---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He did not know- he simply did not know…"
description: "\"“He did not know- he simply did not know. But he felt he ought to know.”\" — Agatha Christie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/agatha-christie-154_know_he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-b_2626634.jpg"
---

#  He did not know- he simply did not know. But he felt he…

![“He did not know- he simply did not know. But he felt he ought to know.” quote by Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/agatha-christie-154_know_he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-b_2626634.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/agatha-christie-154_know_he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-b_2626634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/agatha-christie-154_know_he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-b_2626634.jpg)

> ““He did not know- he simply did not know. But he felt he ought to know.””

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A character admits ignorance yet feels compelled to understand, highlighting human discomfort with uncertainty.

**In simple terms:** He knows nothing but feels he should.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty and seek knowledge.

Themes

ignorance curiosity self-awareness

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- learning
- decision making

Key Concepts

epistemology psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What do you assume you must know?
- How does admitting ignorance affect your actions?

A Different Perspective

Feeling forced to know can cause anxiety and false confidence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Did Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-know/) [Felt Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-ought-2154535/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-felt-1508583/) [Ought Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-know-632067/)

## Related quotes

> [“In between them stood an elephant and she felt she ought to point it out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/in-between-them-stood-an-elephant-and-she-felt-she-ought-to-point-it/)

[Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/)

> [“WI felt I ought to comment on that, but nothing occurred to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-moers/wi-felt-i-ought-to-comment-on-that-but-nothing-occurred-to-me/)

[Walter Moers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-moers/)

> [When I was playing with the children, I felt I ought to be working, and when I was working, I felt I ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hawking/when-i-was-playing-with-the-children-i-felt-i-ought-to-be-working-and/)

[Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hawking/)

> [Once I could say I didn't know how it felt to be loved, but know I know because I have you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-i-could-say-i-didn-t-know-how-it-felt-to-be-loved-but-know-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In order to move on, you must know why you felt the way you did, and why you no longer need to feel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-move-on-you-must-know-why-you-felt-the-way-you-did-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was blind to see your love at the time, now I know how you felt. its so true what comes around goes around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-blind-to-see-your-love-at-the-time-now-i-know-how-you-felt-its/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“And what had I done for him? Nothing. I hadn’t even done him the courtesy of letting him know how I felt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendall-ryan/and-what-had-i-done-for-him-nothing-i-hadn-t-even-done-him-the/)

[Kendall Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendall-ryan/)

> [“I didn't know what it felt like until now" "To be someone's inspiration??" "To be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-strong/i-didn-t-know-what-it-felt-like-until-now-to-be-someone-s-inspiration/)

[Mimi Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-strong/)

> [I think I know how you felt now. Doesnt feel too great. Im sorry..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/i-think-i-know-how-you-felt-now-doesnt-feel-too-great-im-sorry/)

[Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/)

> [You didn’t hurt me, the situation did. And now that I know why I felt that way, it won’t hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-didn-t-hurt-me-the-situation-did-and-now-that-i-know-why-i-felt/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“God, I can't even begin to tell you... I just wish that you could have felt it too. So that when you found your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mclean/god-i-can-t-even-begin-to-tell-you-i-just-wish-that-you-could-have/)

[Jay McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mclean/)

> [We know how it felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/we-know-how-it-felt/)

[Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/)

> [God made beauty so we'd know how He felt about us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/god-made-beauty-so-we-d-know-how-he-felt-about-us/)

[Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/)

> [“I cry, because I know what I felt from him, even if I cannot and dare not allow it be named.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasinda-wilder/i-cry-because-i-know-what-i-felt-from-him-even-if-i-cannot-and-dare/)

[Jasinda Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasinda-wilder/)

> [“Whatever this might have been for you before now baby, there is no trying or going slow. I know you felt it; it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-sloan/whatever-this-might-have-been-for-you-before-now-baby-there-is-no/)

[Harper Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-sloan/)

