It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.
Genuine
Yes. In Discourses (108), Book 2, chapter 17, section 1 (opening of the chapter); George Long translation, Book II, XVII, “How We Must Adapt Preconceptions to Particular Cases”.
Found word for word by program in the Greek original and in George Long’s English translation (1877).
The wording people share differs slightly from the text; the words in the text are underlined below.
- Work
- Discourses (Διατριβαί), 108
- Where
- Book 2, chapter 17, section 1 (opening of the chapter); George Long translation, Book II, XVII, “How We Must Adapt Preconceptions to Particular Cases”
- Found at
- Paragraph 215 of the Greek text, 294 of the English
- Translation
- George Long, 1877
Researched by AI; checked by program against the full text on 31 October 2026. Editorial review: pending. How we check
On the page
How We Must Adapt Preconceptions to Particular Cases
[…] [46] ταῦτα δ’ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλως ἐκβαλεῖν, εἰ μὴ πρὸς μόνον τὸν θεὸν ἀποβλέποντα, ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ προσπεπονθότα, τοῖς ἐκείνου προστάγμασι καθωσιωμένον. ἂν δ’ ἄλλο τι θέλῃς, [47] οἰμώζων καὶ στένων ἀκολουθήσεις τῷ ἰσχυροτέρῳ ἔξω ζητῶν ἀεὶ τὴν εὔροιαν καὶ μηδέποτ’ εὐροεῖν δυνάμενος. ἐκεῖ γὰρ αὐτὴν ζητεῖς, οὗ μή ἐστιν, ἀφεὶς ἐκεῖ ζητεῖν, ὅπου ἐστίν.
What is the first business of him who philosophizes? To throw away self-conceit (οἴησις). For it is impossible for a man to begin to learn that which he thinks that he knows. […]
Τί πρῶτόν ἐστιν ἔργον τοῦ φιλοσοφοῦντος; ἀποβαλεῖν οἴησιν· ἀμήχανον γάρ, ἅ τις εἰδέναι οἴεται, ταῦτα ἄρξασθαι μανθάνειν. […]
So it is in this matter also, in the things which concern life. Who among us does not speak of good and bad, of useful and not useful; for who among us has not a preconception of each of these things? […]
Οὕτως ἔχει καὶ ἐνθάδ’ ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον. [10] ἀγαθὸν καὶ κακὸν καὶ συμφέρον καὶ ἀσύμφορον τίς ἡμῶν οὐ λαλεῖ; τίς γὰρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἔχει τούτων ἑκάστου πρόληψιν; ἆρ’ οὖν διηρθρωμένην καὶ τελείαν; [11] τοῦτο δεῖξον. […]
And why do I now allege this contention with one another and speak of it? If you yourself properly adapt your preconceptions, why are you unhappy, why are you hindered? […]
[14] Καὶ τί μοι νῦν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους μάχην παραφέρειν καὶ ταύτης μεμνῆσθαι; σὺ αὐτὸς εἰ ἐφαρμόζεις καλῶς τὰς προλήψεις, διὰ τί δυσροεῖς, διὰ τί ἐμποδίζῃ; [15] ἀφῶμεν ἄρτι τὸν δεύτερον τόπον τὸν περὶ τὰς ὁρμὰς καὶ τὴν κατὰ ταύτας περὶ τὸ καθῆκον φιλοτεχνίαν. ἀφῶμεν καὶ τὸν τρίτον τὸν περὶ τὰς συγκαταθέσεις. […]
Where it comes from
The popular form condenses the second sentence of Discourses 2.17.1, dropping ‘begin to’ and adding ‘already’: Long reads ‘For it is impossible for a man to begin to learn that which he thinks that he knows’, Carter ‘For it is impossible for any one to begin to learn what he hath a Conceit that he already knows’.
The scene
These are the opening sentences of a discourse on applying our general notions of good and bad, useful and useless, to particular cases. Epictetus argues that everyone arrives at philosophy already sure they know what good and bad are, and that this conceit is what keeps them from learning; he goes on to show that the notions are shared but their application is where people go wrong.
What it means
The first task of anyone who wants to learn is to give up the belief that they already know: nobody begins to learn what they think they know.
Often misread
Often used as a general jab at know-it-alls. In the discourse it is aimed first at the students themselves, and at a particular kind of knowledge: what is good and bad, which everyone assumes they already understand. The popular form also drops “begin to”: the point is about where learning starts.
Also shared as
- Another public-domain translationFor it is impossible for any one to begin to learn what he hath a Conceit that he already knows. Elizabeth Carter’s translation (Wikisource transcription of the edition it dates 1759). Where it was seen
A similar thought
- Epictetus (Socrates as model): Elsewhere Epictetus names conceit and distrust as the two things to remove from people, and says that confutation removes conceit and that Socrates does this first.
Topics
Related quotes
- Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it. (paraphrase)
- If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.
- A student is the most important person ever in this school. William W. Purkey
- No one can choose a beneficial direction in life without hope that change for the better is possible. William W. Purkey
- It would be impossible to banish fear on matters of the highest importance, if a man did not know the nature of the whole universe, but lived in dread of what the legends tell us. Hence without the study of nature there was no enjoyment of unmixed pleasures. Epicurus
Sources
- en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Epictetus (Discourses, Book II, listed as II.17.1)
- standardebooks.org/ebooks/epictetus/discourses/george-long/text/single-page (George Long translation, 1877; corpus source)
- el.wikisource.org/wiki/Διατριβαί (Greek corpus source)
Cite it
Epictetus, Discourses (108), Book 2, chapter 17, section 1 (opening of the chapter); George Long translation, Book II, XVII, “How We Must Adapt Preconceptions to Particular Cases”, translated by George Long (1877). Checked at Quotogeny, https://quotogeny.com/q/impossible-to-learn-what-you-think-you-know/ (31 October 2026).
Have a different wording, or a source we missed? Check it or submit it.
Do you hold the rights to anything on this page? Tell us.
Checked by people
People who checked this entry against its source, under their own names. Their checks do not change the verdict: an editor reviews every entry.
Comments