The gift of not knowing

Posted on April 21, 2009 | 2 Comments

If there’s one thing life grants us for which we should thank the gods, besides thanking them for life itself, it’s the gift of not knowing: of not knowing ourselves and of not knowing each other.

— Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet (trans. R. Zenith)

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2 responses to “The gift of not knowing”

  1. notesfromaroom | April 24, 2009 at 3:19 pm |

    Complete understanding kills activity: indeed if it is directed inwards on the faculty of understanding, it kills itself. If one is fully aware of what is involved in moving a limb, one can no longer move it. But full awareness is impossible, so activity remains possible.

    — Nietzsche

  2. notesfornothing | April 24, 2009 at 3:19 pm |

    Complete understanding kills activity: indeed if it is directed inwards on the faculty of understanding, it kills itself. If one is fully aware of what is involved in moving a limb, one can no longer move it. But full awareness is impossible, so activity remains possible.

    — Nietzsche

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