To act on the belief that we possess the knowledge and the power which enable us to shape the processes of society entirely to our liking, knowledge which in fact we do not possess, is likely to make us do much harm.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Knowledge is that possession that no misfortune can destroy, no authority can revoke, and no enemy can control. This makes knowledge the greatest of all freedoms.
It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.
It's not just for its influence on us, but to know that we can play a part in it, to understand the influence that we have outside our own existence.
One can decide that the principal role of knowledge is as an indispensable element in the functioning of society, and act in accordance with that decision, only if one has already decided that society is a giant machine.
Fullness of knowledge always means some understanding of the depths of our ignorance; and that is always conducive to humility and reverence.
Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.
It means that through knowledge have come responsibility and hope, and through both, action.
Knowledge is not a passion from without the mind, but an active exertion of the inward strength, vigor and power of the mind, displaying itself from within.
Even knowledge has to be in the fashion, and where it is not, it is wise to affect ignorance.
It has been a privilege to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to see how it might help mankind in more practical ways.