---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that…"
description: "\"It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment tha..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/799/nikola-tesla-1383_conscious_it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-t_1676075.jpg"
---

#  It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we…

![“It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of…” quote by Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/799/nikola-tesla-1383_conscious_it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-t_1676075.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/799/nikola-tesla-1383_conscious_it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-t_1676075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/799/nikola-tesla-1383_conscious_it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-t_1676075.jpg)

> “It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of new and greater prospects.”

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding deepens awareness of how much remains unknown, highlighting humility and continuous learning.

**In simple terms:** More knowledge reveals more limits.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humility and keep learning.

Themes

knowledge humility growth intellectual evolution

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- personal development
- scientific inquiry
- career advancement

Key Concepts

epistemology self-awareness limitlessness

Questions to Reflect On

- How does recognizing limits affect your goals?
- What new prospects arise from this awareness?

A Different Perspective

Complex ideas can be inaccessible without proper explanation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Conscious Limitations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-limitations-909366/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Enlightenment Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-conscious-909364/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater/) [Ignorant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorant/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-evolution-909363/) [Limitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limitation/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Opening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening/) [Opening up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opening-up/) [Paradoxical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradoxical/) [Prospects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prospects/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Sense Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-enlightenment-909365/) [True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true/)

## Related quotes

> [I am conscious of my own limitations. That consciousness is my only strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-am-conscious-of-my-own-limitations-that-consciousness-is-my-only/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [You have to become that infinite formless creation, which is life, to know it. It cannot be known in an intellectual sense. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-have-to-become-that-infinite-formless-creation-which-is-life-to/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Religion's biggest crime is to slow down the Human's Intellectual Evolution! It creates an illusion as if there is a safe port somewhere. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/religion-s-biggest-crime-is-to-slow-down-the-human-s-intellectual/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [The intellectual evolution of the race consists in an increase in the number, delicacy, complexity, permanence and speed of formation of such associations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-thorndike/the-intellectual-evolution-of-the-race-consists-in-an-increase-in-the/)

[Edward Thorndike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-thorndike/)

> [“We were never born to read. Human beings invented reading only a few thousand years ago. And with this invention, we rearranged the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grabe/we-were-never-born-to-read-human-beings-invented-reading-only-a-few/)

[Grabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grabe/)

> [When you let intution have its way with you, you open up new levels of the world. Such opening-up is the most practical of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/when-you-let-intution-have-its-way-with-you-you-open-up-new-levels-of/)

[Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/)

> [I have a hard time watching the shows now. It is like opening up a yearbook when you were in junior high. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-paul-gosselaar/i-have-a-hard-time-watching-the-shows-now-it-is-like-opening-up-a/)

[Mark-Paul Gosselaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-paul-gosselaar/)

> [I see the new Latin artist as a pioneer, opening up doors for others to follow. And when they don't open, we crowbar our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-leguizamo/i-see-the-new-latin-artist-as-a-pioneer-opening-up-doors-for-others/)

[John Leguizamo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-leguizamo/)

> [“I was always alone, Doc, solitary whether I wished to be or not, ever since I could remember I wished to be lost in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/i-was-always-alone-doc-solitary-whether-i-wished-to-be-or-not-ever/)

[Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/)

> [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [I'm giving all that I have in this life. I'm opening up my notebook, and I'm saying everything in there out loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-m-giving-all-that-i-have-in-this-life-i-m-opening-up-my-notebook/)

[Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/)

> [I read on the front page of the Wall Street Journal that NATO is opening up a major terror division. And I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-read-on-the-front-page-of-the-wall-street-journal-that-nato-is/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [When I arrived in America, though I had left the war physically far behind, in my mind, the soldiers were still chasing to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loung-ung/when-i-arrived-in-america-though-i-had-left-the-war-physically-far/)

[Loung Ung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loung-ung/)

> [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/)

[John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/)

> [I don't really comment on my personal life because I feel like any comment at all is opening up a whole can of worms.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hartnett/i-don-t-really-comment-on-my-personal-life-because-i-feel-like-any/)

[Josh Hartnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hartnett/)

