--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who knoweth not what he ought to know…" description: "\"He who knoweth not what he ought to know, is a brute beast among men; he that knoweth no more than he hath need of, is a man among brute beasts; and he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/pythagoras-2290_beast_he-who-knoweth-not-what-he-ought-to-know_1054610.jpg" --- # He who knoweth not what he ought to know, is a brute beast… ![“He who knoweth not what he ought to know, is a brute beast among men; he that knoweth no more than he hath need of, is a man among brute beasts; and he that knoweth all that may be known, is as a God among men.” quote by Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/pythagoras-2290_beast_he-who-knoweth-not-what-he-ought-to-know_1054610.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/pythagoras-2290_beast_he-who-knoweth-not-what-he-ought-to-know_1054610.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/pythagoras-2290_beast_he-who-knoweth-not-what-he-ought-to-know_1054610.jpg) > “He who knoweth not what he ought to know, is a brute beast among men; he that knoweth no more than he hath need of, is a man among brute beasts; and he that knoweth all that may be known, is as a God among men.” [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Knowledge elevates a person, while ignorance reduces them to a beast; the more one knows, the closer to divine understanding. **In simple terms:** Knowledge lifts us; ignorance lowers us. Key Takeaway Pursue learning to grow. Themes education wisdom human nature Mood inspirational reflective Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - personal development - teaching - leadership Key Concepts knowledge ignorance divinity Questions to Reflect On - What knowledge do you seek? - How do you apply what you learn? A Different Perspective Learning alone doesn't guarantee wisdom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Beasts Knoweth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beasts-knoweth-2541327/) [Brute Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brute-beast-1057519/) [Brutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brutes/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Knoweth Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knoweth-known-2541328/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Known God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-god-1258705/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) ## Related quotes > [He that can live alone resembles the brute beast in nothing, the sage in much, and God in everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/he-that-can-live-alone-resembles-the-brute-beast-in-nothing-the-sage/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [“The world is like a brute beast, you teach it how it should behave towards you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/the-world-is-like-a-brute-beast-you-teach-it-how-it-should-behave/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Look at the Metropolitan Community Church today, the gay church, almost accepted into the World Council of Churches. Almost, the vote was against them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell/look-at-the-metropolitan-community-church-today-the-gay-church-almost/) [Jerry Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell/) > [One might accept death reasoningly, with every aspect of the conscious mind, but the body was a brute beast that knew nothing of reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/one-might-accept-death-reasoningly-with-every-aspect-of-the-conscious/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Homosexuals are brute beasts... part of a vile and satanic system that will be utterly annihilated, and there will be a celebration in heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-falwell/homosexuals-are-brute-beasts-part-of-a-vile-and-satanic-system-that/) [Jerry Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-falwell/) > [“Nothing can be known either of God or man until God has become man in Jesus Christ.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/nothing-can-be-known-either-of-god-or-man-until-god-has-become-man-in/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Let your request be known to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/praise-jonathan/let-your-request-be-known-to-god/) [Praise Jonathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/praise-jonathan/) > [“He who has not known war has not known God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-willocks/he-who-has-not-known-war-has-not-known-god/) [Tim Willocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-willocks/) > [“the Lord did not say that both the Father and the Son could not be known at all (in totum), for in that case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/the-lord-did-not-say-that-both-the-father-and-the-son-could-not-be/) [The Church Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-church-fathers/) > [So we can only know God well by knowing our iniquities. 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Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) ## More by Pythagoras > [The oldest, shortest words - 'yes' and 'no' - are those which require the most thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/the-oldest-shortest-words-yes-and-no-are-those-which-require-the-most/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [Truth is so great a perfection, that if God would render himself visible to men, he would choose light for his body and truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/truth-is-so-great-a-perfection-that-if-god-would-render-himself/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [None can be free who is a slave to, and ruled by, his passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/none-can-be-free-who-is-a-slave-to-and-ruled-by-his-passions/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [Above all have respect for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/above-all-have-respect-for-yourself/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [“As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. 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Above all things reverence thyself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/above-the-cloud-with-its-shadow-is-the-star-with-its-light-above-all/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [If men with fleshly mortals must be fed, and chew with bleeding teeth the breathing bread; what else is this but to devour our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/if-men-with-fleshly-mortals-must-be-fed-and-chew-with-bleeding-teeth/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [The oldest, shortest words - yes and o - are those which require the most thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/the-oldest-shortest-words-yes-and-o-are-those-which-require-the-most/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [When the wise man opens his mouth, the beauties of his soul present themselves to the view, like the statues in a temple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/when-the-wise-man-opens-his-mouth-the-beauties-of-his-soul-present/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) [Explore all 174 Pythagoras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) ## More Beast quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. 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If he is eaten, he no longer functions as an instrument of labour, nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-a-beast-of-toil-an-ox-is-fixed-capital-if-he-is-eaten-he-no-longer/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [« He squeezed his hands into fists. I picked up a grapefruit-sized rock and handed it to him. It went flying. Home run, Beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/he-squeezed-his-hands-into-fists-i-picked-up-a-grapefruit-sized-rock/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' 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