Q0172
“There has never been one who truly knows and yet does not…” — Wang Yangming (Instructions for Practical Living, Juan Shang)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Instructions for Practical Living, Juan Shang. Theme: knowledge.
English
There has never been one who truly knows and yet does not act. If one knows but does not act, that is simply not yet knowing.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Instructions for Practical Living, Juan Shang and files it under Neo-Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Wang Yangming
Wang Yangming (Wang Shouren, 1472–1529) was the Ming Neo-Confucian who taught unity of knowledge and action and innate moral knowing (liangzhi). A statesman and general who suppressed rebellions, he developed teachings in exile and military camps.
How to read this passage
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, action.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Action
- Action concerns agency: what it is to do something intentionally, and how thought becomes practice.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Wang Yangming. (n.d.). There has never been one who truly knows and yet does not act. If one knows but does not act, that is simply not yet knowing. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0172
MLA: Wang Yangming. “There has never been one who truly knows….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0172.
Chicago: Wang Yangming. “There has never been one who truly knows….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0172.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “There has never been one who truly knows…”?
The passage is attributed to Wang Yangming, Instructions for Practical Living, Juan Shang. The archive attributes this English wording to Instructions for Practical Living, Juan Shang and files it under Neo-Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Wang Yangming mean by knowledge?
Epistemology asks whether knowledge is justified true belief, reliable tracking of the world, or something else; it also asks how perception, testimony, memory, and reason contribute. This passage enters that discussion through knowledge, action.