Arrogance Quote by Samuel Johnson
“Among the innumerable mortifications which waylay human arrogance on every side may well be reckoned our ignorance of the most common objects and effects, a defect of which we become more sensible by every attempt to supply it. Vulgar and inactive minds confound familiarity with knowledge and conceive themselves informed of the whole nature of things when they are shown their form or told their use; but the speculatist, who is not content with superficial views, harasses himself with fruitless curiosity, and still, as he inquires more, perceives only that he knows less.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Idler, 1759
Ignorance of everyday things shows our arrogance; true knowledge requires deeper inquiry beyond appearances.
In simple terms: We think we know more than we do.
Key Takeaway
Seek deeper understanding.
Themes
humility
knowledge
intellectual curiosity
Mood
reflective
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- academic study
- personal learning
- everyday problem solving
Key Concepts
philosophy
education
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- What simple objects could you study to challenge assumptions?
- How does curiosity improve decision making?
A Different Perspective
May be too abstract for practical application.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
