--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human ordeals thrive on ignorance. To…" description: "\"Human ordeals thrive on ignorance. To understand a problem with clarity is already half way towards solving it.\" — Amartya Sen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/amartya-sen-2518_clarity_human-ordeals-thrive-on-ignorance-to-und_2174233.png" --- # Human ordeals thrive on ignorance. To understand a problem… ![“Human ordeals thrive on ignorance. To understand a problem with clarity is already half way towards solving it.” quote by Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/amartya-sen-2518_clarity_human-ordeals-thrive-on-ignorance-to-und_2174233.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/amartya-sen-2518_clarity_human-ordeals-thrive-on-ignorance-to-und_2174233.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e5/amartya-sen-2518_clarity_human-ordeals-thrive-on-ignorance-to-und_2174233.png) > “Human ordeals thrive on ignorance. To understand a problem with clarity is already half way towards solving it.” [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding a problem clearly is a crucial step toward solving it, as ignorance fuels difficulty. **In simple terms:** Clarity aids problem solving. Key Takeaway Clarify issues before acting. Themes knowledge clarity problem solving ignorance policy Mood analytical inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy analysis - education reform - research design - public debate Key Concepts development economics epistemology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What facts do you need to clarify your challenge? - How can you turn understanding into concrete steps? A Different Perspective Clarity alone may not lead to action without resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Half way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-way/) [Human Ordeals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-ordeals-4668248/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-understand-4668245/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Ordeals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordeals/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-clarity-4668247/) [Thrive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrive/) [Thrive Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrive-ignorance-4668246/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [High school wasn't a trial by fire or some ordeal that had to be survived. It was all a big joke. You just had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/high-school-wasn-t-a-trial-by-fire-or-some-ordeal-that-had-to-be/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Books that recount ordeals are precious because an ordeal is what we most fear, and the stories that tell us how to survive them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-koval/books-that-recount-ordeals-are-precious-because-an-ordeal-is-what-we/) [Ramona Koval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-koval/) > [Before I had a kid, I was off in some kind of cosmic state all of the time, and thinking about the world beyond,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/before-i-had-a-kid-i-was-off-in-some-kind-of-cosmic-state-all-of-the/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine, a fine marriage, or air. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-cheever/at-first-an-ordeal-and-then-an-accomplishment-the-daily-run-becomes-a/) [Benjamin Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-cheever/) > [It would be difficult to tell," Wulf said. "I've always been a romantic. I've seen Casablanca twice, and I sat through the entire ordeal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/it-would-be-difficult-to-tell-wulf-said-i-ve-always-been-a-romantic-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [My run is so weird. That's what I'm most nervous about in this whole ordeal. I'm most nervous about everybody making fun of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/my-run-is-so-weird-that-s-what-i-m-most-nervous-about-in-this-whole/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [The period without the diary remains an ordeal. Every evening I want my diary as one wants opium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-period-without-the-diary-remains-an-ordeal-every-evening-i-want/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [The ordeal is part of the commitment" Esquire Interview 10/10](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-ordeal-is-part-of-the-commitment-esquire-interview-10-10/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Growing older is mainly an ordeal of the imagination-a moral disease, a social pathology...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/growing-older-is-mainly-an-ordeal-of-the-imagination-a-moral-disease/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Had I not gone through the ordeal, in more than one country, of landing a job, I would he tempted to lose patience over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/had-i-not-gone-through-the-ordeal-in-more-than-one-country-of-landing/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [But I ask you, those of you who are with us all day, not to stress yourselves out because of us. When you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoki-higashida/but-i-ask-you-those-of-you-who-are-with-us-all-day-not-to-stress/) [Naoki Higashida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoki-higashida/) > [Old age is an ordeal, of flesh and mind. Of winding down, of slowing down, of dying cells. It's accepting the loss of physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/old-age-is-an-ordeal-of-flesh-and-mind-of-winding-down-of-slowing/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Attitude is the difference between ordeal and adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-bitchin/attitude-is-the-difference-between-ordeal-and-adventure/) [Bob Bitchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-bitchin/) > [Marriage is not a simple love affair, it's an ordeal, and the ordeal is the sacrifice of ego to a relationship in which two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/marriage-is-not-a-simple-love-affair-it-s-an-ordeal-and-the-ordeal-is/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [To find the point where hypothesis and fact meet; the delicate equilibrium between dream and reality; the place where fantasy and earthly things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/to-find-the-point-where-hypothesis-and-fact-meet-the-delicate/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) ## More by Amartya Sen > [Capability is just a concept of what is it we're looking at. Now how far we can go along that and what new capabilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/capability-is-just-a-concept-of-what-is-it-we-re-looking-at-now-how/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/where-the-mind-is-without-fear-and-the-head-is-held-high-where/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Violence is fomented by the imposition of singular and belligerent identities on gullible people, championed by proficient artisans of terror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/violence-is-fomented-by-the-imposition-of-singular-and-belligerent/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I think the whole progress over the last two or three millennia has been entirely dependent on ideas and techniques and commodities and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/i-think-the-whole-progress-over-the-last-two-or-three-millennia-has/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/no-famine-has-ever-taken-place-in-the-history-of-the-world-in-a/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [To say that certainly America was very lucky to get a large amount of land, and the native Indians were extremely unlucky to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/to-say-that-certainly-america-was-very-lucky-to-get-a-large-amount-of/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [The lack of economic freedom could be a very major reason for loss of liberty, liberty of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/the-lack-of-economic-freedom-could-be-a-very-major-reason-for-loss-of/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [We need to ask the moral questions: Do I have a right to be rich? And do I have a right to be content…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/we-need-to-ask-the-moral-questions-do-i-have-a-right-to-be-rich-and/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [“He wrote extensively on how schools should be made more attractive to boys and girls and thus more productive. His own co-educational school at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/he-wrote-extensively-on-how-schools-should-be-made-more-attractive-to/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [One has to be realistic. One’s concern for equity and justice in the world must not carry one into the alien territory of unreasoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/one-has-to-be-realistic-one-s-concern-for-equity-and-justice-in-the/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [While I am interested both in economics and in philosophy, the union of my interests in the two fields far exceeds their intersection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/while-i-am-interested-both-in-economics-and-in-philosophy-the-union/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [I was born in a University campus and seem to have lived all my life in one campus or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/i-was-born-in-a-university-campus-and-seem-to-have-lived-all-my-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [If jobs are important, education is important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/if-jobs-are-important-education-is-important/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Thailand's economic development was driven by educational expansion. 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Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Anything well written with good language and clarity and honesty is worth doing. It comes out of the same tradition as Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/anything-well-written-with-good-language-and-clarity-and-honesty-is/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It comes a moment that someone says something really small, but fits so perfect into your heart that everything start to make sense!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylablack/it-comes-a-moment-that-someone-says-something-really-small-but-fits/) [Laylablack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laylablack/) > [“Replaying the past in your mind won't change the present; it only steals the clarity needed to shape what comes next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-meyering-sr/replaying-the-past-in-your-mind-won-t-change-the-present-it-only/) [Joseph Meyering Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-meyering-sr/) > [Rain is good for me. I feel like I achieve clarity actually when it rains. 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