--- title: "Whatever sceptic could inquire for, For ev'ry why he had a wherefore;… — Samuel Butler Quote #10 | QuotesBy.net" description: "Whatever sceptic could inquire for, For ev'ry why he had a wherefore; Knew more than forty of them do, As far as words and terms cou'd go. All which … — a quote by Samuel Butler." image: "https://quotesby.net/wp-content/themes/quotesby-editorial/assets/og-default.png" --- > # Whatever sceptic could inquire for, For ev'ry why he had a wherefore; Knew more than forty of them do, As far as words and terms cou'd go. All which he understood by rote And, as occasion serv'd, would quote; No matter whether right or wrong, They might be either said or sung. His notions fitted things so well, That which was which he could not tell; But oftentimes mistook th' one For th' other, as great clerks have done. [Samuel Butler](https://quotesby.net/Samuel-Butler)\#10 [Knowledge](https://quotesby.net/topics/knowledge/)[Learning](https://quotesby.net/topics/learning/)[Pretense](https://quotesby.net/topics/pretense/) [WhatsApp (opens in a new tab)](https://wa.me/?text=%E2%80%9CWhatever%20sceptic%20could%20inquire%20for%2C%20For%20ev%27ry%20why%20he%20had%20a%20wherefore%3B%20Knew%20more%20than%20forty%20of%20them%20do%2C%20As%20far%20as%20words%20and%20terms%20cou%27d%20go.%20All%20which%20he%20understood%20by%20rote%20And%2C%20as%20occasion%20serv%27d%2C%20would%20quote%3B%20No%20matter%20whether%20right%20or%20wrong%2C%20They%20might%20be%20either%20said%20or%20sung.%20His%20notions%20fitted%20things%20so%20well%2C%20That%20which%20was%20which%20he%20could%20not%20tell%3B%20But%20oftentimes%20mistook%20th%27%20one%20For%20th%27%20other%2C%20as%20great%20clerks%20have%20done.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Samuel%20Butler%20https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FSamuel-Butler%2F10%2F)[X (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=%E2%80%9CWhatever%20sceptic%20could%20inquire%20for%2C%20For%20ev%27ry%20why%20he%20had%20a%20wherefore%3B%20Knew%20more%20than%20forty%20of%20them%20do%2C%20As%20far%20as%20words%20and%20terms%20cou%27d%20go.%20All%20which%20he%20understood%20by%20rote%20And%2C%20as%20occasion%20serv%27d%2C%20would%20quote%3B%20No%20matter%20whether%20right%20or%20wrong%2C%20They%20might%20be%20either%20said%20or%20sung.%20His%20notions%20fitted%20things%20so%20well%2C%20That%20which%20was%20which%20he%20could%20not%20tell%3B%20But%20oftentimes%20mistook%20th%27%20one%20For%20th%27%20other%2C%20as%20great%20clerks%20have%20done.%E2%80%9D%20%E2%80%94%20Samuel%20Butler&url=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FSamuel-Butler%2F10%2F)[Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fquotesby.net%2FSamuel-Butler%2F10%2F) ## About this quote What does it mean?A skeptic is described as knowing words but not their true meaning.In plain termsHe knows terms but not how they fit reality.What can you take from it?Memorizing terms doesn't mean understanding them. ### Where it applies - schooling - interviews - debates ### Putting it to work - understand concepts not just terms - test knowledge practically ### Questions to consider - How do you test real understanding? - When does quoting become meaningless? ### Another view Knowing terms is useful for communication. ## More from Samuel Butler 1. > In mathematics he was greater Than Tycho Brahe, or Erra Pater: For he, by geometric scale, Could take the size of pots of ale; Resolve, by sines and tangents s… [Permalink to quote \#9](https://quotesby.net/Samuel-Butler/9/ "Permalink to quote 9") 2. > And weave fine cobwebs, fit for skull That's empty when the moon is full; Such as take lodgings in a head That's to be let unfurnished. [Permalink to quote \#11](https://quotesby.net/Samuel-Butler/11/ "Permalink to quote 11") 3. > They'll say our bus'ness, to reform The Church and State, is but a worm; For to subscribe, unsight, unseen, To an unknown Church-discipline, What is it else, b… [Permalink to quote \#8](https://quotesby.net/Samuel-Butler/8/ "Permalink to quote 8") ## Related quotes 1. > Do not be guilty of possessing a library of learned books while lacking learning yourself. [Desiderius Erasmus](https://quotesby.net/Desiderius-Erasmus)[Desiderius Erasmus quote \#5](https://quotesby.net/Desiderius-Erasmus/5/ "Permalink to quote 5") 2. > Why you gotta act like you know, if you don't know? It's okay if you don't know everything. [Ben Folds](https://quotesby.net/Ben-Folds)[Ben Folds quote \#10](https://quotesby.net/Ben-Folds/10/ "Permalink to quote 10") 3. > There is nothing more practical than a good theory. [Leonid Brezhnev](https://quotesby.net/Leonid-Brezhnev)[Leonid Brezhnev quote \#1](https://quotesby.net/Leonid-Brezhnev/1/ "Permalink to quote 1") ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whatever sceptic could inquire for, For ev'ry why he had a wherefore; Knew more than forty of them do, As far as words and terms cou'd go. All which he understood by rote And, as occasion serv'd, would quote; No matter whether right or wrong, They might be either said or sung. 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