Socrates states that the only thing he knows is that he knows nothing. I feel that Socrates is saying that he recognizes the fact that he does not know much. Socrates does not try to pretend that he is this almighty person who pretends that they know things they don"t know. On page 44 from the Apology Socrates says:.

             "I am wiser than this man; it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be wiser to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know."(Plato 44).

             When Socrates says this man in the above quote he is referring to Melutus. All Socrates is saying in this quote is, he is wiser than Melutes, although neither of them knows anything worth knowing. Socrates also says in this quote that the reason that he is smarter than Melutes is because Socrates knows that he knows nothing, where Melutes thinks that he knows all, when he really knows nothing. The fact that Socrates knows when he knows nothing is a knowledge all its own. Socrates admits to not having all knowledge, yet he is looked upon as a wise man. This quote is very vital to the Apology because it puts Socrates outlook upon his self out in the open, so we can see how Socrates perceives his self.

             The fact that Socrates says he does not know anything does not mean that he is not intelligent. Socrates was one of the wisest men on the planet because he didn"t try to appear as wise, he just tried to appear as himself. Socrates questioned many men to see how wise they really were. As he questioned them, he started to realize that these supposedly wise men were not that wise at all. However, many of these men thought that they were wise and tried to pretend to know answers to questions that they did not know.

             Although Socrates says the only thing he knows is that he knows nothing, he really does know something.