--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I can't completely understand is…" description: "\"What I can't completely understand is most other people's fascination with what the famous among us do with their lips and the rest of their bodies. Wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/alan-alda-1859_body_what-i-can-t-completely-understand-is-mo_1512885.png" --- # What I can't completely understand is most other people's… ![“What I can't completely understand is most other people's fascination with what the famous among us do with their lips and the rest of their bodies. Why do ordinary people become the target of this curiosity simply by virtue of the fact that other people recognize their names and faces but know…” quote by Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/alan-alda-1859_body_what-i-can-t-completely-understand-is-mo_1512885.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/alan-alda-1859_body_what-i-can-t-completely-understand-is-mo_1512885.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fa/alan-alda-1859_body_what-i-can-t-completely-understand-is-mo_1512885.png) > “What I can't completely understand is most other people's fascination with what the famous among us do with their lips and the rest of their bodies. Why do ordinary people become the target of this curiosity simply by virtue of the fact that other people recognize their names and faces but know nothing else about them? Why do we care what they think, what they wear, what they eat?” [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. People are drawn to famous individuals because fame creates a narrative shortcut that satisfies curiosity about identity and status. **In simple terms:** Fame sparks curiosity about personal details. Key Takeaway Recognize curiosity, seek deeper understanding beyond fame. Themes celebrity culture human curiosity identity media influence Mood intrigued critical reflective Type observational analytical When to use this quote - celebrity interviews - social media consumption - fan conventions - marketing strategies Key Concepts social psychology parasocial relationships status signaling Questions to Reflect On - What does this fascination reveal about our values? - How can we shift focus to merit over fame? A Different Perspective Fascination can distract from substantive issues and reinforce superficial judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fascination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fascination/) [Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) [Ordinary people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [What I can't completely understand is most other people's fascination with what the famous among us do with their lips and the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/what-i-can-t-completely-understand-is-most-other-people-s-fascination/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [For some weird reason, people have a fascination with Laura Palmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-lee/for-some-weird-reason-people-have-a-fascination-with-laura-palmer/) [Sheryl Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-lee/) > [“I still do not understand why some people think they mean nothing to anyone; while their simple smile gives unlimited reasons for others to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer-2/i-still-do-not-understand-why-some-people-think-they-mean-nothing-to/) [M.F.Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer-2/) > [“We have never even begun to understand a people until we have found something that we do not understand. So long as we find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/we-have-never-even-begun-to-understand-a-people-until-we-have-found/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“I understand why sometimes people speak in cliches because sometimes there is no other way to describe something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-understand-why-sometimes-people-speak-in-cliches-because-sometimes/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“The more greedily you try to understand people, the less you understand them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takahashi-takako/the-more-greedily-you-try-to-understand-people-the-less-you/) Takahashi Takako > [I'm just like any other man. I understand why people become reclusive. One of my weaknesses is that I sometimes allow people in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-loftin/i-m-just-like-any-other-man-i-understand-why-people-become-reclusive/) Peter Loftin > [I could never understand how to build a computer, but the best I could hope for is to understand the people that do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-bishe/i-could-never-understand-how-to-build-a-computer-but-the-best-i-could/) [Kerry Bishe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-bishe/) > [“I urge you to be curious enough to want to understand how the people who see things differently from you came to see them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-urge-you-to-be-curious-enough-to-want-to-understand-how-the-people/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“... not talking about things she doesn't understand to people who do or about things she does to people who don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/not-talking-about-things-she-doesn-t-understand-to-people-who-do-or/) [Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/) > [It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-so-difficult-at-least-i-find-it-difficult-to-understand-people/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Americans are notoriously ill-equipped for self-reflection. We're usually a very boisterous, outward-moving bunch of people, but we don't understand that much about ourselves or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/americans-are-notoriously-ill-equipped-for-self-reflection-we-re/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) > [I don't understand people who say life is a mystery, because what is it they want to know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/i-don-t-understand-people-who-say-life-is-a-mystery-because-what-is/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [When you see someone as a human being, you begin to understand most people are doing what they believe is right. I ask myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/when-you-see-someone-as-a-human-being-you-begin-to-understand-most/) [Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/) > [I've given up trying to understand what people think about me. It seems like a lot of people don't like the music we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/i-ve-given-up-trying-to-understand-what-people-think-about-me-it/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) ## 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. 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I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. 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