This is an important tenet in modern science that would serve us well in life, too. Anyone who says they have reached the final end of knowledge is not a true scientist. When good scientists make an important discovery, they do not feel that this means an end to their experiments or exploration.
You may know a great deal but also know that you can still learn from others and from new experiences. Your wisdom shows you that there is always more to learn. This is where a healthy humility keeps open the door to improvement. Pride, by contrast, closes that door. You sit behind that closed door telling yourself you are better than anyone else. The egocentric walls that box us in are constructed in just this way.
17th Karmapa
from the book Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society
Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.
Further quotes from the book Interconnected:
- Inner freedom is key
- The ability to experience genuine closeness
- Becoming stuck in a quagmire of self-obsession
- Enthusiastically benefiting whomever we come in contact with
- Our innate ability to connect with others
- Interdependence always works both ways
- Enjoying the goodness of what you are doing
- A Vast and Complex Web of Causality
- A greater sense of possibility
- Concealing our weaknesses
- Cultivating a spirit of generosity
- The impulse to connect
- Viewing others through the lens of interdependence
- Interdependent individual
- Bringing about real change in the world
- Experiencing connection rather than isolation
- Discovering new potentials
- Focusing on our inner interdependence
- Recollecting kindness
- Individualism or interdependence