Treat this line as an invitation to inspect a belief. Identify what it claims we can know, what evidence would challenge it, and whether the author is describing certainty, practical judgment, or intellectual humility.
How to read quotes on this theme
Begin by identifying what the author means by the central term. Philosophers may use the same word for different questions, and a translation may conceal that difference. The source attached to each record is the route to the surrounding argument.
- Restate the claim in plain language without its rhetorical force.
- Write one reason to accept it and one serious counterexample.
- Decide what further reading or experience would change your view.
Compare, do not merely collect
Save two passages that agree and one that resists them. Write down the disagreement in your own words. A useful thematic collection should make thought more precise, not simply make every author sound alike.