A lady once asked him how he came to define Pastern the knee of a horse: instead of making an elaborate defence, as she expected, he at once answered, 'Ignorance, Madam, pure ignorance.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- An honest admission of ignorance rather than a fabricated explanation.
- In plain terms
- When asked a wrong question, he admitted he did not know.
- What can you take from it?
- Honesty about ignorance is better than false claims.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When should you admit ignorance?
- How do you handle tough questions?
Another view
Sometimes partial knowledge is necessary to bridge understanding.
More from Samuel Johnson
A fly, Sir, may sting a stately horse and make him wince; but one is but an insect, and the other is a horse still.
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