Immanuel Kant

In September 1784 a Berlin magazine invited Immanuel Kant to answer the question: What is Enlightenment?

"Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-incurred immaturity," he replied.

"Immaturity is the inability to use one's own understanding without direction from another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolve and courage to use it without another's guidance. Dare to know! That is the motto of Enlightenment."