It is like the thirsty traveller who at first sincerely sought the water of knowledge, but who later, having found it plain perhaps, proceeded to temper his cup with the salt of doubt so that his thirst now becomes insatiable though he drinks incessantly, and that in thus drinking the water that cannot slake his thirst, he has forgotten the original and true purpose for which the water was sought. Anonymous
About This Quote

This is a metaphor that speaks of the means by which one attains knowledge. A traveler is thirsty when he comes upon water, which he drinks in order to quench his thirst. But when he finds this water plain and uninspiring, he uses it only in the hope of acquiring something more exciting in its place. And so it goes in life, when we first seek knowledge in earnest, but later only use it in the hope of gaining something even more valuable than what we initially sought.

Source: Islam: The Concept Of Religion And The Foundation Of Ethics And Morality

Some Similar Quotes
  1. Knowledge, like air, is vital to life. Like air, no one should be denied it. - Alan Moore

  2. Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life. - Will Durant

  3. I definitely learned a lesson this time. I know that I can be broken. I am not as tough as I thought. I see it now. At this point, it's the only thing good that came out of all of this. I know myself better... - Henry Rollins

  4. How little we know of what there is to know. I wish that I were going to live a long time instead of going to die today because I have learned much about life in these four days; more, I think than in all other... - Ernest Hemingway

  5. I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think - Socrates

Related Topics