This is knowledge
Published
25 October 2026
“When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it; this is knowledge.”
Why it stays with me
Confucius said this to one of his students, who was known for being bold and quick to speak.
The idea is simple, but it’s hard to practise. It’s tempting to sound sure about things I only half understand, and it’s just as easy to doubt things I actually know well. Knowledge, on this view, is not only what I know, but an honest map of where my knowledge ends.
It connects to Feynman’s warning not to fool yourself. Saying “I don’t know” is often the first step towards finding out.
Ayoub Khallok keeps this archive of essays, research, lessons and notes, written to understand things more clearly. More about Ayoub.
Enjoyed this piece? Follow along.
New essays, studies, lessons and notes arrive here a few times a month. There's no newsletter or algorithm, just an RSS feed for every section, so you can follow only what interests you.
SubscribeSubjectsPhilosophy, Learning
Filed inQuotations