Q0369
“Knowing is the beginning of acting; acting is the completion of knowing.” — Wang Yangming (Instructions for Practical Living)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Instructions for Practical Living. Theme: knowledge.
English
Knowing is the beginning of acting; acting is the completion of knowing.
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, practice, cultivation.
Concepts in this quote
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
- Practice
- Practice is where thought becomes habit: philosophy as a way of living, training, and repeated action.
- Cultivation
- Cultivation appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat cultivation as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Wang Yangming. (n.d.). Knowing is the beginning of acting; acting is the completion of knowing. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0369
MLA: Wang Yangming. “Knowing is the beginning of acting; acting is….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0369.
Chicago: Wang Yangming. “Knowing is the beginning of acting; acting is….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0369.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Knowing is the beginning of acting; acting is…”?
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, practice, cultivation.