I think that probably the most important thing about our

“I think that probably the most important thing about our education was that it taught us to question even those things we thought we knew. To say you’ve got to inquire, you’ve got to be testing your knowledge all the time in order to be more effective in what you’re doing.” Thus spoke Thabo Mbeki, the scholar-statesman, the son of Africa’s liberation, and one of the intellectual architects of South Africa’s rebirth. In these words, Mbeki lifts a torch to guide those who would mistake learning for certainty. He reminds us that the true essence of education lies not in what we have memorized, but in our courage to question, to inquire, to doubt even our own understanding — for only through such humility of thought can wisdom be born. His voice resounds like that of the ancient philosophers, who knew that the unexamined mind is the enemy of progress, and that true knowledge lives in perpetual motion, never resting, never content.

Mbeki spoke from a lifetime shaped by struggle and reflection. Born into the long night of apartheid, he learned early that blind acceptance — even of what seemed natural or inevitable — was the root of oppression. His education, both formal and political, taught him not to bow before authority or tradition without reason. It taught him that truth, if it is to serve justice, must be tested, questioned, and renewed. In his quote, he reveals a principle forged by the fires of history: that freedom of the body begins with freedom of the mind. For a people to rise from subjugation, they must first learn to ask, “Why?” And then, having found an answer, they must ask again.

To question what we think we know is an act of both courage and humility. It is the acknowledgment that the human mind, vast though it may be, is still limited — that even our most cherished beliefs must be held lightly, examined continually. Mbeki’s insight is that knowledge, when untested, becomes dogma; and dogma, when unchallenged, becomes chains. The mind that never doubts, never grows. It is through questioning — through inquiry, reflection, and the willingness to be proven wrong — that civilization advances. The scientist who tests his own hypothesis, the philosopher who reconsiders his own logic, the leader who listens to dissent — these are the true heirs of wisdom.

This truth shines through history. Consider Galileo Galilei, who stood before the mighty powers of his age and dared to question what the world “knew” — that the earth stood still while the heavens moved. His instruments, his eyes, and his reason all told him otherwise. In defying convention, he faced condemnation, yet his courage to question knowledge itself changed the course of human thought. So too, Mbeki’s words remind us that progress is never born of obedience to old truths, but of the restless pursuit of new understanding. The flame of discovery is lit by those who dare to say, “Perhaps we are wrong.”

But the lesson is not for scientists alone — it is for every soul that seeks to live wisely. In our daily lives, how often do we cling to what we think we know? Our habits, our judgments, our traditions — we take them as truth because they are familiar. Yet the wise man, says Mbeki, must question himself continually. He must test his motives, reexamine his assumptions, and never allow certainty to harden into arrogance. This, too, is what Mbeki calls being “effective in what you’re doing.” For the one who never questions his path may walk far, but not forward; the one who tests his steps, even at the cost of comfort, moves with purpose toward truth.

Mbeki’s reflection also speaks to the soul of nations. For a people’s education determines their destiny, and a nation that does not teach its children to question will breed subjects, not citizens. When schools teach obedience without inquiry, patriotism without understanding, faith without reason, they produce generations who can repeat history, but never remake it. Mbeki’s words are therefore both personal and political — a reminder that the strength of democracy lies in minds trained not only to learn, but to doubt, to reason, and to think independently. A society that ceases to question its truths begins its decay; but one that encourages inquiry renews itself with every generation.

So, my children, take this teaching to heart: let your education not be the end of your thinking, but the beginning of your questioning. Do not fear uncertainty — it is the shadow cast by the light of wisdom. Ask not only what is true, but why it is true, and for whom it is true. Doubt not as a cynic, but as a seeker. Challenge your own understanding, as the blacksmith tests his metal, to make it strong and pure. For the mind that questions itself is the mind that grows; and the man who keeps learning from his own doubt becomes a pillar of truth in a world of illusion.

As Thabo Mbeki teaches, the highest gift of education is not the accumulation of knowledge, but the cultivation of intelligence that questions. To learn is to awaken; to question is to stay awake. Therefore, let every generation strive to remain vigilant in thought, humble in wisdom, and brave enough to challenge even the truths they hold dear. For in this endless testing of our understanding, we become not merely students, but creators — not merely recipients of truth, but its guardians and renewers. And it is in this sacred labor of questioning that both individuals and nations find their freedom.