--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No human being is constituted to know the…" description: "\"No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; and even the best of men must be content with fragments, wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/william-osler-2992_fragments_no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-th_1143949.jpg" --- # No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole… ![“No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; and even the best of men must be content with fragments, with partial glimpses, never the full fruition.” quote by William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/william-osler-2992_fragments_no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-th_1143949.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/william-osler-2992_fragments_no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-th_1143949.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/william-osler-2992_fragments_no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-th_1143949.jpg) > “No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; and even the best of men must be content with fragments, with partial glimpses, never the full fruition.” [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human knowledge is inherently partial; we must accept incomplete truth. **In simple terms:** We only see fragments of truth. Key Takeaway Embrace humility about knowledge. Themes knowledge limits humility truth Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical clinical When to use this quote - research - education - policy making - daily decisions Key Concepts epistemology medicine Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle uncertainty? - What fragments guide your decisions? A Different Perspective Accepting partial truth may hinder decisive action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fragments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragments/) [Fruition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruition/) [Know Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-truth/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Content](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-content-1462101/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Partial Glimpses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partial-glimpses-2100555/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-truth/) ## Related quotes > [At the outset do not be worried about this big question-Truth. It is a very simple matter if each one of you starts with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/at-the-outset-do-not-be-worried-about-this-big-question-truth-it-is-a/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [If we try to hold on to our partial glimpses of the divine, we cut it down to our own size and close our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-we-try-to-hold-on-to-our-partial-glimpses-of-the-divine-we-cut-it/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [The world can only be free when men are content in themselves and each draws from his own fountain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-william-russell/the-world-can-only-be-free-when-men-are-content-in-themselves-and/) [George William Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-russell/) > [“I measure men by the content of their character, not the color of their skin, and I find all of them are assholes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-measure-men-by-the-content-of-their-character-not-the-color-of/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [Great men do not content us. 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They choose rather to go in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/men-could-be-content-to-have-the-kingdom-of-heaven-but-they-are/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/you-shall-know-the-truth-and-the-truth-shall-make-you-mad/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-will-know-the-truth-and-the-truth-will-make-you-free/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-shall-know-the-truth-and-the-truth-shall-make-you-free/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“8:32 says, ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/8-32-says-you-shall-know-the-truth-and-the-truth-shall-make-you-free/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [Do you want to be right more than you want to know the truth? It's the truth that set me free. Acceptance, peace, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/do-you-want-to-be-right-more-than-you-want-to-know-the-truth-it-s-the/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [“Humanity has committed its greatest crimes in the name of the Truth. Men and women were burned alive, entire civilisations were destroyed, those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/humanity-has-committed-its-greatest-crimes-in-the-name-of-the-truth/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by William Osler > [As it can be maintained that all the great advances have come from men under forty, so the history of the world shows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/as-it-can-be-maintained-that-all-the-great-advances-have-come-from/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [No man is really happy or safe without a hobby ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/no-man-is-really-happy-or-safe-without-a-hobby/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [But whatever you do, take neither yourselves nor your fellow-creatures too seriously. There is tragedy enough in our daily routine, but there is room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/but-whatever-you-do-take-neither-yourselves-nor-your-fellow-creatures/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [Without egotism and full of feeling, laughter is the music of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/without-egotism-and-full-of-feeling-laughter-is-the-music-of-life/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [The librarian of today, and it will be true still more of the librarians of tomorrow, are not fiery dragons interposed between the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-librarian-of-today-and-it-will-be-true-still-more-of-the/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/the-best-preparation-for-tomorrow-is-to-do-today-s-work-superbly-well/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) > [Throw away all ambition beyond that of doing the day's work well. 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They rarely pay their bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/beware-of-people-who-call-you-doc-they-rarely-pay-their-bills/) [William Osler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) [Explore all 143 William Osler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/) ## More Fragments quotes > [“I could think of any moment and see him weaved throughout it. It was as though his soul was interwoven with mine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-field/i-could-think-of-any-moment-and-see-him-weaved-throughout-it-it-was/) [M.R. Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-field/) > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [The idea of photography as evidence is pure bullshit. 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A fresh kind of life is starting. Driven by the forces of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/today-something-is-happening-to-the-whole-structure-of-human/) [Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/) > [Only a literary work that reveals an unknown fragment of human existence has a reason for being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/only-a-literary-work-that-reveals-an-unknown-fragment-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Instead of a perpetual and perfect measure of the divine will, the fragments of the Koran were produced at the discretion of Mahomet; each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/instead-of-a-perpetual-and-perfect-measure-of-the-divine-will-the/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [He was like a song I'd heard once in fragments but had been singing in my mind ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-golden/he-was-like-a-song-i-d-heard-once-in-fragments-but-had-been-singing/) [Arthur Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-golden/) > [All I want is to become someone new. In this case, Tobias Johnson, son of Evelyn Johnson. Tobias Johnson may have lived a dull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/all-i-want-is-to-become-someone-new-in-this-case-tobias-johnson-son/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“I knew that in the last few minutes everything had changed. I'd tried to hold myself apart, showing only what I wanted, doling out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-knew-that-in-the-last-few-minutes-everything-had-changed-i-d-tried/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [the ice was not only broken; it was shivered into a million fragments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-ice-was-not-only-broken-it-was-shivered-into-a-million-fragments/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The weathercocks on spires and housetops were mysterious with hints of stormy wind, and pointed, like so many ghostly fingers, out to dangerous seas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-weathercocks-on-spires-and-housetops-were-mysterious-with-hints/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [No single thing abides; but all things flow. Fragment to fragment clings - the things thus grow Until we know them and name them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/no-single-thing-abides-but-all-things-flow-fragment-to-fragment/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [Break a vase, and the love that reassembles the fragments is stronger than that love which took its symmetry for granted when it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/break-a-vase-and-the-love-that-reassembles-the-fragments-is-stronger/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) [Browse all 546 Fragments quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragments/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; and even the best of men must be content with fragments, with partial glimpses, never the full fruition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Osler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-the-truth-the-whole-truth-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fragments" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-the-truth-the-whole-truth-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/william-osler-2992_fragments_no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-th_1143949.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/william-osler-2992_fragments_no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-th_1143949.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18d/william-osler-2992_fragments_no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-th_1143949.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth; and even the…” — William Osler", "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": "William Osler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-osler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No human being is constituted to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-the-truth-the-whole-truth-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-osler/no-human-being-is-constituted-to-know-the-truth-the-whole-truth-and/#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 } } ] } ```