--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How dangerous is the acquirement of…" description: "\"“How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/mary-shelley-1789_knowledge_how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-know_2852223.jpg" --- # How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much… ![“How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow.” quote by Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/mary-shelley-1789_knowledge_how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-know_2852223.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/mary-shelley-1789_knowledge_how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-know_2852223.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/mary-shelley-1789_knowledge_how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-know_2852223.jpg) > ““How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow.”” [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing knowledge beyond natural limits brings danger, while ignorance offers comfort in familiar confines. **In simple terms:** Knowledge can be dangerous; ignorance can be comforting. Key Takeaway Respect natural limits when seeking knowledge. Themes knowledge danger comfort Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - scientific research - education - personal growth - risk assessment Key Concepts ethics human limits Questions to Reflect On - Is ignorance always safer? - When should curiosity be restrained? A Different Perspective Overreaching may cause harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/learn-from-me-if-not-by-my-precepts-at-least-by-my-example-how/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [Learn from me, if not by my precepts, then by my example, how dangerous is the pursuit of knowledge and how much happier is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/learn-from-me-if-not-by-my-precepts-then-by-my-example-how-dangerous/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [When man becomes greater than nature, nature, which gave him birth, will respond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/when-man-becomes-greater-than-nature-nature-which-gave-him-birth-will/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“he town belonging to the colonized people, or at least the native town, t he Negro village, the medina, the reser­ vation, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-town-belonging-to-the-colonized-people-or-at-least-the-native-town/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don’t return to your native town: you can’t teach the truth there. By the village stream an old woman is calling you by your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ma-tsu/don-t-return-to-your-native-town-you-can-t-teach-the-truth-there-by/) Ma-Tsu > [If anyone, no matter who, were given the opportunity of choosing from amongst all the nations in the world the set of beliefs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/if-anyone-no-matter-who-were-given-the-opportunity-of-choosing-from/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [When man becomes greater than nature, nature, which gave us birth, will respond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/when-man-becomes-greater-than-nature-nature-which-gave-us-birth-will/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [An annibaptist is a thing I am not a member of:I am a Pisplikan just now & a Prisbeteren at Kercaldy my native town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-fleming/an-annibaptist-is-a-thing-i-am-not-a-member-of-i-am-a-pisplikan-just/) [Marjorie Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-fleming/) > [The logic behind patriotism is a mystery. At least a man who believes that his own family or clan is superior to all others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-logic-behind-patriotism-is-a-mystery-at-least-a-man-who-believes/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [I'm a hard-working young man who believes in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/granit-xhaka/i-m-a-hard-working-young-man-who-believes-in-myself/) [Granit Xhaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/granit-xhaka/) > [The man who believes that the secrets of the world are forever hidden lives in mystery and fear. Superstition will drag him down. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-man-who-believes-that-the-secrets-of-the-world-are-forever-hidden/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire, or preserve his freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/a-man-who-believes-in-freedom-will-do-anything-under-the-sun-to/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“A man who believes everything can be explained by science is just as ignorant as someone who believes everything can be explained by religion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-w-van/a-man-who-believes-everything-can-be-explained-by-science-is-just-as/) [Zack W. Van](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-w-van/) > [A man who believes that all things are possible, approaches the unconventional with an open mind and a fearless heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-who-believes-that-all-things-are-possible-approaches-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More by Mary Shelley > [“but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/but-now-that-i-had-finished-the-beauty-of-the-dream-vanished-and/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I wished, as it were, to procrastinate all that related to my feelings of affection until the great object, which swallowed up every habit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-wished-as-it-were-to-procrastinate-all-that-related-to-my-feelings/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“A sense of security, a feeling that a truce was established between the present hour and the irresistible, disastrous future imparted to me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/a-sense-of-security-a-feeling-that-a-truce-was-established-between/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Who was I? What was I? Whence did I come?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/who-was-i-what-was-i-whence-did-i-come/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent forever. I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/voyage-to-render-their-seeming-eccentricities-consistent-forever-i/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I agree with you," replied the stranger; "we are unfashioned creatures, but half made up, if one wiser, better, dearer than ourselves -- such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-agree-with-you-replied-the-stranger-we-are-unfashioned-creatures/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I write a few lines in haste to say that I am safe—and well advanced on my voyage. This letter will reach England by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-write-a-few-lines-in-haste-to-say-that-i-am-safe-and-well-advanced/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I enjoyed this scene; and yet my enjoyment was embittered both by the memory of the past, and the anticipation of the future. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-enjoyed-this-scene-and-yet-my-enjoyment-was-embittered-both-by-the/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow-creatures were, high and unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-learned-that-the-possessions-most-esteemed-by-your-fellow-creatures/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence this laborious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/these-are-my-enticements-and-they-are-sufficient-to-conquer-all-fear/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“I will tell my story, and my reader shall judge for me. I will tell my story, and so contrive to pass some few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/i-will-tell-my-story-and-my-reader-shall-judge-for-me-i-will-tell-my/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“A man would make but a very sorry chemist if he attended to that department of human knowledge alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/a-man-would-make-but-a-very-sorry-chemist-if-he-attended-to-that/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/learn-from-me-if-not-by-my-precepts-at-least-by-my-example-how/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“Who shall conceive the horrors of my secret toil as I dabbled among the unhallowed damps of the grave or tortured the living animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/who-shall-conceive-the-horrors-of-my-secret-toil-as-i-dabbled-among/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) > [“For some days I haunted the spot where these scenes had taken place, sometimes wishing to see you, sometimes resolved to quit the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/for-some-days-i-haunted-the-spot-where-these-scenes-had-taken-place/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) [Explore all 199 Mary Shelley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) ## More Knowledge quotes > [“Knowledge without conscience is but the ruin of the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabelaise/knowledge-without-conscience-is-but-the-ruin-of-the-soul/) Rabelaise > [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/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I never knew any man who had once tasted the sweetness of experimental knowledge, that ever afterward fasted after ye Vapour garlick and onions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/i-never-knew-any-man-who-had-once-tasted-the-sweetness-of/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [I would rather excel others in the knowledge of what is excellent than in the extent of my powers and dominion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/i-would-rather-excel-others-in-the-knowledge-of-what-is-excellent/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [I am an aware citizen, so I want my characters to be aware, too. They should be aware of what's happening in the society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/i-am-an-aware-citizen-so-i-want-my-characters-to-be-aware-too-they/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/technology-means-the-systematic-application-of-scientific-or-other/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Love is a vision,love carry our vision,and love by-step our vision. we carry our love to our by-step. once love is vision love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-vision-love-carry-our-vision-and-love-by-step-our-vision-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Man is an ignoramus athirst for knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wagner/man-is-an-ignoramus-athirst-for-knowledge/) [Charles Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wagner/) [Browse all 13,227 Knowledge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Shelley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-knowledge-and-how-much-happier/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Knowledge" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-knowledge-and-how-much-happier/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/mary-shelley-1789_knowledge_how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-know_2852223.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/mary-shelley-1789_knowledge_how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-know_2852223.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/beb/mary-shelley-1789_knowledge_how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-know_2852223.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town…” — Mary Shelley", "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": "Mary Shelley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How dangerous is the acquirement of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-knowledge-and-how-much-happier/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/how-dangerous-is-the-acquirement-of-knowledge-and-how-much-happier/#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 } } ] } ```