Ignorant Quotes - Page 28

• What attracted me to immunology was that the whole thing seemed to revolve around a very simple experiment: take two different antibody molecules and compare their primary sequences. The secret of antibody diversity would emerge from that. Fortunately at the time I was sufficiently ignorant of the subject not to realise how naive I was being.

  Cesar Milstein

  Ignorance, Science, Simple

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• Both angels and demons are ignorant of the future, yet they make predictions. The angels do so when God reveals the future to them and commands them to prophesy, and what they prophesy comes to pass. Demons also make predictions, but these are only guesses based on what they see from afar.

  John of Damascus

  Angel, Afar, Demon

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• Some writers, rejecting the idea which science had reached, that reefs of rocks could be due in any way to "animalcules," have talked of electrical forces, the first and last appeal of ignorance.

  James Dwight Dana

  Ignorance, Science, Rocks

  James Dwight Dana (1872). “Corals and Coral Islands”, p.17

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• We cannot conceive how the Foetus is form'd in the Womb, nor as much as how a Plant springs from the Earth we tread on ... And if we are ignorant of the most obvious things about us, and the most considerable within our selves, 'tis then no wonder that we know not the constitution and powers of the creatures, to whom we are such strangers.

  Joseph Glanvill

  Spring, Knowledge, Science

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• We are ignorant of things necessary, because we learn things superfluous and unnecessary

  Richard Baxter

  Unnecessary, Christianity, Superfluous

  Richard Baxter, William Orme (1830). “The Practical Works of the Rev. Richard Baxter: With a Life of the Author, and a Critical Examination of His Writings”, p.167

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• Every child must be encouraged to get as much education as he has the ability to take. We want this not only for his sake - but for the future of our nation's sake. Nothing matters more to the future of our country: not our military preparedness - for armed might is worthless if we lack the brainpower to build world peace; not our productive economy - for we cannot sustain growth without trained manpower; not our democratic system of government - for freedom is fragile if citizens are ignorant.

  Lyndon B. Johnson

  Education, Country, Peace

  Johnson, Lyndon B. (1966). “Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965”, p.26, Best Books on

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• The man ignorant of mathematics will be increasingly limited in his grasp of the main forces of civilization.

  John G. Kemeny

  Math, Science, Men

  John G. Kemeny (1964). “Random Essays on Mathematics, Education, and Computers”

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• The pain comes from knowing that we have never been safe, and therefore will never be safe again. It comes from knowing we can never be so ignorant again. It comes from knowing we can never be children again. Losing innocence. Remembering heaven. That was the essence of hell.

  John Jakes

  Children, Pain, Sunset

  FaceBook post by John Jakes from Dec 22, 2014

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• And some men are as ignorant of what they do when awake as they are forgetful of what they do when asleep.

  Heraclitus

  Ignorance, Men, Awake

  Heraclitus of Ephesus (2017). “Heraclitus on the two antithetical forces in life: Interdependent and mutually convertible aspects of One Cause”, p.5, Philaletheians UK

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• Nothing is so ignorant as a man's left hand, except a lady's watch.

  Mark Twain

  Ignorance, Men, Hands

  Mark Twain (2012). “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips: A Book of Quotations”, p.195, Courier Corporation

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• The ignorant are afraid to betray surprise or admiration...they think it ill manners.

  Mark Twain

  Ignorance, Thinking, Admiration

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• ...ignorant as the unborne babe! ignorant as unborn twins!

  Mark Twain

  Ignorance, Twins, Babe

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• We never knew an ignorant person yet but was prejudiced.

  Mark Twain

  Ignorance, Ignorant Person, Persons

  Mark Twain (2012). “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips: A Book of Quotations”, p.196, Courier Corporation

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• ...one should be gentle with the ignorant, for they are the chosen of God.

  Mark Twain

  Ignorance, Should, Gentle

  Mark Twain (2012). “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips: A Book of Quotations”, p.196, Courier Corporation

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• That the fundamental aspects of heredity should have turned out to be so extraordinarily simple supports us in the hope that nature may, after all, be entirely approachable. Her much-advertised inscrutability has once more been found to be an illusion due to our ignorance. This is encouraging, for, if the world in which we live were as complicated as some of our friends would have us believe we might well despair that biology could ever become an exact science.

