“It ain’t what we don’t know that gets us in trouble, it’s what we know for certain that just ain’t so.” 

 – Anonymous

In the Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, Rabbi Kahana is quoted as saying that if the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish court,  unanimously finds an accused person guilty, he is acquitted. Why? Because we have learned that tradition dictates that a judgment must be postponed awhile in hopes of finding new points in favor of the defense. Talmudic commentary explains that when a Sanhedrin unanimously convicts a defendant, collusion must be suspected. Since a verdict is reached without any dissenting opinion, the judges on the Sanhedrin are not doing their job properly.

In other words, we should be suspicious of, even set aside, any conclusion without an element of doubt or dissent! Certainty is suspect! 

I recall visiting  Aushwitz-Birkenau some years ago with one of my rabbis, Sheila Peltz Weinberg. Having gazed into the ovens, and as we literally stood upon the ruins of the crematoria, the rabbi remarked, “I pray I am never this certain about anything.” In otherwords, so certain in our cause as to commit genocide.

In my own life, the times I have gotten into the biggest messes have been when I was the least reflective and the most certain. Having no shred of doubt blinds us to other possibilities in an infinite world. We cannot function of paralyzed. But the wisest counsel when we choose a course of action, is to be aware that there may be other worthy  paths, and that despite our best reasoning and intentions, we may be wrong. 

Where in your life are you overly certain, to your peril? 

Versions of the opening quote have been attributed to Will Rogers, Mark Twain, Josh Billings, and Artemis Ward, among others. However, it cannot definitively be ascribed to any of them. It seems to have been collectively developed over many people, times and places. Ironically, the authorship remains uncertain. 

Joe Laur is a father, husband, naturalist, executive, consultant, and student of The All. Send him your favorite teaching quote for commentary. He can be reached at joe.laur@joe.laur.com.