u. s. president dwight eisenhower said i know that i know nothing.
who said i know that i know nothing?
u. s. president dwight eisenhower
i know that i know nothing









































"i know that i know nothing" is a saying derived from plato's account of the greek philosopher socrates. it is also called the socratic paradox. the phrase is not one that socrates himself is ever recorded as saying.









































this saying is also connected or conflated with the answer to a question socrates (according to xenophon) or chaerephon (according to plato) is said to have posed to the pythia, the oracle of delphi, in which the oracle stated something to the effect of "socrates is the wisest."









































section::::etymology.
i know that i know nothing
in 1855 the national know nothing convention split on the subject of slavery. prominent antislavery know nothing supporters in massachusetts, including henry wilson, began another attempt (after having failed in 1854) to form a party with abolition as a major focus. this effort resulted in the formation of the republican party, which sought to negotiate with the know nothings for a fusion of the two parties. however, massachusetts know nothing leadership refused fusion and republican leadership refused coalition, with many republicans skeptical of gardner's fidelity to the antislavery cause despite his support for fusion. the parties ended up fielding separate slates of candidates, and many know nothing politicians and supporters switched allegiance. in the fall election gardner, running on a strictly nativist platform, garnered 38% of the vote, to the 27% of republican julius rockwell. with the new plurality voting rule in effect, gardner won the election, but the split (and disaffection in some circles with the know nothing agenda) cost him support from former free soilers and democrats. in the 1856 election gardner benefited from a deal with the republicans, who refused to run a candidate for governor in exchange for know nothing support for their presidential candidate, john c. frémont. he easily won reelection, although many republicans voted for a protest candidate instead of supporting him. he attempted to parlay the republican support into an election to the united states senate (a matter then decided by the state senate early in its session) replacing charles sumner. however, republican operatives maneuvered the senate into voting before gardner's speech opening the 1857 session, and sumner was easily reelected.
henry gardner