---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've had many uncanny experiences. I…"
description: "\"I've had many uncanny experiences. I think it's hard to be alive and not have them. But I don't know if I can decide what that means or what they are.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/alan-alda-1859_alive_i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-thin_789605.png"
---

#  I've had many uncanny experiences. I think it's hard to be…

![“I've had many uncanny experiences. I think it's hard to be alive and not have them. But I don't know if I can decide what that means or what they are.” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/alan-alda-1859_alive_i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-thin_789605.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/alan-alda-1859_alive_i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-thin_789605.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/alan-alda-1859_alive_i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-thin_789605.png)

> “I've had many uncanny experiences. I think it's hard to be alive and not have them. But I don't know if I can decide what that means or what they are.”

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker reflects on strange, unsettling events and the difficulty of interpreting their significance in life.

**In simple terms:** Strange events happen and are hard to understand.

Key Takeaway

Seek meaning, but accept uncertainty.

Themes

existence perception uncertainty experience meaning

Mood

curious reflective

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- daily life
- personal crises
- creative work
- spiritual contemplation

Key Concepts

Phenomenology existentialism cognitive dissonance

Questions to Reflect On

- What do you consider an 'uncanny' experience?
- How might you find purpose in ambiguity?

A Different Perspective

Interpretation is limited by personal bias and lack of evidence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Decide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide/) [Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences/) [Experiences Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences-think-942232/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/means/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Uncanny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncanny/) [Uncanny Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncanny-experiences-6067063/) [Ve Uncanny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ve-uncanny-6067064/)

## Related quotes

> [Through time you learn from your experiences. I think I've learned to deal with people a little bit better over time. That in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jeter/through-time-you-learn-from-your-experiences-i-think-i-ve-learned-to/)

[Derek Jeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jeter/)

> [I feel like real thoughts and emotions involve the whole being. And they also outstrip little personal quirks, and they outstrip biography. You end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/how-to-dress-well/i-feel-like-real-thoughts-and-emotions-involve-the-whole-being-and/)

[How to Dress Well](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/how-to-dress-well/)

> [“It always amazes me that once you cut through the clutter, people are pretty much the same. Especially through adolescence and early adulthood. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/it-always-amazes-me-that-once-you-cut-through-the-clutter-people-are/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [We don’t choose between experiences, we choose between memories of experiences. Even when we think about the future, we don’t think of our future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/we-don-t-choose-between-experiences-we-choose-between-memories-of/)

[Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/)

> [We dont choose between experiences, we choose between memories of experiences. Even when we think about the future, we dont think of our future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/we-dont-choose-between-experiences-we-choose-between-memories-of/)

[Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/)

> [“She said that certain facts are accessible only from one point of view – the point of view of the creature who experiences them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/she-said-that-certain-facts-are-accessible-only-from-one-point-of/)

[Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/)

> [I think that we can learn a lot from the first-hand experiences of others and I think that if you look at these readings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-henry/i-think-that-we-can-learn-a-lot-from-the-first-hand-experiences-of/)

[Tyler Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-henry/)

> [We are increasingly open to understanding how we are all connected and that if we sink the ship that we are all on, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehuda-berg/we-are-increasingly-open-to-understanding-how-we-are-all-connected/)

[Yehuda Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehuda-berg/)

> [Soar back through all your own experiences. Think of how the Lord has led you in the wilderness and has fed and clothed you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/soar-back-through-all-your-own-experiences-think-of-how-the-lord-has/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [In my early years, there were a number of experiences that made me decide I could not afford the luxury of just being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cicely-tyson/in-my-early-years-there-were-a-number-of-experiences-that-made-me/)

[Cicely Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cicely-tyson/)

> [The thing is when you're... well-enough known, you get asked to speak places, and they don't really think about whether or not you're qualified.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/the-thing-is-when-you-re-well-enough-known-you-get-asked-to-speak/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [The girl in the mirror caught my eye briefly...It is an uncanny feeling, that rare occasion when one catches a glimpse of oneself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/the-girl-in-the-mirror-caught-my-eye-briefly-it-is-an-uncanny-feeling/)

[Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/)

> [It is a strange and wonderful fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/it-is-a-strange-and-wonderful-fact-to-be-here-walking-around-in-a/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Imagine an American Hans Christian Andersen, conceive of the Brothers Grimm living in Missouri, and you will approximate Howard Schwartz, a fable-maker and fable-gatherer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/imagine-an-american-hans-christian-andersen-conceive-of-the-brothers/)

[Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/)

> [One of the findings that really interests me is that, although we think we ACT because of the way we FEEL, we often FEEL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-of-the-findings-that-really-interests-me-is-that-although-we/)

[Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/)

## More by Alan Alda

> [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [When I studied how to think in school, I was taught that the first rule of logic was that a thing cannot both be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-studied-how-to-think-in-school-i-was-taught-that-the-first/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [I was brought up as a Catholic, and I'm no longer a Catholic. I don't talk about my beliefs too much in public probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-was-brought-up-as-a-catholic-and-i-m-no-longer-a-catholic-i-don-t/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [life is meaningless unless you bring meaning to it; ... it is up to us to create our own existence. Unless you do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/life-is-meaningless-unless-you-bring-meaning-to-it-it-is-up-to-us-to/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/my-mother-didn-t-try-to-stab-my-father-until-i-was-six/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe - you can't take a taxi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/originality-is-unexplored-territory-you-get-there-by-carrying-a-canoe/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively-the-creative-is-the-place-where-no/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [To do a musical takes a tremendous amount of energy because you have to act and sing at the same time. And everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/to-do-a-musical-takes-a-tremendous-amount-of-energy-because-you-have/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [Be brave enough to live creatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/be-brave-enough-to-live-creatively/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [It's better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [“You can't get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/you-can-t-get-there-by-bus-only-by-hard-work-risking-and-by-not-quite/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [I used to read science fiction a lot, and I still like science fiction when it is a model of how we really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-used-to-read-science-fiction-a-lot-and-i-still-like-science-fiction/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

[Explore all 203 Alan Alda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

## More Alive quotes

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

[Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/)

> [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/)

[Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/)

[James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/)

> [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/)

[Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/)

[Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/)

> [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/)

[John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/)

> [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

[Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've had many uncanny experiences. I think it's hard to be alive and not have them. But I don't know if I can decide what that means or what they are.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Alda"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-think-it-s-hard-to-be-alive-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alive"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-think-it-s-hard-to-be-alive-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/alan-alda-1859_alive_i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-thin_789605.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/alan-alda-1859_alive_i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-thin_789605.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77b/alan-alda-1859_alive_i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-thin_789605.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've had many uncanny experiences. I think it's hard to be alive and not have them. But I don't know if I…” — Alan Alda",
                "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": "Alan Alda",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've had many uncanny experiences. I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-think-it-s-hard-to-be-alive-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/i-ve-had-many-uncanny-experiences-i-think-it-s-hard-to-be-alive-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
