Learning Makes Fools of Us All

It’s funny, isn’t it? The more we seek to know, the more we’re reminded of how much we don’t.

After finding some old YouTube videos of me proclaiming my knowledge to the world, I was hit with the power of our hidden ignorance when we think we know the most. I remember thinking I had a decent grip on life when I was twenty-six or so and the gym was growing along with my confidence.. I had some education, some wins under my belt, and a solid narrative I could stand behind. Then I read more. Traveled more. Got humbled more. And slowly, the ground I stood on—while stronger—felt less certain.

There’s a quote that’s been kicking around in my mind lately. It’s from Socrates (who was sort of a big deal):

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

Yikes.

And yet, there’s something liberating about that kind of awareness. The moment we stop learning—really learning—we become imprisoned by the illusion that we’ve arrived. That’s the most dangerous kind of ignorance. It’s the ignorance that can’t be penetrated by new information.

If you’ve ever felt like a fraud after diving deeper into a subject, that’s a good sign. That discomfort? It’s growth. You’re bumping up against the edge of what you thought was true, and suddenly you can see the landscape of everything you’ve yet to explore.

This isn’t meant to discourage you. It’s just a heads up: real education is less about stacking answers and more about expanding your questions.

So go ahead—keep reading, keep learning, keep showing up to the hard conversations. But don’t do it to “know it all.” Do it to see what else you might be missing.

That’s the game. And it’s a hell of a ride.