How to Read “Treat learning as if you can never catch up”
Gaku wa oyobazaru ga gotokusu
Meaning of “Treat learning as if you can never catch up”
This proverb means you should approach learning with a humble attitude, always feeling that your knowledge is not enough. It teaches the importance of maintaining the feeling that “it’s still not enough” or “I haven’t reached it yet,” no matter how much you study.
This expression is used when showing the right mindset for studying and learning. It encourages people to keep their desire for improvement alive, rather than becoming satisfied just because they’ve gained some knowledge.
It’s also used to convey the idea that the path of learning has no end.
Today, this teaching applies not just to school studies, but to all forms of learning—acquiring work skills, exploring hobbies, and more. It expresses a universal truth: even after gaining knowledge or skills, you shouldn’t stop there.
The attitude of aiming even higher leads to continued growth.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is believed to come from words of Confucius recorded in the ancient Chinese classic “The Analects,” specifically in “Taibo Chapter 8.” The original text is “学如不及、猶恐失之,” which reads “Treat learning as if you can never catch up, and still fear losing what you’ve learned.”
Confucius left these words while teaching his disciples about the proper attitude toward learning. “As if you can never catch up” means feeling as though you haven’t reached your goal yet.
In other words, he taught that no matter how much you learn, you should maintain the humble feeling that “it’s still not enough.” The original text continues with “and still fear losing it,” emphasizing that you should even feel anxious about losing what you’ve already learned.
Confucian thought came to Japan long ago, and “The Analects” became required reading for samurai and scholars. This saying was also emphasized in education during the Edo period.
It became widely known as the proper mindset for those pursuing learning. Today, the latter part is often omitted, and it has become established in the form “Treat learning as if you can never catch up.”
This proverb symbolizes the Eastern educational philosophy that learning has no end.
Usage Examples
- Even now that he’s become a professor, he reads academic papers every day with the spirit of “Treat learning as if you can never catch up”
- I passed the certification exam, but with the mindset of “Treat learning as if you can never catch up,” I’ll keep studying toward my next goal
Universal Wisdom
Humans have a tendency to become satisfied and stop moving forward when they achieve something. They pass an exam, earn a certification, or reach a certain position.
At such moments, we tend to feel “that’s enough.” However, this proverb has been passed down for thousands of years because our ancestors deeply understood the danger in that feeling.
In the world of knowledge and skills, there is no true “completion.” No matter how much you learn, an even more vast unknown territory spreads out beyond.
Rather, the deeper you learn, the more you realize how much you don’t know. This is true not just in academics, but in all arts, crafts, and life experiences.
What this proverb teaches is the truth that humility is the driving force of growth. The feeling that “it’s still not enough” generates the desire for improvement.
The moment you think “that’s enough,” your growth stops. Our ancestors must have witnessed many people fall into decline through arrogance.
That’s why they continued to pass down to future generations the importance of continuing to learn with an attitude of always feeling insufficient.
True wisdom begins with knowing your own ignorance. This proverb expresses that paradoxical truth in a simple way.
When AI Hears This
In communication systems, we always add “extra information” when sending data. For example, to send 100 units of information, we deliberately send 120.
Why? Because noise always enters during transmission and corrupts the information. This extra 20 is called “redundancy”—it’s insurance for restoring damaged parts.
Human knowledge has exactly the same structure. Brain science research shows that people forget 74 percent of learned information within one day. In other words, knowledge is constantly exposed to noise and degrades.
What’s interesting here is that the moment people think “I understand this perfectly,” they stop reviewing. In communication system terms, this is like setting redundancy to zero.
With the slightest noise, the information is completely lost.
The attitude of continuing to learn—continuing to think “it’s still not enough”—is the act of constantly adding redundancy to knowledge. Reading the same book multiple times, relearning from different angles.
These may seem wasteful, but they’re actually error correction functions protecting knowledge from the noise of forgetting.
From the moment you think you’ve arrived, information begins to break down beyond repair. So you pretend forever that you “haven’t reached it yet.”
This isn’t inefficient—it was actually the optimal strategy for long-term knowledge preservation.
Lessons for Today
For those of us living in modern times, what this proverb teaches is that our attitude toward learning determines the quality of our lives. In today’s information-saturated age, we can find answers with a quick search.
We quickly feel like we “get it.” However, true understanding and superficial knowledge are completely different things.
When you’re learning something, if you feel “that’s enough,” it might be a sign that your growth is stopping. Conversely, if you can feel “I still have a long way to go,” that’s proof you’re walking the right path.
This humble attitude is what enables continuous growth.
What’s important is not to view this attitude as something painful. Feeling “insufficient” also means that infinite possibilities are spreading out before you.
The more you learn, the more new worlds you can see. People who can taste that joy are the ones who can live rich lives.
What you learn today becomes tomorrow’s foundation, and what you learn tomorrow opens even more doors. Precisely because it’s an endless journey, we should have a heart that enjoys the process.
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