proverb · Legacy record
You never are so easily mistaken as when you think you know the way.
You never are so easily mistaken as when you think you know the way.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying warns that feeling certain of the way may leave someone especially open to error. It questions confidence that discourages checking.
What the words are saying
Think you know distinguishes belief from verified understanding, while the supplied gloss reverses this into knowing the right way preventing mistakes. A useful interpretation examines the basis of certainty without treating all confidence as wrong. Appropriate knowledge and review can work together.
Everyday example
Someone familiar with a task still checks a changed condition instead of assuming the old approach remains suitable.
When to use it
Use it to question unchecked certainty with the source-gloss reversal explicit.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
Confidence does not prove error, and verified familiarity does not guarantee every later step.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 987; PDF page 138
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.