Bruce Lee said, "He who knows not and knows that he knows not, he is simple, teach him." I wish more people would do that. I know that I don't know everything so if I want to learn something sometimes I'll ask. All too often people, contrary to Bruce Lee's instructions, will not provide answers.
More People Should Follow Bruce Lee's Instructions
- Thread starter PhotonGuy
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Where did bruce lee say this? I don't remember every reading that in any bruce lee books, and it sounds more like someone trying to translate socrates to english, then anything else.
A: Why didn't you teach him?
B: He didn't ask.
More people should learn to do research.
There is zero evidence that Bruce Lee ever said this.
An excerpt from Heptameron, or the History of the Fortunate Lovers by Princess Margaret of Valois written in the 1654 reads
Whoops. Again...
There is zero evidence that Bruce Lee ever said this.
An excerpt from Heptameron, or the History of the Fortunate Lovers by Princess Margaret of Valois written in the 1654 reads
This seems to be the earliest version, and it has since evolved into more contemporary language.
Whoops. Again...
mograph
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Yeah, not likely to be from Bruce Lee.
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But yes, we should approach learning with humility and an open mind, but to also learn how to apply critical thinking to new information.
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A quote from Tao of Jeet Kune Do
He who knows not, knows not, he knows not, he is a fool shun him. He who knows not and he knows not, he is simple teach him. He who knows and knows not...
www.goodreads.com
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And yet people on this forum and people in the world in general all too often don't have respect for it, when you do approach learning that way.
Steve
Mostly Harmless
It's not wrong, but I don't think Bruce Lee invented it. This is a variation on the conscious incompetence model which has been around since (I think) the early 1960s. The idea basically is that folks move through four stages of competence. At the bottom are unconscious incompetence - not knowing what you don't know. What the quote above refers to is the second stage, conscious incompetence, which is knowing what you don't know.
It's a handy way to think about how people move through learning. Most people naturally move from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence. A few don't. When I'm working with managers, we talk about this as an employee's coachability. When employees know that they have stuff to learn, they are ready to learn.
So he stole a quote and didn't attribute it. Says something about integrity...A quote from Tao of Jeet Kune Do
He who knows not, knows not, he knows not, he is a fool shun him. He who knows not and he knows not, he is simple teach him. He who knows and knows not...www.goodreads.com
mograph
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I didn't find the quote here (It's searchable).A quote from Tao of Jeet Kune Do
He who knows not, knows not, he knows not, he is a fool shun him. He who knows not and he knows not, he is simple teach him. He who knows and knows not...www.goodreads.com
I just searched a pdf of that book, for the words fool, shun and teach, in case the verbiage was off slightly, and it did not show up under any of those. Goodreads is not the best source for information in a book-I've seen reviews and summaries of books that haven't come out yet.A quote from Tao of Jeet Kune Do
He who knows not, knows not, he knows not, he is a fool shun him. He who knows not and he knows not, he is simple teach him. He who knows and knows not...www.goodreads.com
darn you beat me to it.
mograph
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Aren't we fun at parties?
We'd enjoy the same party, at least. Everyone else would leave 5 minutes in.Aren't we fun at parties?
Gaucho
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Alright maybe Bruce Lee wasn't the first to say it and if he wasn't I stand corrected, but the bottom line is that if somebody wants to learn you should teach them. I personally would have much more respect for somebody who is willing to learn than I would for an arrogant know it all. The problem is that too many people will not teach those who want to learn.
he wasn't just not the first to say it, he likely didn't say it at all. Just as an fyi to avoid misattribution in the future.
Steve
Mostly Harmless
It’s a good concept to understand regardless of who said it first. If you haven’t googles the conscious competence model yet, I encourage you to do so. It is good stuff and is right in the wheelhouse of what you’re thinking about.
mograph
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There's the old "the student's cup is full so the teacher cannot fill it" metaphor, so yes.
I haven't really seen teachers (who have the time) refuse to teach someone who wants to learn ... and is of good character. I have seen teachers refuse to teach arseholes who want to learn. Got an anecdote illustrating the point?
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