A very well known quote by William Shakespeare
A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.
The first half is okay – a fool thinks himself to be wise (he's in that misunderstanding to be wise). The second half made me scratch my head.
…but a wise man knows himself to be a fool?
What's that? Why a wise man would ever know himself to be a fool? What am I missing?
Best Answer
I believe it relates to this quote by Confucius
The realization that the self is lacking, that there is always more to learn and that one doesn't know nearly everything, or even as much as what one thinks he knows is the hallmark of the wise man. He knows that he still has much to learn (there are other cultural idioms which express this).