The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to

“The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue.” — Antisthenes

In these words, the philosopher Antisthenes, a disciple of Socrates and founder of the Cynic school, unveils a truth as sharp as a blade: that true wisdom lies not merely in acquiring knowledge, but in freeing oneself from falsehood. His teaching is not about filling the mind, but about cleansing it — stripping away illusion, prejudice, and deceit until what remains is pure and solid as stone. To learn is noble, but to unlearn what is false is divine, for only when the mind is empty of error can it receive truth.

The origin of this saying is rooted in the philosophical soil of ancient Athens, where Antisthenes lived and taught among those who hungered for wisdom. A student of Socrates, he inherited from his master the belief that knowledge begins with the recognition of ignorance. But Antisthenes went further, urging that much of what people call knowledge is not knowledge at all, but illusion masquerading as truth — the opinions of the crowd, the dogmas of tradition, the unexamined beliefs inherited from others. Thus, to “unlearn” is not an act of forgetfulness, but an act of liberation. It is the shedding of the false skins that bind the mind, until the self stands bare before reality.

The ancients understood that ignorance is not the absence of knowledge, but the presence of false belief. It is harder to cure than emptiness, for the one who knows nothing may seek wisdom, but the one who thinks he knows everything resists it. Antisthenes, walking barefoot through the streets of Athens, mocked the proud scholars who filled their heads with borrowed truths but had never questioned their foundations. “The most useful learning,” he said, “is to unlearn the lies that we live by.” For he knew that truth cannot enter a heart already occupied by deception.

Consider the story of Galileo Galilei, centuries after Antisthenes. The world around him clung to the belief that the Earth was the still center of the universe. The Church, the scholars, the wise men — all held this as truth. Yet Galileo, through observation and reason, saw that this “truth” was untrue. To embrace reality, he first had to unlearn what generations before him had accepted without question. For this courage, he was condemned — but the universe did not change for their denial. In time, his unlearning became humanity’s awakening. This, then, is the power of Antisthenes’ wisdom: that progress, both of the mind and of the world, begins with the dismantling of falsehood.

To unlearn is a painful art. It demands humility — to admit that one has been wrong, that the beliefs we defended, the habits we nurtured, the assumptions we trusted, may have been illusions. It requires courage — for to cast aside the familiar, even when false, is to step into the unknown. And yet, it is in that darkness that the light of truth first appears. Every soul that seeks enlightenment must pass through this fire. The proud cling to their lies; the wise release them, and thus are reborn.

Antisthenes’ words carry not only intellectual power but also moral force. To unlearn what is untrue is not only to correct the mind but to purify the soul. Many of the falsehoods we carry are not of the intellect but of the heart — beliefs about our worth, our limitations, our fears, and our divisions. The person who unlearns hatred learns compassion; the one who unlearns greed learns contentment; the one who unlearns despair learns hope. Thus, the philosopher’s teaching reaches beyond logic and enters the realm of virtue. To live rightly, one must think rightly — and to think rightly, one must first clear away the lies.

So, dear listener, take this ancient wisdom as your companion: be not merely a gatherer of knowledge, but a seeker of truth. Question what you have been taught, and test it in the furnace of reason and experience. Do not fear to discard the false, even if it is precious to you, for truth is worth all that must be lost to find it. Let your learning be light, but let your unlearning be fire — burning away what is untrue until only clarity remains. For as Antisthenes teaches, the wisest among us are not those who have learned the most, but those who have had the courage to unlearn their illusions and walk, unburdened, in the bright and naked light of truth.