The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance

Hear the solemn words of John F. Kennedy: “The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.” In this saying lies a truth as deep as the ocean and as high as the stars—that the more man learns, the more he discovers how little he truly knows. Each step forward into understanding opens not an end, but a thousand new doors. Each answer brings with it new questions, and every discovery enlarges the horizon of mystery. Thus, knowledge is not a conquest that closes, but a journey that forever expands, humbling the soul that pursues it.

The ancients understood this paradox. Socrates, the wise of Athens, declared that he knew nothing, not because he was empty, but because he recognized how vast was the unknown. When one sees a single star, he marvels; when he gazes at the heavens, he trembles, for he perceives the countless stars beyond. So it is with knowledge: the more it grows, the more it reveals the infinite sea of ignorance surrounding it. Kennedy, standing in an age of science and space, looked upon the unfolding universe and saw that man’s progress, though great, only deepened the awareness of what was yet unseen.

Consider the explorers of the Age of Discovery. When Columbus sailed west, he sought a passage to Asia, and in his knowledge believed he had found it. Yet in truth, he had stumbled upon continents unknown to his world. His small discovery shattered old maps and revealed that what mankind thought it knew was but a fragment. Each expedition did not end the mystery of the world but multiplied it. This is Kennedy’s wisdom: the more we grow in knowledge, the more we must confess the greatness of our ignorance.

Even in modern times, when humankind split the atom, it thought to have touched the heart of matter. But the deeper physicists looked, the more particles appeared, the more mysteries arose, until the universe seemed stranger than imagination itself. So too with medicine, with the seas, with the stars—every layer unveiled reveals more hidden layers beneath. Knowledge increases, but so too does the unveiling of what we do not know. Ignorance is not defeated—it is magnified, as a mountain looms larger the closer one approaches its base.

This truth is not meant to discourage, but to humble and inspire. For it reminds us that the pursuit of knowledge is not the pursuit of mastery, but of growth. To learn is not to reach a final resting place, but to begin a greater journey. If we believed that knowledge ended, we would grow proud, stagnant, blind. But if we know that each step reveals deeper mysteries, we remain learners all our days, and our hearts stay open to wonder.

The lesson is clear: let knowledge make you humble, not arrogant. The wise do not boast of what they know—they marvel at how much remains unknown. The proud man thinks his lamp lights the whole world, but the humble man knows that his flame is small, though precious, in the vast night. Therefore, as you learn, let each discovery awaken not pride, but awe, not arrogance, but reverence for the mystery of life.

What must you do, then? Seek knowledge diligently, but wear it as a servant, not a crown. When you learn, let it open your eyes to greater questions. When you achieve, let it remind you of how much more lies beyond. Do not scorn your ignorance, for it is the path that leads you onward. Rather, honor it, for it humbles you, guides you, and keeps you searching. In this way, your life will never cease to expand, and your spirit will never grow cold.

Thus remember Kennedy’s words: “The greater our knowledge increases the more our ignorance unfolds.” Let this truth guard you from pride, stir you to wonder, and keep you ever journeying. For the greatest joy of the seeker is not to end the mystery, but to live forever within its unfolding light.