--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time I think I’m getting smarter I…" description: "\"Every time I think I’m getting smarter I realize that I’ve just done something stupid. Dad says there are three kinds of people in the world: those who..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d9/karen-marie-moning-189_dad_every-time-i-think-i-m-getting-smarter-i_378649.png" --- # Every time I think I’m getting smarter I realize that I’ve… ![“Every time I think I’m getting smarter I realize that I’ve just done something stupid. Dad says there are three kinds of people in the world: those who don’t know, and don’t know they don’t know; those who don’t know and do know they don’t know; and those who know and know how much they still…” quote by Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d9/karen-marie-moning-189_dad_every-time-i-think-i-m-getting-smarter-i_378649.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d9/karen-marie-moning-189_dad_every-time-i-think-i-m-getting-smarter-i_378649.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d9/karen-marie-moning-189_dad_every-time-i-think-i-m-getting-smarter-i_378649.png) > “Every time I think I’m getting smarter I realize that I’ve just done something stupid. Dad says there are three kinds of people in the world: those who don’t know, and don’t know they don’t know; those who don’t know and do know they don’t know; and those who know and know how much they still don’t know. Heavy stuff, I know. I think I’ve finally graduated from the don’t-knows that don’t know to the don’t-knows that do.” [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes the progression of self-awareness, moving from ignorance of ignorance to recognizing the limits of one's knowledge. **In simple terms:** Realizing how much you don't know is growth. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and continuous learning. Themes self-awareness humility growth Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - education - career development - personal relationships - decision making Key Concepts metacognition epistemic humility Questions to Reflect On - What steps will you take after recognizing your unknowns? - How can you turn this awareness into improvement? A Different Perspective It may imply that knowing limits is sufficient without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Getting Smarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-smarter/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Kids are smarter than you realize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/kids-are-smarter-than-you-realize/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Your audience is a lot smarter than you realize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-kinsey/your-audience-is-a-lot-smarter-than-you-realize/) [Angela Kinsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-kinsey/) > [It’s like life. The more knowledge you get, the more questions you ask. 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We're progressing, to be sure, ever more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/mankind-is-getting-smarter-every-day-actually-it-only-seems-so-at/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [Australia's economic future depends upon getting smarter. This means investing in the skills and knowledge of our workforce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/australia-s-economic-future-depends-upon-getting-smarter-this-means/) [Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/) > [I hope everybody's getting smarter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/i-hope-everybody-s-getting-smarter/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All evidence shows that we are actually getting smarter. Roughly we are getting 10 IQ points smarter every decade. 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(By they I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/and-computers-are-getting-smarter-all-the-time-scientists-tell-us/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The world is getting smarter but the generation is getting dumber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-williams/the-world-is-getting-smarter-but-the-generation-is-getting-dumber/) DEION WILLIAMS > [When you're out there partying, horsing around, someone out there at the same time is working hard, someone is getting smarter, and somebody is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-schwarzenegger/when-you-re-out-there-partying-horsing-around-someone-out-there-at/) [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-schwarzenegger/) > [Falling in love with yourself is kind of interesting. 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"Try holding onto that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/our-sex-is-fierce-we-will-both-be-bruised-i-want-it-to-always-be-like/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Keep hoping to see the light in her eyes. Even knowing it'll mean she's saying good-bye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/keep-hoping-to-see-the-light-in-her-eyes-even-knowing-it-ll-mean-she/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Strength wasn‘t about being able to do everything alone. 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I encountered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/flattered-as-i-am-that-you-count-me-among-the-beautiful-people/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) [Explore all 940 Karen Marie Moning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) ## More Dad quotes > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. 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