Q0298
“That little bit of innate knowing of yours is your own criterion.” — Wang Yangming (Instructions for Practical Living)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Instructions for Practical Living. Theme: knowledge.
English
That little bit of innate knowing of yours is your own criterion.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Instructions for Practical Living 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, autonomy.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Autonomy
- Autonomy appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat autonomy as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Wang Yangming. (n.d.). That little bit of innate knowing of yours is your own criterion. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0298
MLA: Wang Yangming. “That little bit of innate knowing of yours….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0298.
Chicago: Wang Yangming. “That little bit of innate knowing of yours….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0298.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “That little bit of innate knowing of yours…”?
The passage is attributed to Wang Yangming, Instructions for Practical Living. The archive attributes this English wording to Instructions for Practical Living 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, autonomy.