"Getting rid of a delusion makes us wiser than getting hold of a truth"

Ludwig Borne’s insight distinguishes between the pursuit of truth and the process of dispelling false beliefs. Truth, in its pure form, is valuable, each new fact enriches understanding, expands one's view, and grounds reasoning in reality. Yet, the quote suggests that greater wisdom is gained not from merely accumulating truths but from disentangling oneself from illusions, misconceptions, and falsehoods.

To be deluded is to walk through life guided by errors, no matter how well-intentioned or comforting those errors might be. Delusions create more than ignorance; they actively distort perception, influence decisions, and can become the basis for further false beliefs. When a delusion is shed, the mind is forced to re-evaluate its assumptions, confront vulnerability, and accept a new, oftentimes less flattering, reality. This process is enlightening because it is uncomfortable. It challenges cognitive complacency and compels critical thinking. Wisdom is often the residue of such struggles.

Gaining a truth is a gain, but rooting out a delusion is a double victory. Not only does it open space for truth by clearing away the underbrush of falsehood, it strengthens one's capacity for discernment in the future. The exercise of recognizing and rejecting error is foundational to intellectual maturity. Individuals and societies grow not simply by building upon facts, but by learning, again and again, to question and revise previously held certainties. Historical progress, both personal and collective, depends on this process.

Living in the world, one encounters many 'trusted' ideas that are later revealed as misconceptions. Letting these go, though painful, is transformative. In the end, greater clarity and humility result from uprooting false beliefs than from simply adding new facts to a library of accepted knowledge. Wisdom, then, is not just the possession of truths, but the unflinching willingness to let go of error.