--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People used to say, \"Ignorance is no…" description: "\"People used to say, \"Ignorance is no excuse.\" Today, ignorance is no problem. After all, you have \"a right to your own opinion\" - and self-esteem to bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/thomas-sowell-247_boots_people-used-to-say-ignorance-is-no-excus_1152827.jpg" --- # People used to say, "Ignorance is no excuse." Today… ![“People used to say, "Ignorance is no excuse." Today, ignorance is no problem. After all, you have "a right to your own opinion" - and self-esteem to boot.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/thomas-sowell-247_boots_people-used-to-say-ignorance-is-no-excus_1152827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/thomas-sowell-247_boots_people-used-to-say-ignorance-is-no-excus_1152827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdc/thomas-sowell-247_boots_people-used-to-say-ignorance-is-no-excus_1152827.jpg) > “People used to say, "Ignorance is no excuse." Today, ignorance is no problem. After all, you have "a right to your own opinion" - and self-esteem to boot.” [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ignorance used to be excusable, but now it’s dismissed as a valid excuse, reflecting a shift in accountability. **In simple terms:** Ignorance no longer excuses behavior. Key Takeaway Take responsibility. Themes accountability ignorance culture Mood critical analytical Type social political When to use this quote - public discourse - education - media literacy Key Concepts social critique personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Why is ignorance no longer tolerated? - How can society address this shift? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boots/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuse/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-excuse-1911684/) [No excuses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-excuses/) [No problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-problem/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Opinion Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion-self-1532584/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Say Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-ignorance-1223428/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Today Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today-ignorance-770338/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) ## Related quotes > [Ignorance is no excuse, it's the real thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-peter/ignorance-is-no-excuse-it-s-the-real-thing/) [Irene Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-peter/) > [“Pride consists in an unduly exalted opinion of one's self. It is, therefore, impatient of a rival, hates a superior, and cannot endure a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-haddon-spurgeon/pride-consists-in-an-unduly-exalted-opinion-of-one-s-self-it-is/) [Charles Haddon Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-haddon-spurgeon/) > [“People are ready to die for their opinion, but not for the Self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/people-are-ready-to-die-for-their-opinion-but-not-for-the-self/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“For Obama, ignorance was never an excuse. Ignorance was a strategy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cashill/for-obama-ignorance-was-never-an-excuse-ignorance-was-a-strategy/) [Jack Cashill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cashill/) > [“We try to do a little better than the previous generation and find out in the end we’ve made the same mistakes without intending.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/we-try-to-do-a-little-better-than-the-previous-generation-and-find/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [In all unbelief there are these two things: a good opinion of one's self, and a bad opinion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatius-bonar/in-all-unbelief-there-are-these-two-things-a-good-opinion-of-one-s/) [Horatius Bonar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatius-bonar/) > [ “The conduct \[of today\] is ignorance of the past \[life\] whereas understanding (samjhan) is the stock carried forward from many past lives!” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/the-conduct-of-today-is-ignorance-of-the-past-life-whereas/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [The root cause of all the problems we have in the world today is ignorance of course. But most, polarization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-root-cause-of-all-the-problems-we-have-in-the-world-today-is/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“It’s like we are having a harvest of destruction in our nations, continent and world today, all because of ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/it-s-like-we-are-having-a-harvest-of-destruction-in-our-nations/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [I did battle with ignorance today, and ignorance won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-freeman/i-did-battle-with-ignorance-today-and-ignorance-won/) [Huey Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-freeman/) > [I've always thought that when they say ignorance is bliss, the converse to that is that knowledge is hell. The more you know, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-winter/i-ve-always-thought-that-when-they-say-ignorance-is-bliss-the/) [Terence Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-winter/) > [They say ignorance is bliss, but I find yours rather disturbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrprince/they-say-ignorance-is-bliss-but-i-find-yours-rather-disturbing/) [Mrprince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrprince/) > [Ask Anthony Hopkins how he makes his characters come to life and he just shrugs. I don't know. If I knew, I wouldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-eisenberg/ask-anthony-hopkins-how-he-makes-his-characters-come-to-life-and-he/) [Larry Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-eisenberg/) > [“Some say ignorance is bliss, I say love is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julieanne-o-connor/some-say-ignorance-is-bliss-i-say-love-is/) [Julieanne O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julieanne-o-connor/) > [“...But that is a method for cowards; the brave man goes out into the hall, comes back with a stick, and says firmly, "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-that-is-a-method-for-cowards-the-brave-man-goes-out-into-the-hall/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Thomas Sowell > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) ## More Boots quotes > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Personally, I don't really have a set style or look. It's pretty much what I feel like wearing that day, from a floral-print dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/personally-i-don-t-really-have-a-set-style-or-look-it-s-pretty-much/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [“The hiking boots the outdoor adventure magazine sent me to buy - large, ungainly potato like things that I have been trying to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/the-hiking-boots-the-outdoor-adventure-magazine-sent-me-to-buy-large/) [david rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [We did rent some houses in different hub cities which made it that we weren't in hotels all the time. But we're on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-fisher/we-did-rent-some-houses-in-different-hub-cities-which-made-it-that-we/) [Mike Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-fisher/) > [He won't, won't he? Then bring me my boots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/he-won-t-won-t-he-then-bring-me-my-boots/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [I've always got such high expectations for myself. I'm aware of them, but I can't relax them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-decker/i-ve-always-got-such-high-expectations-for-myself-i-m-aware-of-them/) [Mary Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-decker/) > [“You can't judge a book by its steel-toed combat boots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/you-can-t-judge-a-book-by-its-steel-toed-combat-boots/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“He felt more human with his boots on. A man can face the world with something on his feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/he-felt-more-human-with-his-boots-on-a-man-can-face-the-world-with/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [I have crooked toes from wearing boots that didn't fit me because that's all I could afford as a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lomu/i-have-crooked-toes-from-wearing-boots-that-didn-t-fit-me-because/) [Jonah Lomu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lomu/) > [I always felt so much more comfortable in the Western. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [I wore hot pants and cowboy boots and I thought, 'What have I gotten myself into?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/i-wore-hot-pants-and-cowboy-boots-and-i-thought-what-have-i-gotten/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) [Browse all 1,025 Boots quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boots/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People used to say, \"Ignorance is no excuse.\" Today, ignorance is no problem. 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