See Also: EDUCATION, MIND, INTELLIGENCE

1. A body without knowledge is like a house without a foundation —Hebrew proverb
2. The desire for knowledge, like the thirst of riches, increases ever with the acquisition of it —Laurence Sterne
3. Follow knowledge, like a sinking star, beyond the utmost bound of human thought —Alfred, Lord Tennyson
4. Gleaned bits of information like a mouse hoarding pellets of bran stolen from the feed manger —Rita Mae Brown
5. (There are no limits to his knowledge, on small subjects as well as great;) he is like a book in breeches —Sydney Smith about Macaulay
6. In knowledge, as in swimming, he who flounders and splashes on the surface, makes more noise, and attracts more attention than the pearl-diver who quietly dives in quest of treasures to the bottom —Washington Irving
7. In science, as in life, learning and knowledge are distinct, and the study of things, and not of books is the source of the latter —Thomas H. Huxley
8. It’s like swimming; once you learn it, you never forget it —Miguel de Cervantes
9. Knowledgeable as a walking encyclopedia of universal knowledge —Louisa May Alcott
10. Knowledge … is like a fire, which must first be kindled by some external agent, but which will afterwards propagate itself —Samuel Johnson, letter to William Drummond, August 23, 1766
11. Knowledge … like a rough diamond … will never be worn or shine, if it is not polished —Lord Chesterfield
12. Knowledge, like religion, must be “experienced” in order to be known —Edwin Percy Whipple
13. The knowledge of man is like the waters, some descending from above, and some springing from beneath; the one informed by the light of nature, the other inspired by divine revelation —Francis Bacon

    Paraphrased from Bacon’s “Knowledge of man is as the waters.”

14. Knowledge, when wisdom is too weak to guide her, is like a headstrong horse that throws the rider —Francis Quarles
15. The right to know is like the right to live. It is fundamental and unconditional in its assumption that knowledge, like life, is a desirable thing —George Bernard Shaw
16. The struggle for knowledge has a pleasure in it like that of wrestling with a fine woman —Lord Halifax

    The original simile used ‘hath’ instead of ‘has.’

17. The understanding, like the eyes, while it makes us see and perceive all things, takes no notice of itself, and it requires art and pains to set it at a distance and make it its own subject —John Locke

    The fifth word is a modernization of the original, ‘whilst.’

18. We deal our knowledge like a pack of cards —George Garrett
19. With informations we can go anywhere in the world, we are like turtles, our houses always on our backs —John Le Carré

    In his novel A Perfect Spy, Le Carré expands the simile as follows: “You learn to paint, you can paint anywhere. A sculptor, a musician, a painter, they need no permits. Only their heads.”

burn one’s fingers To hurt one-self, physically or mentally, by meddling in other people’s affairs or by acting impetuously. The expression usually implies that one has learned from the painful experience, and will avoid such situations or involvements in the future. The phrase has been in figurative use since 1710, often in proverbial statements like the following:

A similar current American slang expression is get burnt, which has the additional meaning of suffering financial loss.

by rote From memory; mechanically, automatically, unthinkingly, without understanding or feeling; usually as modifier of verbs such as learn, get, know, recite. Conjecture that rote comes from the Latin rota ‘wheel,’ and that by rote consequently relates to the repetitious turning round and round in the mind that accompanies memorizing, lacks solid etymological basis. George Gordon, Lord Byron, used the expression in English Bards and Scotch Reviewers (1809):

cut one’s eyeteeth To gain knowledge or understanding; to become sophisticated or experienced in the ways of the world; also to have one’s eyeteeth meaning ‘to be worldly-wise or aware.’ This expression, which dates from the early 1700s, derives from the fact that the eyeteeth are cut late, usually at about the age of twelve. The implication then is that a person who has already cut his eyeteeth has reached the age of discretion. A similar phrase with the same meaning is to cut one’s wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are cut even later than eyeteeth, usually between the ages of seventeen and twenty-five.

know one’s beans To be generally knowledgeable and aware; to know a subject thoroughly; to be proficient, to have mastered a particular skill. Popular since the 19th century, this expression may be a contraction of the British know how many beans make five, an expression also used figuratively and said to derive from the practice of using beans to teach children how to count.

In the U.S., the negative construction not to know beans is more frequently heard, and may even antedate the other two.

Know one’s onions is a common U.S. slang variant, as are know one’s stuff and know one’s business.

know the ropes To completely understand the operational methods of one’s occupation or enterprise; to know the tricks of the trade. A sailor who understands the arrangement and functions of the numerous ropes on a ship is considered an invaluable crew member. Similarly, a person familiar with the ins and outs of his job or company establishes himself as a most valuable employee.

under one’s belt As a part of one’s past experience, to one’s credit, successfully completed or accomplished.

Originally under one’s belt ‘in one’s stomach’ referred to food which had been taken in, digested, and finally assimilated into the body. Similarly, one’s experiences are incorporated into one’s personality.