--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are torn between a craving to know and…" description: "\"We are torn between a craving to know and the despair of having known.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/anonymous-1_desire_we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-an_1197019.jpg" --- # We are torn between a craving to know and the despair of… ![“We are torn between a craving to know and the despair of having known.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/anonymous-1_desire_we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-an_1197019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/anonymous-1_desire_we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-an_1197019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/anonymous-1_desire_we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-an_1197019.jpg) > “We are torn between a craving to know and the despair of having known.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans experience a tension between the desire for knowledge and the sorrow that comes from what we have already learned. **In simple terms:** We crave knowledge but dread its consequences. Key Takeaway Accept both curiosity and its burdens. Themes knowledge despair human nature existential tension learning Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - research pursuits - personal reflection - educational settings - historical study Key Concepts epistemology psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does “despair of having known” feel like? - Can ignorance be a choice? A Different Perspective Ignorance can be a protective shield. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Craving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craving/) [Craving Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craving-know-2675245/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Having Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-known-523257/) [Know Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-despair-391171/) [Torn Craving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torn-craving-3574164/) ## Related quotes > [We are torn between the craving to know and the despair of having known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/we-are-torn-between-the-craving-to-know-and-the-despair-of-having/) [Francoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) > [“Your memories are like the air I breathe. I don't have to keep checking on it every now and then to make sure whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-vasu/your-memories-are-like-the-air-i-breathe-i-don-t-have-to-keep/) [Akshay Vasu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-vasu/) > [We humans are a hungry lot. We are driven by a craving to know who we are. Yet who we are is embedded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-miller/we-humans-are-a-hungry-lot-we-are-driven-by-a-craving-to-know-who-we/) [Calvin Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-miller/) > [Their vain presumption of knowing all can take beginning solely from their never having known anything; for if one has but once experienced the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/their-vain-presumption-of-knowing-all-can-take-beginning-solely-from/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [When I leave this world, I don't want to leave just having a well-known name but having made a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-bella/when-i-leave-this-world-i-don-t-want-to-leave-just-having-a-well/) [Nikki Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-bella/) > [“I have wanted you for so long now,” he said roughly, “I’ve no memory of how it feels to be devoid of the craving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-day/i-have-wanted-you-for-so-long-now-he-said-roughly-i-ve-no-memory-of/) [Sylvia Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-day/) > [When, as President Joseph F. Smith said, we "catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul, "let us be quietly grateful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/when-as-president-joseph-f-smith-said-we-catch-a-spark-from-the/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [You know what despair is; then winter should have meaning for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gl-ck/you-know-what-despair-is-then-winter-should-have-meaning-for-you/) [Louise Glück](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gl-ck/) > [Poverty breeds despair. We know this. Despair breeds violence. We know this. In turbulent times, isn't it cheaper, and smarter, to make friends out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/poverty-breeds-despair-we-know-this-despair-breeds-violence-we-know/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [“Whether you are man or woman, rich or poor, dependent or free, happy or unhappy; whether you bore in your elevation the splendour of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/whether-you-are-man-or-woman-rich-or-poor-dependent-or-free-happy-or/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [They mustn't know my despair, I can't let them see the wounds which they have caused, I couldn't bear their sympathy and their kind-hearted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/they-mustn-t-know-my-despair-i-can-t-let-them-see-the-wounds-which-2/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [They mustn't know my despair, I can't let them see the wounds which they have caused, I couldn't bear their sympathy and their kind-hearted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/they-mustn-t-know-my-despair-i-can-t-let-them-see-the-wounds-which/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [“Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/do-not-despair-i-know-you-will-not-despair-you-have-a-manly-and-a/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Satan is ever seeking to inject that poison into our hearts to distrust God's goodness, especially in connection with his commandments. That is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/satan-is-ever-seeking-to-inject-that-poison-into-our-hearts-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You don't want to love - your eternal and abnormal craving is to be loved. You aren't positive, you're negative. You absorb, absorb, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-want-to-love-your-eternal-and-abnormal-craving-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Craving quotes > [“The more the soul loves the word, the more craving it has after it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/the-more-the-soul-loves-the-word-the-more-craving-it-has-after-it/) [William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I dream of a love that is more than two people craving to possess one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/i-dream-of-a-love-that-is-more-than-two-people-craving-to-possess-one/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [When I look at you all I see is heartbreak waiting to happen. And I can't tell if it's because of love. Or loneliness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ream/when-i-look-at-you-all-i-see-is-heartbreak-waiting-to-happen-and-i/) [Ream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ream/) > [People who do not understand themselves have a craving for understanding — a thing which is rather surmised and never spoken than known and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-stekel/people-who-do-not-understand-themselves-have-a-craving-for/) [Wilhelm Stekel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-stekel/) > [Pleasure simply brings more craving, but the problem is that we try to get contentment through pleasure. True contentment can only come through service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/pleasure-simply-brings-more-craving-but-the-problem-is-that-we-try-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [I had left home (like all Jewish girls) in order to eat pork and take birth control pills. When I first shared an intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/i-had-left-home-like-all-jewish-girls-in-order-to-eat-pork-and-take/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Fie on the eloquence that leaves us craving itself, not things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/fie-on-the-eloquence-that-leaves-us-craving-itself-not-things/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [How are we to account for the strange human craving for the pleasure of feeling afraid which is so much involved in our love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/how-are-we-to-account-for-the-strange-human-craving-for-the-pleasure/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [You don't want to love - your eternal and abnormal craving is to be loved. You aren't positive, you're negative. You absorb, absorb, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-want-to-love-your-eternal-and-abnormal-craving-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The worst passion we mortals cherish is the desire to possess. Even when we know that our final destination is a hole not more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-t-suzuki/the-worst-passion-we-mortals-cherish-is-the-desire-to-possess-even/) [D.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-t-suzuki/) > [Memory, with its fugitive adjustments, is the merciful veil to the grim enactments of the first law. It hides the anguish in the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/memory-with-its-fugitive-adjustments-is-the-merciful-veil-to-the-grim/) [Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/) > [Fianlly a wave of reailty swept over my eyes and I was able to see, I wasn't in love with an angle but addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian/fianlly-a-wave-of-reailty-swept-over-my-eyes-and-i-was-able-to-see-i/) [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian/) > [The craving to risk death is our last great perversion. We come from night, we go into night. Why live in night?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-craving-to-risk-death-is-our-last-great-perversion-we-come-from/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) [Browse all 626 Craving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are torn between a craving to know and the despair of having known.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-and-the-despair-of-having-known/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Craving" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-and-the-despair-of-having-known/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/anonymous-1_desire_we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-an_1197019.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/anonymous-1_desire_we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-an_1197019.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/362/anonymous-1_desire_we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-an_1197019.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are torn between a craving to know and the despair of having known.” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are torn between a craving...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-and-the-despair-of-having-known/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-and-the-despair-of-having-known/#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 } } ] } ```