---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no one who would not rather…"
description: "\"There is no one who would not rather appear to know than to be taught.\" — Quintilian"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/quintilian-7306_pride_there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-app_1982769.jpg"
---

#  There is no one who would not rather appear to know than…

![“There is no one who would not rather appear to know than to be taught.” quote by Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/quintilian-7306_pride_there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-app_1982769.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/quintilian-7306_pride_there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-app_1982769.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/quintilian-7306_pride_there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-app_1982769.jpg)

> “There is no one who would not rather appear to know than to be taught.”

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

## About This Quote

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

People prefer to appear knowledgeable rather than admit they need teaching.

**In simple terms:** Appear knowledge is valued over learning.

Key Takeaway

Encourage humility and learning.

Themes

education ego learning

Mood

critical inquisitive

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- classroom
- workplace training
- public speaking
- self‑improvement

Key Concepts

Classical rhetoric psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we fear appearing ignorant?
- How can we value learning over image?

A Different Perspective

Social pressure can discourage asking for help.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/)

## Related quotes

> [A gentleman does not appear to know more or to be more than those with whom he is thrown into company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/a-gentleman-does-not-appear-to-know-more-or-to-be-more-than-those/)

[John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/)

> [Appear to know only this--never to fail nor fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/appear-to-know-only-this-never-to-fail-nor-fall/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Everyone sees who I appear to be but only a few know the real me. you only see what I choose to show. there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/everyone-sees-who-i-appear-to-be-but-only-a-few-know-the-real-me-you/)

Unkown

> [You and I, it's as though we have been taught to kiss in heaven and sent down to earth together, to see if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/you-and-i-it-s-as-though-we-have-been-taught-to-kiss-in-heaven-and/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [I know as much as I have been taught...but intuition has lead me to where I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/i-know-as-much-as-i-have-been-taught-but-intuition-has-lead-me-to/)

[Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/)

> [Those who do not know must be taught, not punished. We do not hit the blind. We lead them by the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-dionysius/those-who-do-not-know-must-be-taught-not-punished-we-do-not-hit-the/)

[Pope Dionysius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-dionysius/)

> [We only know what's been taught to us, what our ears heard and what our eyes seen. We haven't been taught everything there's to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-fwea-d/we-only-know-what-s-been-taught-to-us-what-our-ears-heard-and-what/)

G-Fwea D

> [“. . .standards are for: They establish what children should know, not how they are taught or measured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/standards-are-for-they-establish-what-children-should-know-not-how/)

[Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/)

> [Everything good that I know was taught to me by great teachers and I feel like giving back and sharing the technique is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-buckley/everything-good-that-i-know-was-taught-to-me-by-great-teachers-and-i/)

[Betty Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-buckley/)

> [“There be many gurus, and some good ones whom it is no great task to differentiate, seeing that those who make the loudest claim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talbot-mundy/there-be-many-gurus-and-some-good-ones-whom-it-is-no-great-task-to/)

[Talbot Mundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talbot-mundy/)

> [“What we ought to know we never be taught in the classroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-we-ought-to-know-we-never-be-taught-in-the-classroom/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [But if you do know what is taught by plants and weather, you are in on the gossip and can feel truly at home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/but-if-you-do-know-what-is-taught-by-plants-and-weather-you-are-in-on/)

[Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/)

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [“Appear On Your Fear, It Will Disappear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-sharukh/appear-on-your-fear-it-will-disappear/)

[Syed Sharukh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-sharukh/)

> [“Give someone more time and they'll appear to have done more with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/give-someone-more-time-and-they-ll-appear-to-have-done-more-with-it/)

[Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/)

## More by Quintilian

> [“In writing are the roots, in writing are the foundations of eloquence; by writing resources are stored up, as it were, in a sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/in-writing-are-the-roots-in-writing-are-the-foundations-of-eloquence/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [Virtue, though she gets her beginning from nature, yet receives her finishing touches from learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/virtue-though-she-gets-her-beginning-from-nature-yet-receives-her/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [Vain hopes are like certain dreams of those who wake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/vain-hopes-are-like-certain-dreams-of-those-who-wake/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [Though ambition may be a fault in itself, it is often the mother of virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/though-ambition-may-be-a-fault-in-itself-it-is-often-the-mother-of/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [It is easier to do many things than to do one thing continuously for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/it-is-easier-to-do-many-things-than-to-do-one-thing-continuously-for/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [We excuse our sloth under the pretext of difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/we-excuse-our-sloth-under-the-pretext-of-difficulty/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [One thing, however, I must premise, that without the assistance of natural capacity, rules and precepts are of no efficacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/one-thing-however-i-must-premise-that-without-the-assistance-of/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [Medicine for the dead is too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/medicine-for-the-dead-is-too-late/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [Our minds are like our stomaches; they are whetted by the change of their food, and variety supplies both with fresh appetite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/our-minds-are-like-our-stomaches-they-are-whetted-by-the-change-of/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [A laugh costs too much when bought at the expense of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/a-laugh-costs-too-much-when-bought-at-the-expense-of-virtue/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [The soul languishing in obscurity contracts a kind of rust, or abandons itself to the chimera of presumption; for it is natural for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/the-soul-languishing-in-obscurity-contracts-a-kind-of-rust-or/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [He who speaks evil only differs from his who does evil in that he lacks opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/he-who-speaks-evil-only-differs-from-his-who-does-evil-in-that-he/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [That which offends the ear will not easily gain admission to the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/that-which-offends-the-ear-will-not-easily-gain-admission-to-the-mind/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [In almost everything, experience is more valuable than precept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/in-almost-everything-experience-is-more-valuable-than-precept/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

