--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, my dear, if you only knew how strange…" description: "\"Oh, my dear, if you only knew how strange is the matter regarding which I am here, it is you who would laugh. I have learned not to think little of any..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/bram-stoker-718_belief_oh-my-dear-if-you-only-knew-how-strange_1515121.jpg" --- # Oh, my dear, if you only knew how strange is the matter… ![“Oh, my dear, if you only knew how strange is the matter regarding which I am here, it is you who would laugh. I have learned not to think little of any one's belief, no matter how strange it may be. I have tried to keep an open mind, and it is not the ordinary things of life that could close it…” quote by Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/bram-stoker-718_belief_oh-my-dear-if-you-only-knew-how-strange_1515121.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/bram-stoker-718_belief_oh-my-dear-if-you-only-knew-how-strange_1515121.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/bram-stoker-718_belief_oh-my-dear-if-you-only-knew-how-strange_1515121.jpg) > “Oh, my dear, if you only knew how strange is the matter regarding which I am here, it is you who would laugh. I have learned not to think little of any one's belief, no matter how strange it may be. I have tried to keep an open mind, and it is not the ordinary things of life that could close it, but the strange things, the extraordinary things, the things that make one doubt if they be mad or sane.” [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Open-mindedness means respecting all beliefs, even those that seem bizarre, and recognizing that extraordinary ideas can challenge our sense of reality. **In simple terms:** Respect all beliefs, even strange ones. Key Takeaway Stay open to unconventional ideas. Themes tolerance open-mindedness beliefs extraordinary reality Mood curious reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - discussions about faith - encountering new cultures - debating unconventional theories - personal growth - creative brainstorming Key Concepts philosophy psychology skepticism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance openness with critical thinking? - When should you question a belief? A Different Perspective Open minds can be overwhelmed by extreme or harmful ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Extraordinary things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-things/) [If only you knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/if-only-you-knew/) [Keep an open mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-an-open-mind/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Open mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Strange things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-things/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-true-call-of-a-christian-is-not-to-do-extraordinary-things-but-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The real art is not to come up with extraordinary clever words but to make ordinary simple words do extraordinary things. To use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-swift/the-real-art-is-not-to-come-up-with-extraordinary-clever-words-but-to/) [Graham Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-swift/) > [Bad things do happen in the world, like war, natural disasters, disease. But out of those situations always arise stories of ordinary people doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryn-kagan/bad-things-do-happen-in-the-world-like-war-natural-disasters-disease/) [Daryn Kagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryn-kagan/) > [The America I know is great - not because government made it great but because ordinary citizens like me, like my father and like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-love/the-america-i-know-is-great-not-because-government-made-it-great-but/) [Mia Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-love/) > [Because I'm just an ordinary person that did some extraordinary things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-summer/because-i-m-just-an-ordinary-person-that-did-some-extraordinary-things/) [Donna Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-summer/) > [The main goal in my life is to make extraordinary things out of the ordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vittorio-grigolo/the-main-goal-in-my-life-is-to-make-extraordinary-things-out-of-the/) [Vittorio Grigolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vittorio-grigolo/) > [And this is what was fascinating to me about 'The Help'; they were ordinary people who did extraordinary things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/and-this-is-what-was-fascinating-to-me-about-the-help-they-were/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [To be successful you don't need to do extraordinary things, you just need to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/to-be-successful-you-don-t-need-to-do-extraordinary-things-you-just/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [You know, heroes are ordinary people that have achieved extraordinary things in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/you-know-heroes-are-ordinary-people-that-have-achieved-extraordinary/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [The interesting thing about Hain is that he's not a very interesting character. He's not fabulously clever. He's not a great policeman. He's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-coltraine/the-interesting-thing-about-hain-is-that-he-s-not-a-very-interesting/) [Robbie Coltraine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-coltraine/) > [“We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/we-are-not-called-by-god-to-do-extraordinary-things-but-to-do/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [“To be successful, you don't have to do extraordinary things. Just do ordinary things extraordinarily well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rohn/to-be-successful-you-don-t-have-to-do-extraordinary-things-just-do/) John Rohn > [Holiness doesn't mean doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/holiness-doesn-t-mean-doing-extraordinary-things-but-doing-ordinary/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking, too fast for the other team to react. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/champions-don-t-do-extraordinary-things-they-do-ordinary-things-but/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Skill is what makes extraordinary things out of ordinary things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiva-negi/skill-is-what-makes-extraordinary-things-out-of-ordinary-things/) [Shiva Negi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiva-negi/) ## More by Bram Stoker > [“I promise." and as I said it I felt that from that instant a door had been shut between us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/i-promise-and-as-i-said-it-i-felt-that-from-that-instant-a-door-had/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [Remember my friend, that knowledge is stronger than memory, and we should not trust the weaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/remember-my-friend-that-knowledge-is-stronger-than-memory-and-we/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“He became almost speechless for a minute, and then went on, "Do you know what the place is? Have you seen that awful den…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/he-became-almost-speechless-for-a-minute-and-then-went-on-do-you-know/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“..the world seems full of good men--even if there are monsters in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/the-world-seems-full-of-good-men-even-if-there-are-monsters-in-it/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [It is something like the way dame Nature gathers round a foreign body an envelope of some insensitive tissue which can protect from evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/it-is-something-like-the-way-dame-nature-gathers-round-a-foreign-body/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [Euthanasia" is an excellent and comforting word! I am grateful to whoever invented it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/euthanasia-is-an-excellent-and-comforting-word-i-am-grateful-to/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [Our toil must be in silence, and our efforts all in secret; for this enlightened age, when men believe not even what they see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/our-toil-must-be-in-silence-and-our-efforts-all-in-secret-for-this/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“It seems to me that the further East you go the more unpunctual are the trains. What ought they to be in China? -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/it-seems-to-me-that-the-further-east-you-go-the-more-unpunctual-are/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [Despair has its own calms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/despair-has-its-own-calms/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“...his open nostril quivered with intent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/his-open-nostril-quivered-with-intent/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“And you, their best beloved one, are now to me, flesh of my flesh; blood of my blood; kin of my kin; my bountiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/and-you-their-best-beloved-one-are-now-to-me-flesh-of-my-flesh-blood/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [The only beautiful thing in the world whose beauty lasts for ever is a pure, fair soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/the-only-beautiful-thing-in-the-world-whose-beauty-lasts-for-ever-is/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“In manus tuas, Domine!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/in-manus-tuas-domine/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [“find that the district he named is in the extreme east of the country, just on the borders of three states, Transylvania, Moldavia, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/find-that-the-district-he-named-is-in-the-extreme-east-of-the-country/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) > [She has man's brain--a brain that a man should have were he much gifted--and woman's heart. The good God fashioned her for a purpose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bram-stoker/she-has-man-s-brain-a-brain-that-a-man-should-have-were-he-much/) [Bram Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) [Explore all 354 Bram Stoker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bram-stoker/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. 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