  Thomas Hunt Morgan

  Believe, Ignorance, Simple

  Thomas Hunt Morgan (1919). “The Physical basis of heredity”

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• The word 'chance' then expresses only our ignorance of the causes of the phenomena that we observe to occur and to succeed one another in no apparent order. Probability is relative in part to this ignorance, and in part to our knowledge.

  Pierre-Simon Laplace

  Ignorance, Knowledge, Science

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• Students using astrophysical textbooks remain essentially ignorant of even the existence of plasma concepts, despite the fact that some of them have been known for half a century. The conclusion is that astrophysics is too important to be left in the hands of astrophysicists who have gotten their main knowledge from these textbooks. Earthbound and space telescope data must be treated by scientists who are familiar with laboratory and magnetospheric physics and circuit theory, and of course with modern plasma theory.

  Hannes Alfven

  Knowledge, Science, Hands

  "Hannes Alfvén: Dean of the Plasma Dissidents". Book by Anthony L. Peratt, p. 197, 1998.

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• The fear of meeting the opposition of envy, or the illiberality of ignorance is, no doubt, the frequent cause of preventing many ingenious men from ushering opinions into the world which deviate from common practice. Hence for want of energy, the young idea is shackled with timidity and a useful thought is buried in the impenetrable gloom of eternal oblivion.

  Robert Fulton

  Ignorance, Science, Men

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• Bullshit is unavoidable when circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about. Thus, the production of bullshit is stimulated whenever a person's obligations or opportunities to speak about some topic exceed his knowledge of the facts that are relevant to that topic. This discrepancy is common in public life, where people are frequently impelled-whether by their own propensities or by the demands of others - to speak extensively about matters of which they are to some degree ignorant.

  Harry Frankfurt

  Honesty, Opportunity, Talking

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• In keeping Americans ill-educated, ill-informed and constitutionally ignorant, the education establishment has been the politician's major and most faithful partner. It is in this sense that American education can be deemed a success.

  Walter E. Williams

  Faithful, Liberty, Politician

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• Those who have dissected or inspected many [bodies] have at least learnt to doubt; while others who are ignorant of anatomy and do not take the trouble to attend it are in no doubt at all.

  Giovanni Battista Morgagni

  Learning, Science, Doubt

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• What has been done is little-scarcely a beginning; yet it is much in comparison with the total blank of a century past. And our knowledge will, we are easily persuaded, appear in turn the merest ignorance to those who come after us. Yet it is not to be despised, since by it we reach up groping to touch the hem of the garment of the Most High.

  Agnes Mary Clerke

  Ignorance, Knowledge, Science

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• Without any doubt, the regularity which astronomy shows us in the movements of the comets takes place in all phenomena. The trajectory of a simple molecule of air or vapour is regulated in a manner as certain as that of the planetary orbits; the only difference between them is that which is contributed by our ignorance. Probability is relative in part to this ignorance, and in part to our knowledge.

  Pierre-Simon Laplace

  Ignorance, Knowledge, Science

  Pierre-Simon Laplace (2012). “Pierre-Simon Laplace Philosophical Essay on Probabilities: Translated from the fifth French edition of 1825 With Notes by the Translator”, p.3, Springer Science & Business Media

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• I admitted, that the world had existed millions of years. I am astonished at the ignorance of the masses on these subjects. Hugh Miller has it right when he says that 'the battle of evidences must now be fought on the field of the natural sciences.'

  James A. Garfield

  Ignorance, Science, Years

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• The first thing the reasonable man must do is to be content with a very little knowledge and a very great deal of ignorance. The second thing he must do is to make the utmost possible use of the knowledge he has and not waste his energy crying for the moon. The third thing he must do is try and see clearly where his knowledge ends and his ignorance begins.

  Arthur David Ritchie

  Ignorance, Knowledge, Science

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