“I neither know nor think that I know.”
- Source
- Apology
- Date
- c. 399 BCE setting
- Attribution
- Source identified
- Voice / speaker
- Dialogue speaker · Socrates
- English wording
- Benjamin Jowett — Translator · from Ancient Greek
What does this quote mean?
Socrates locates a small advantage in recognizing the boundary of his own knowledge: uncertainty is intellectually healthier than possessing the same ignorance while mistaking it for wisdom.
Where does it come from?
Plato, Apology, Benjamin Jowett translation, Project Gutenberg #1656. Socrates says this after examining a politician whom others considered wise; the wording is dialogue speech attributed to Socrates within Plato’s work, not a claim that Socrates knew literally nothing.
Who voices the line?
Dialogue speaker · Socrates. Socrates says this in Plato’s Apology while comparing his acknowledged ignorance with a politician who lacks knowledge but believes himself wise.
The source author and the local speaker can be different, especially in fiction, drama, dialogue and poetry.
How should this attribution be read?
This wording is connected with the named source shown above. Translations and editions can vary, so consult the source note when exact wording matters.