## More by Nikola Tesla

> [From childhood I was compelled to concentrate attention upon myself. This caused me much suffering, but to my present view, it was a blessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/from-childhood-i-was-compelled-to-concentrate-attention-upon-myself/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [In a time not distant, it will be possible to flash any image formed in thought on a screen and render it visible at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/in-a-time-not-distant-it-will-be-possible-to-flash-any-image-formed/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Women will ignore precedent and startle civilization with their progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/women-will-ignore-precedent-and-startle-civilization-with-their/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Great moments are born great opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/great-moments-are-born-great-opportunity/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [ If he \[Thomas Edison\] had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/if-he-thomas-edison-had-a-needle-to-find-in-a-haystack-he-would-not/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Man, like the universe, is a machine. Nothing enters our minds or determines our actions which is not directly or indirectly a response to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/man-like-the-universe-is-a-machine-nothing-enters-our-minds-or/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/the-day-science-begins-to-study-non-physical-phenomena-it-will-make/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [All knowledge or form conception is evoked through the medium of the eye, either in response to disturbances directly received on the retina or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/all-knowledge-or-form-conception-is-evoked-through-the-medium-of-the/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Every living being is an engine geared to the wheelwork of the universe. Though seemingly affected only by its immediate surrounding, the sphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/every-living-being-is-an-engine-geared-to-the-wheelwork-of-the-2/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Perhaps I failed, but I did my best, These masters of mine may do the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/perhaps-i-failed-but-i-did-my-best-these-masters-of-mine-may-do-the/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Religion is simply an ideal. It is an ideal force that tends to free the human being from material bonds. I do not believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/religion-is-simply-an-ideal-it-is-an-ideal-force-that-tends-to-free/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [What we now want is closer contact and better understanding between individuals and communities all over the earth, and the elimination of egoism and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/what-we-now-want-is-closer-contact-and-better-understanding-between/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [When a coil is operated with currents of very high frequency, beautiful brush effects may be produced, even if the coil be of comparatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/when-a-coil-is-operated-with-currents-of-very-high-frequency/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [Of all the frictional resistances, the one that most retards human movement is ignorance, what Buddha called 'the greatest evil in the world.' The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/of-all-the-frictional-resistances-the-one-that-most-retards-human/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

> [I am even grateful to Einstein and others because through their erroneous theories they lead mankind away from that dangerous path I followed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/i-am-even-grateful-to-einstein-and-others-because-through-their/)

[Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

[Explore all 248 Nikola Tesla quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/)

## More Conscious quotes

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/)

[Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/)

[Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [If you are not conscious of all of the different parts of yourself, the part of yourself that is the strongest will win out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/if-you-are-not-conscious-of-all-of-the-different-parts-of-yourself/)

[Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/)

> [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/)

[D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/)

> [Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/repugnant-is-a-creature-who-would-squander-the-ability-to-lift-an-eye/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

> [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/)

[David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/)

> [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/)

[Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/)

> [All black people who are even minimally conscious, black people who have ever experienced Europe's technological power crusading in the vanguard of a civilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nkosi/all-black-people-who-are-even-minimally-conscious-black-people-who/)

[Lewis Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nkosi/)

> [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [I don't think my paintings are self-conscious but you feel the consciousness of them. Without them being self-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-don-t-think-my-paintings-are-self-conscious-but-you-feel-the/)

[Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/)

[Browse all 3,716 Conscious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute sense, for it is only through enlightenment that we become conscious of our limitations. Precisely one of the most gratifying results of intellectual evolution is the continuous opening up of new and greater prospects.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nikola Tesla"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-the-more-we-know-the-more/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conscious"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-the-more-we-know-the-more/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/799/nikola-tesla-1383_conscious_it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-t_1676075.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/799/nikola-tesla-1383_conscious_it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-t_1676075.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/799/nikola-tesla-1383_conscious_it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-t_1676075.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is paradoxical, yet true, to say, that the more we know, the more ignorant we become in the absolute…” — Nikola Tesla",
                "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": "Nikola Tesla",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is paradoxical, yet true, to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-the-more-we-know-the-more/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/it-is-paradoxical-yet-true-to-say-that-the-more-we-know-the-more/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
