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Ignorance Quotes

On what we don't know and why it matters.

One quote here makes an unexpected point about science, arguing that progress mostly deepens our awareness of just how much remains unknown rather than eliminating it. Another calls ignorance a person's greatest asset, a wry, almost self-deprecating twist on the word.

Prejudice is the child of ignorance.

Quotes by William Hazlitt

Stupidity is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance.

Quotes by William Gaddis

Every mind was made for growth, for knowledge, and its nature is sinned against when it is doomed to ignorance.

Quotes by William Ellery Channing

We smile at the ignorance of the savage who cuts down the tree in order to reach its fruit; but the same blunder is made by every person who is over eager and impatient in the pursuit of pleasure.

Quotes by William Ellery Channing

Ignorance is an evil weed, which dictators may cultivate among their dupes, but which no democracy can afford among its citizens.

Quotes by William Beveridge

America is becoming so educated that ignorance will be a novelty. I will belong to the select few.

Quotes by Will Rogers

All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.

Quotes by Will Rogers

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

Quotes by Will Durant

Our knowledge is a receding mirage in an expanding desert of ignorance.

Quotes by Will Durant

Sixty years ago I knew everything; now I know nothing; education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

Quotes by Will Durant

We keep, in science, getting a more and more sophisticated view of our essential ignorance.

Quotes by Warren Weaver

One's ignorance is one's chief asset.

Quotes by Wallace Stevens

Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance.

Quotes by W. Clement Stone

The ruling of men is the effort to direct the individual actions of many persons toward some end. This end theoretically should be the greatest good of all, but no human group has ever reached this ideal because of ignorance...

Quotes by W. E. B. Du Bois

Ignorance is not bliss, but in my case, that was.

Quotes by Victoria Principal

Ignorance is the primary source of all misery and vice.

Quotes by Victor Cousin

In a spiral galaxy, the ratio of dark-to-light matter is about a factor of ten. That's probably a good number for the ratio of our ignorance to knowledge. We're out of kindergarten, but only in about third grade.

Quotes by Vera Rubin

Space is as infinite as we can imagine, and expanding this perspective is what adjusts humankind focus on conquering our true enemies, the formidable foes: ignorance and limitation.

Quotes by Vanna Bonta

There is no stopping the world's tendency to throw off imposed restraints, the religious authority that is based on the ignorance of the many, the political authority that is based on the knowledge of the few.

Quotes by Van Wyck Brooks

It's hard for me to stay silent when I keep hearing that peace is only attainable through war. There's nothing more scary than watching ignorance in action.

Quotes by Tom Smothers

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the more scientific take on ignorance in this collection?
One quote frames it almost as a feature of scientific progress itself: "We keep, in science, getting a more and more sophisticated view of our essential ignorance" - the more we learn, the more precisely we understand what we still don't know.
Is ignorance ever framed positively in this collection?
Surprisingly, yes - one quote claims "One's ignorance is one's chief asset," a provocative, tongue-in-cheek take rather than a literal endorsement of not knowing things.
What's the collection's warning about ignorance and power?
One quote is direct about the danger: "Ignorance is not too dangerous. If you combine it with power, then this is a toxic mix" - it's not ignorance alone that's the real risk, but ignorance paired with authority.
Does this collection touch on political philosophy?
Yes, generally: one quote reflects on governance itself, stating "The ruling of men is the effort to direct the individual actions of many persons toward some end." It adds that this end should ideally be for the greatest good of all, though the speaker argues no human group has ever fully achieved that.
Where can I find more quotes about knowledge and learning?
See the Knowledge and Education quote collections.

A sharper warning holds that ignorance alone isn't especially dangerous, but paired with power it becomes a genuinely toxic mix. For related reading, see our knowledge quotes and education quotes pages.