## More by Agatha Christie

> [One must accept the fact that we have only one companion in this world, a companion who accompanies us from the cradle to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/one-must-accept-the-fact-that-we-have-only-one-companion-in-this/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“I like to see an angry Englishman," said Poirot. "They are very amusing. The more emotional they feel the less command they have of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-like-to-see-an-angry-englishman-said-poirot-they-are-very-amusing/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Now, as I expect you know, there is nothing more cruel than talk, and there is nothing more difficult to combat. When people say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/now-as-i-expect-you-know-there-is-nothing-more-cruel-than-talk-and/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“A child says ‘Thank God for my good dinner’. What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-child-says-thank-god-for-my-good-dinner-what-can-i-say-at-seventy/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“I'm afraid I always find Shakespeare terribly dreary. All those long scenes where everybody is drunk and it's supposed to be funny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-m-afraid-i-always-find-shakespeare-terribly-dreary-all-those-long/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Either her dream had taken a very odd turn or else - or else Mary had really rushed into the room and had said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/either-her-dream-had-taken-a-very-odd-turn-or-else-or-else-mary-had/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend,” observed Poirot philosophically. “You cannot mix up sentiment and reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/every-murderer-is-probably-somebody-s-old-friend-observed-poirot/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Well, of course, it was not any of my business but you get very queer glimpses of life sometimes, and you can't help speculating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/well-of-course-it-was-not-any-of-my-business-but-you-get-very-queer/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Mr. Satterthwaite looked cheered. Suddenly an idea struck him. His jaw fell. "My goodness," he cried, "I've only just realized it! That rascal, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/mr-satterthwaite-looked-cheered-suddenly-an-idea-struck-him-his-jaw/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“The old gentleman refuses to have the telephone which he regards as a device of the devil, and on a par with radio, television,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/the-old-gentleman-refuses-to-have-the-telephone-which-he-regards-as-a/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“That’s how they do it, these girls! Othello charmed Desdemona by telling her stories, but, oh, didn’t Desdemona charm Othello by the way she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/that-s-how-they-do-it-these-girls-othello-charmed-desdemona-by/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/it-is-ridiculous-to-set-a-detective-story-in-new-york-city-new-york/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“Poirot, watching him, felt suddenly a doubt--an uncomfortable twinge. Was there, here, something that he had missed? Some richness of the spirit? Sadness crept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/poirot-watching-him-felt-suddenly-a-doubt-an-uncomfortable-twinge-was/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [In the midst of life, we are in death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/in-the-midst-of-life-we-are-in-death/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [Then there are some minor points that strike me as suggestive - for instance, the position of Mrs. Hubbard's sponge bag, the name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/then-there-are-some-minor-points-that-strike-me-as-suggestive-for/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

[Explore all 1,053 Agatha Christie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

## More Know quotes

> [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/)

[Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/)

> [“To know someone, to be known. That matters more than he'd ever thought it would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/to-know-someone-to-be-known-that-matters-more-than-he-d-ever-thought/)

[Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/)

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/)

[Robert Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-preston/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [“Take your time to find and understand what you don’t know and in the end, you shall know that it is not all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/take-your-time-to-find-and-understand-what-you-don-t-know-and-in-the/)

[Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

[Browse all 22,299 Know quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He did not know- he simply did not know. But he felt he ought to know.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Agatha Christie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-but-he-felt-he-ought-to-know/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Know"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-but-he-felt-he-ought-to-know/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/agatha-christie-154_know_he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-b_2626634.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/agatha-christie-154_know_he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-b_2626634.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fad/agatha-christie-154_know_he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-b_2626634.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He did not know- he simply did not know. But he felt he ought to know.” — Agatha Christie",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Agatha Christie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He did not know- he simply...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-but-he-felt-he-ought-to-know/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/he-did-not-know-he-simply-did-not-know-but-he-felt-he-ought-to-know/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
