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"To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge."

— Nicolaus Copernicus

To Know That We Know What

To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.

— Nicolaus Copernicus
humility knowledge wisdom

About this quote

This maxim is attributed to Nicolaus Copernicus in many collections but has not been verified in his documented works, including De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543) or his surviving correspondence. The sentiment echoes epistemological ideas common to Renaissance humanism and is reminiscent of passages in Confucius and Socrates. Without a primary source, the attribution should be treated with caution.

Source

Attributed, widely quoted

The Earth together with its surrounding waters must in fact have such a shape as its shadow reveals, for it eclipses the Moon with the arc of a perfect circle.
— Nicolaus Copernicus
Near the Sun is the center of the universe. Moreover, since the Sun remains stationary, whatever appears as a motion of the Sun is really due rather to the motion of the Earth.
— Nicolaus Copernicus
For when a ship is floating calmly along, the sailors see its motion mirrored in everything outside, while on the other hand they suppose that they are stationary, together with everything on board.
— Nicolaus Copernicus
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