--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To think that we can understand…" description: "\"To think that we can understand everything is such stupidity because our senses are so limited. We are so limited that to feel that we can understand t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_childish_to-think-that-we-can-understand-everythi_2786341.jpg" --- # To think that we can understand everything is such… ![“To think that we can understand everything is such stupidity because our senses are so limited. We are so limited that to feel that we can understand the creation scientifically is a little bit naive. It's very childish.” quote by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_childish_to-think-that-we-can-understand-everythi_2786341.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_childish_to-think-that-we-can-understand-everythi_2786341.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_childish_to-think-that-we-can-understand-everythi_2786341.jpg) > “To think that we can understand everything is such stupidity because our senses are so limited. We are so limited that to feel that we can understand the creation scientifically is a little bit naive. It's very childish.” [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human understanding is limited; claiming total scientific grasp is naïve and immature. **In simple terms:** We can't fully understand everything. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and stay humble. Themes knowledge humility science Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - education - policy making - personal growth Key Concepts epistemology cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - What are the limits of our senses? - How can we balance curiosity with humility? A Different Perspective Science can still progress despite limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupidity/) ## Related quotes > [The question now is: Can we understand our stupidity? This is a test of intellect, not of character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-k-fairbank/the-question-now-is-can-we-understand-our-stupidity-this-is-a-test-of/) John K. Fairbank > [Capable people do not understand incapacity; clever people do not understand stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/capable-people-do-not-understand-incapacity-clever-people-do-not/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Art does not in fact prove anything. What it does do is record one of those brief times, such as we each have and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/art-does-not-in-fact-prove-anything-what-it-does-do-is-record-one-of/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [“At one level, the only reason you can know anything is because of God. God made your mind and your cognitive faculties. At another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/at-one-level-the-only-reason-you-can-know-anything-is-because-of-god/) [Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/) > [To do mathematics is to engage in an act of discovery and conjecture, intuition and inspiration; to be in a state of confusion −…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lockhart/to-do-mathematics-is-to-engage-in-an-act-of-discovery-and-conjecture/) [Paul Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lockhart/) > [I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-you-think-you-understand-what-you-thought-i-said-but-i-m-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He tried not to think, not to understand: could there be any understanding of this? This had come, had crushed, and was roaring. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-bely/he-tried-not-to-think-not-to-understand-could-there-be-any/) [Andrei Bely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-bely/) > [We spend our lives guessing at what's going on inside everybody else, and when we happen to get lucky and guess right, we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-spend-our-lives-guessing-at-what-s-going-on-inside-everybody-else/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Jokes are a lot about meaning. I think if we understand what jokes mean and why they work, we'd understand everything else. Genuinely I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lloyd/jokes-are-a-lot-about-meaning-i-think-if-we-understand-what-jokes/) [John Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lloyd/) > [“We all think we understand love yet we fail to see that no two loves are the same”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aysha-taryam/we-all-think-we-understand-love-yet-we-fail-to-see-that-no-two-loves/) [Aysha Taryam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aysha-taryam/) > [I think I understand the way life works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-agholor/i-think-i-understand-the-way-life-works/) [Nelson Agholor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-agholor/) > [Sometimes you meet someone and you think they understand people on a different level from everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/sometimes-you-meet-someone-and-you-think-they-understand-people-on-a/) [Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/) > [Words are deceptive. You think you understand something because it's explained to you and now you are under no obligation to do anything because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/words-are-deceptive-you-think-you-understand-something-because-it-s/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [THE FATHER: But don't you see that the whole trouble lies here? In words, words. Each one of us has within him a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/the-father-but-don-t-you-see-that-the-whole-trouble-lies-here-in/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [“I think I understand what Damien needs. Not the pain, but the control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenner/i-think-i-understand-what-damien-needs-not-the-pain-but-the-control/) [J. Kenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenner/) ## More by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/life-and-death-are-illusions-we-are-in-a-constant-state-of/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think the most experimental way to a film is to tell the story the traditional way, because everyone is doing the other thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-the-most-experimental-way-to-a-film-is-to-tell-the-story-the/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Time starts out as a notion. But after you turn fifty, time is not a notion anymore but a fact that you start feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/time-starts-out-as-a-notion-but-after-you-turn-fifty-time-is-not-a/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think bad movies are made around the world, not just in Hollywood. There are as many bad art films in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-bad-movies-are-made-around-the-world-not-just-in-hollywood/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ How can \[actors\] learn their lines and be honest in front of 30 people and all the lights? It makes me cry sometimes. