Ends Quote by Robert Penn Warren
“The end of man is knowledge, but there is one thing he can't know. He can't know whether knowledge will save him or kill him. He will be killed, all right, but he can't know whether he is killed because of the knowledge which he has got or because of the knowledge which he hasn't got and which if he had it, would save him.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: "All the King's Men", 1946
Knowledge can be both a savior and a destroyer, and its ultimate impact is unknowable.
In simple terms: Knowledge is risky and uncertain.
Key Takeaway
Respect knowledge’s limits.
Themes
philosophy
uncertainty
knowledge
Mood
thoughtful
serious
Type
philosophical
literary
When to use this quote
- scientific research
- ethical decisions
- future planning
Key Concepts
epistemology
fate
human limitation
Questions to Reflect On
- Can we predict knowledge’s effects?
- How do we balance curiosity and caution?
A Different Perspective
It may overstate the unknowability of outcomes.
![“[A]nd soon now we shall go out of the house and go into the convulsion of the world, out of history into history and the awful responsibility of Time.” quote by Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/857/robert-penn-warren-2118_awful_a-nd-soon-now-we-shall-go-out-of-the-hou_158285.jpg)