> [Though ambition itself be a vice, yet it is often times the cause of virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/though-ambition-itself-be-a-vice-yet-it-is-often-times-the-cause-of/)

[Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

[Explore all 92 Quintilian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/)

## More Appear quotes

> [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/)

[Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/)

> [“Give someone more time and they'll appear to have done more with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/give-someone-more-time-and-they-ll-appear-to-have-done-more-with-it/)

[Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/)

> [“Appear On Your Fear, It Will Disappear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syed-sharukh/appear-on-your-fear-it-will-disappear/)

[Syed Sharukh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syed-sharukh/)

> [Though the world may often appear to be more charitable than the church, it is crucial to remember that, for the church, the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-the-world-may-often-appear-to-be-more-charitable-than-the/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [“A might force, a consummate power lieth concealed in the world of being. Fix your gaze upon it and upon its unifying influences, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baha-u-llah/a-might-force-a-consummate-power-lieth-concealed-in-the-world-of/)

[Baha'u'llah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baha-u-llah/)

> [War is big and there are only so many reporters and only so many places for their words and images to appear. Choices are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jackson/war-is-big-and-there-are-only-so-many-reporters-and-only-so-many/)

[Bruce Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jackson/)

> [Whatever the reason, American Muslims appear far less inclined to support the global jihad than their European counterparts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/whatever-the-reason-american-muslims-appear-far-less-inclined-to/)

[Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/)

> [Usually, the leaders appear in the moment of the highest stress, when it is time, speaking symbolically, to go to the barricades. Then people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-bukovsky/usually-the-leaders-appear-in-the-moment-of-the-highest-stress-when/)

[Vladimir Bukovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-bukovsky/)

> [My face frowns by default, so when I'm most calm is when I appear the least approachable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-leung/my-face-frowns-by-default-so-when-i-m-most-calm-is-when-i-appear-the/)

[Ken Leung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-leung/)

> [Who are you?" "I am Death," said the creature. "I thought that was obvious." "But you're so small!" "Only because you are small. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/who-are-you-i-am-death-said-the-creature-i-thought-that-was-obvious/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [Growing up as a singer, and a cast member, and now as an adult, a songwriter, I get the luxury of choosing the kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/growing-up-as-a-singer-and-a-cast-member-and-now-as-an-adult-a/)

[Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/)

> [“You need a third option," he said. "Yeah. I guess i do." He nodded, absorbing this. "Well," he said,"For what it's worth, it's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-need-a-third-option-he-said-yeah-i-guess-i-do-he-nodded-absorbing/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [There's not much difference between what I appear to be on stage and what I am. I think people like that, that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-not-much-difference-between-what-i-appear-to-be-on-stage-and/)

[Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/)

> [Newspapers are not free and they never have been. They can appear to be so, but someone, somewhere is covering the costs whether that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/newspapers-are-not-free-and-they-never-have-been-they-can-appear-to/)

[Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/)

> [I won't divulge the details, but there's a way to call somebody's phone and have whatever number you want appear on the caller I.D.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-malina/i-won-t-divulge-the-details-but-there-s-a-way-to-call-somebody-s/)

[Joshua Malina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-malina/)

Browse all 401 Appear quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is no one who would not rather appear to know than to be taught.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Quintilian"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-appear-to-know-than-to-be-taught/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Appear"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-appear-to-know-than-to-be-taught/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/quintilian-7306_pride_there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-app_1982769.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/quintilian-7306_pride_there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-app_1982769.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2de/quintilian-7306_pride_there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-app_1982769.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no one who would not rather appear to know than to be taught.” — Quintilian",
                "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": "Quintilian",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is no one who would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-appear-to-know-than-to-be-taught/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/there-is-no-one-who-would-not-rather-appear-to-know-than-to-be-taught/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
