--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certainty is not to be had. But as we…" description: "\"“Certainty is not to be had. But as we learn this we become not more moral but more resigned. We become nihilists.”\" — Allen Wheelis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/allen-wheelis-39009_certainty_certainty-is-not-to-be-had-but-as-we-lea_2613688.jpg" --- # Certainty is not to be had. But as we learn this we become… ![“Certainty is not to be had. But as we learn this we become not more moral but more resigned. We become nihilists.” quote by Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/allen-wheelis-39009_certainty_certainty-is-not-to-be-had-but-as-we-lea_2613688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/allen-wheelis-39009_certainty_certainty-is-not-to-be-had-but-as-we-lea_2613688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/704/allen-wheelis-39009_certainty_certainty-is-not-to-be-had-but-as-we-lea_2613688.jpg) > ““Certainty is not to be had. But as we learn this we become not more moral but more resigned. We become nihilists.”” [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Certainty is unattainable; recognizing this leads not to greater morality but to resignation and nihilism. **In simple terms:** Accepting uncertainty can breed cynicism. Key Takeaway Beware resignation, seek meaning. Themes uncertainty morality nihilism Mood reflective somber Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - personal reflection - philosophical discourse - spiritual crisis Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does uncertainty affect your moral choices? - Can you find purpose without certainty? A Different Perspective Resignation may be a defense against anxiety, but can also stifle growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Nihilism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nihilism/) ## Related quotes > [Nihilists laugh at nothing, unless someone unexpectedly tickles them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/nihilists-laugh-at-nothing-unless-someone-unexpectedly-tickles-them/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [I can remember how when I was young I believed death to be a phenomenon of the body; now I know it to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-can-remember-how-when-i-was-young-i-believed-death-to-be-a/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“Everything about them is blighted, dead. Feelings flake off & fall in dust. The senses, vitrified, can no longer experience pleasure; they crack at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/everything-about-them-is-blighted-dead-feelings-flake-off-fall-in/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [We cannot be too energetic in reminding our nihilists and positivists that this is a world of action and history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/we-cannot-be-too-energetic-in-reminding-our-nihilists-and-positivists/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [The fact is that previously they were simply dunces and now they've suddenly become nihilists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fact-is-that-previously-they-were-simply-dunces-and-now-they-ve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nihilists! I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter/nihilists-i-mean-say-what-you-like-about-the-tenets-of-national/) Walter > [“Nihilists... F#$% me. I mean say what you will about the tenets of national socialism dude, at least it's an ethos”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-lebowski/nihilists-f-me-i-mean-say-what-you-will-about-the-tenets-of-national/) Big Lebowski > [People always thought if no one believed in God and we were nihilists then people would go around murdering each other. That didn't happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-cicero/people-always-thought-if-no-one-believed-in-god-and-we-were-nihilists/) [Noah Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-cicero/) > [Nihilists expend everything and everyone except themselves. They are the indispensable men, without whom the world might try to live almost happily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark-macinnes/nihilists-expend-everything-and-everyone-except-themselves-they-are/) [Helen Clark MacInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark-macinnes/) > [“I love beauty. I am a nihilist, but I love beauty. Do nihilists not love beauty? They”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/i-love-beauty-i-am-a-nihilist-but-i-love-beauty-do-nihilists-not-love/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The idea that we are to be absorbed into the Deity is Gnostic in its origins and is quite antithetical to Christianity." ~R. Alan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/the-idea-that-we-are-to-be-absorbed-into-the-deity-is-gnostic-in-its/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [If critics and fanboys weren't suckers for simplistic nihilism and high-pressure marketing, Afterlife would be universally acclaimed as a visionary feat, superior to Inception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armond-white/if-critics-and-fanboys-weren-t-suckers-for-simplistic-nihilism-and/) [Armond White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armond-white/) > [I teach you beyond Man (superman). Man is something that shall be surpassed. What have you done to surpass him?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-teach-you-beyond-man-superman-man-is-something-that-shall-be/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) ## More by Allen Wheelis > [“Matter would have the universe a uniform dispersion, motionless, complete. Spirit would have an earth, a heaven and a hell, whirl and conflict, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/matter-would-have-the-universe-a-uniform-dispersion-motionless/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [The sequence is suffering, insight, will, action, change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/the-sequence-is-suffering-insight-will-action-change/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [So briefly do we raise our heads, so quick sink back. For a moment we are lifted by a wave of time, are tossed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/so-briefly-do-we-raise-our-heads-so-quick-sink-back-for-a-moment-we/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [“Dirty old men are dirty because they are hanging on to life. Sex is the life force, and the nearer they come to death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/dirty-old-men-are-dirty-because-they-are-hanging-on-to-life-sex-is/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [“I remember a spring night in a school auditorium, during the rehearsal of a play. I am thirteen. I am weary of the farce,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/i-remember-a-spring-night-in-a-school-auditorium-during-the-rehearsal/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [The spirit of science is not to prejudge, but to give any honest query a fair shake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/the-spirit-of-science-is-not-to-prejudge-but-to-give-any-honest-query/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [Freedom is the awareness of alternatives and of the ability to choose. It is contingent upon consciousness, and so may be gained or lost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/freedom-is-the-awareness-of-alternatives-and-of-the-ability-to-choose/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [Clearly it is not reason that has failed. What has failed-as it has always failed-is the attempt to achieve certainty, to reach an absolute,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/clearly-it-is-not-reason-that-has-failed-what-has-failed-as-it-has/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [Desire is endless and unappeasable, is most intense where most forbidden, and is never far from despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/desire-is-endless-and-unappeasable-is-most-intense-where-most/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) > [One can often recognize herd animals by their tendency to carry bibles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-wheelis/one-can-often-recognize-herd-animals-by-their-tendency-to-carry-bibles/) [Allen Wheelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) [Explore all 11 Allen Wheelis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-wheelis/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Certainty is not to be had. But as we learn this we become not more moral but more resigned. 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