No human being is constituted to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth; and even the best of men must be content with fragments, with partial glimpses, never the full fruition.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- No one can know absolute truth completely; we must accept partial understanding.
- In plain terms
- Humans can only know parts of the truth, not all of it.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept that your knowledge will always be incomplete.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What truths do you accept as incomplete?
- How does ignorance shape your views?
Another view
Some fields like math offer near-absolute truths.
More from William Osler
Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.
Permalink to quote #12 One of the first duties of the physician is to educate the masses not to take medicine.
Permalink to quote #14 Nothing in life is more wonderful than faith-the one great moving force which we can neither weigh in the balance nor test in the crucible.
Permalink to quote #11
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