thing and being great at something is usually found in the little things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-anderson/the-difference-in-being-good-at-some-thing-and-being-great-at/) [Randy Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-anderson/) > [It doesn't matter if your lead character is good or bad. He just has to be interesting, and he has to be good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/it-doesn-t-matter-if-your-lead-character-is-good-or-bad-he-just-has/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [What's good for the very rich might not be good for anybody but them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/what-s-good-for-the-very-rich-might-not-be-good-for-anybody-but-them/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [“Living in the middle of beauty like this, we've no call to have puny ideas about God. Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) [Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "... the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jostein Gaarder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-philosophers-is-the-faculty-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be good" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-philosophers-is-the-faculty-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/jostein-gaarder-676_be-good_the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-phi_3206586.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/jostein-gaarder-676_be-good_the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-phi_3206586.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5f/jostein-gaarder-676_be-good_the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-phi_3206586.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“... the only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder...” — Jostein Gaarder", "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": "Jostein Gaarder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "... the only thing we require...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-philosophers-is-the-faculty-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-only-thing-we-require-to-be-good-philosophers-is-the-faculty-of/#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 } } ] } ```