A Ming philosopher said you can't really know something you don't act on

Wang Yangming rejected the orthodox Confucian view that you first study principles, then apply them. He argued knowledge and action are one event, not two: if you truly "know" something is wrong but do it anyway, you never really knew it. His doctrine of the unity of knowledge and action directly challenged Zhu Xi's dominant orthodoxy and reshaped Chinese philosophy for centuries.

— Wang Yangming, Chuanxilu (Instructions for Practical Living) — Compiled by his students, early 16th century
Go deeper: get the book →