Quote by Blaise Pascal

The world is a good judge of things, for it is in natural ignorance, which is man's true state. The sciences have two extremes which meet. The first is the pure natural ignorance in which all men find themselves at birth. The other extreme is that reached by great intellects, who, having run through all that men can know, find they know nothing, and come back again to that same ignorance from which they set out; but this is a learned ignorance which is conscious of itself. Those between the two, who have departed from natural ignorance and not been able to reach the other, have some smattering of this vain knowledge and pretend to be wise. These trouble the world and are bad judges of everything. The people and the wise constitute the world; these despise it, and are despised. They judge badly of everything, and the world judges rightly of them.

Summary

This quote by Blaise Pascal emphasizes the importance of humility in the pursuit of knowledge. Pascal suggests that there are two extremes when it comes to understanding: the natural ignorance of those who are born and know very little, and the conscious ignorance of those who have acquired great knowledge yet recognize the vast extent of their ignorance. It is the individuals who fall in between, having gained some knowledge but still considering themselves wise, who are a detriment to society and make poor judgments. Pascal suggests that true wisdom lies in acknowledging our limitations and being open to continuous learning.