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/how-can-actors-learn-their-lines-and-be-honest-in-front-of-30-people/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I love the three-act theory. It works and works beautifully. But you don't necessarily have to structure a story that way: Cortazar and Borges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-love-the-three-act-theory-it-works-and-works-beautifully-but-you/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [3D is the way we experience life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/3d-is-the-way-we-experience-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I made commercials for corporations like Volkswagen and Coca-Cola, but I was always the one to write them, too, which was a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-made-commercials-for-corporations-like-volkswagen-and-coca-cola-but/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I like to make films, but the only reason I do is because I'm a very bad musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-like-to-make-films-but-the-only-reason-i-do-is-because-i-m-a-very/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [It's very healthy to be aware of your ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/it-s-very-healthy-to-be-aware-of-your-ego/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I personally can't handle frivolous violence. I overreact to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-personally-can-t-handle-frivolous-violence-i-overreact-to-it/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ I saw what I could \[in Mexico City\], but we rarely got anything other than big, mainstream American films. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-saw-what-i-could-in-mexico-city-but-we-rarely-got-anything-other/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [For the actors, the talent is to serve the demands that I ask of them, to do it with naturality and truth, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/for-the-actors-the-talent-is-to-serve-the-demands-that-i-ask-of-them/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) [Explore all 262 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## More Childish quotes > [I wasted my time on your childish games. But don't worry I will not even try to hate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-f-b-mora/i-wasted-my-time-on-your-childish-games-but-don-t-worry-i-will-not/) Cynthia F B Mora > [Childish egocentrism is, in its essence, an inability to differentiate between the ego and the social environment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/childish-egocentrism-is-in-its-essence-an-inability-to-differentiate/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and clothes and even handbags, the discussion of fur is childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/in-a-meat-eating-world-wearing-leather-for-shoes-and-clothes-and-even/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [“KINGDOM OF THE WOMB From her thighs, she gives you life And how you treat she who gives you life Shows how much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/kingdom-of-the-womb-from-her-thighs-she-gives-you-life-and-how-you/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“Age doesn’t make us childish, as they say, It finds that we’re still children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/age-doesn-t-make-us-childish-as-they-say-it-finds-that-we-re-still/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [When we're in that kind of childish space, we're more genuine and feel more comfortable with our friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-spiegel/when-we-re-in-that-kind-of-childish-space-we-re-more-genuine-and-feel/) [Evan Spiegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-spiegel/) > [“Mockery is childish, Beatrice,' She says. 'It does not become you'. 'Mockery is childish, Beatric,' I repeat in my best imitation of her voice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/mockery-is-childish-beatrice-she-says-it-does-not-become-you-mockery/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [The naive is what is or appears to be natural, individual, or classical to the point of irony or to the point of continuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/the-naive-is-what-is-or-appears-to-be-natural-individual-or-classical/) [Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/) > [The most powerful men were those who most effectively used the power of adult competence to enforce childish agreements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-s-trow/the-most-powerful-men-were-those-who-most-effectively-used-the-power/) [George W. S. Trow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-s-trow/) > [“Growing up is childish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/growing-up-is-childish/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [It was childish to feel disappointed, but childishness comes almost as naturally to a man as to a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-was-childish-to-feel-disappointed-but-childishness-comes-almost-as/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Don't you understand that we need to be childish in order to understand? Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/don-t-you-understand-that-we-need-to-be-childish-in-order-to/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I think it is important to learn to distinguish between being childlike and being childish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-it-is-important-to-learn-to-distinguish-between-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't respect thinking that is dangerous, prejudicial, childish, and could get me killed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-don-t-respect-thinking-that-is-dangerous-prejudicial-childish-and/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and even clothes, the discussion of fur is childish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/in-a-meat-eating-world-wearing-leather-for-shoes-and-even-clothes-the/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) Browse all 299 Childish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To think that we can understand everything is such stupidity because our senses are so limited. 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