To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of

Hear, O seekers of wisdom and truth, the immortal words of Socrates, the philosopher of Athens, who walked barefoot through the agora and taught men to awaken their sleeping minds: “To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge.” In this paradox lies the foundation of all learning, the humility of the wise and the downfall of the proud. For the man who believes himself all-knowing has already sealed the gates of his own growth, but the one who confesses his ignorance opens a path that stretches toward infinity.

Socrates, the gadfly of Athens, lived in an age of glory — an age of poets, warriors, and thinkers. Yet he saw that amidst the brilliance of his city, there was blindness. The statesmen boasted of their wisdom, the poets of their insight, the generals of their strategy; all claimed to possess the truth. But Socrates, through his relentless questioning, revealed that they knew little beyond illusion. When the oracle of Delphi declared that none was wiser than he, Socrates was astonished. “How can I be wise,” he said, “when I know nothing?” Yet in this humility lay his greatness — for he alone knew that he did not know. Thus was born the essence of true philosophy: the recognition that knowledge begins with wonder, and wisdom begins with doubt.

To know nothing, as Socrates meant it, is not to live in darkness, but to dwell in the dawn — the hour before full light, when the mind still questions what lies ahead. The proud man lives in the noonday glare of false certainty; he sees no shadows, yet he walks blindly. The humble thinker, however, perceives that every answer births a hundred new questions, that the universe is too vast for the vessel of one mind. In acknowledging this, he gains something far greater than information — he gains the living spirit of curiosity, the eternal fire that drives discovery forward.

Consider, then, the tale of Isaac Newton, a man of centuries later, who unlocked the laws of motion and gravity. When he was praised for his genius, he answered with words that echo Socrates himself: “I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore… finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, while the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” Behold in this confession not weakness, but divine humility. The greatest scientist of his age, like the greatest philosopher of antiquity, bowed before the vastness of mystery — and in doing so, found his strength.

This is the eternal law of wisdom: that humility is its root. The fool gathers facts to boast; the wise gather questions to explore. The fool seeks to win arguments; the wise seek to understand. The fool clings to certainty; the wise delight in discovery. For the universe is not conquered by arrogance but revealed through awe. To stand before truth and admit one’s smallness is not to shrink — it is to expand, for only an empty vessel may be filled anew.

O children of the future, let this lesson dwell in your hearts: do not rush to be certain, for certainty is the grave of growth. When you think you have learned all, pause — and ask again. When you speak, let your words carry the weight of reflection; when you listen, let your ears be open not only to reply, but to receive. The one who knows that he knows nothing is not void, but ready — ready to learn, to evolve, to rise beyond the boundaries of self. This is the essence of true knowledge.

In your daily life, practice the art of Socratic humility. Question your beliefs, test your assumptions, and seek wisdom not as treasure to possess, but as a journey to walk. Read deeply, yet think freely. Speak boldly, yet admit when you are uncertain. Rejoice in learning, for every moment of discovery is a step closer to truth, though the summit may never be reached. It is not the destination that makes the philosopher, but the courage to walk the endless road of inquiry.

So remember, my friends and students of time: the more you learn, the more you will glimpse how much lies beyond your grasp. Do not despair at this, but find joy in it — for this endless horizon is the proof that life itself is a grand and sacred mystery. To know that you know nothing is to awaken from the dream of pride and see the world anew, as a child sees the stars for the first time — vast, luminous, and full of wonder. That, indeed, is the beginning — and the meaning — of true knowledge.