Anything that makes them smile . A real smile . <| sep |> The problem is that it is extremely difficult to communicate the idea of I know nothing . Every statement implies knowledge . Even if one were to say , I believe I know nothing there is implied knowledge of the belief . A way around this is to ask questions . Do you think I know anything ? Why , yes , I think you know a lot . What if I told you that I know nothing ? Hmm . I ' m not sure . I still think you ' re knowledgeable . What if I said that many people believe that I know nothing at all and would be happy to tell you how they came to that conclusion ? Well , I ' m starting to wonder . May I tell you a storyfableparable ? Yes , please do so . Now anything that is said within the confines of the story does not imply knowledge since it ' s a fabrication . But the listener can gain great insight and draw their own conclusions without the speaker ever making a statement that implies knowledge .