--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How had this happened? Everyone in the…" description: "\"How had this happened? Everyone in the world knew more than us, about everything, and this I hated then found hugely comforting.\" — Dave Eggers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/dave-eggers-638_comforting_how-had-this-happened-everyone-in-the-wo_965879.png" --- # How had this happened? Everyone in the world knew more… ![“How had this happened? Everyone in the world knew more than us, about everything, and this I hated then found hugely comforting.” quote by Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/dave-eggers-638_comforting_how-had-this-happened-everyone-in-the-wo_965879.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/dave-eggers-638_comforting_how-had-this-happened-everyone-in-the-wo_965879.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/dave-eggers-638_comforting_how-had-this-happened-everyone-in-the-wo_965879.png) > “How had this happened? Everyone in the world knew more than us, about everything, and this I hated then found hugely comforting.” [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling overwhelmed by others’ knowledge can be oddly soothing. **In simple terms:** Knowing less feels comforting. Key Takeaway Accept limits while seeking growth. Themes knowledge comfort anxiety comparison Mood thoughtful curious Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - education - mental health - personal development Key Concepts humility information overload self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - Why does ignorance feel safe? - How can you balance humility and learning? A Different Perspective Comfort may hinder curiosity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comforting/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Hated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated/) [Hated Hugely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated-hugely-1820767/) [Hugely Comforting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hugely-comforting-1820768/) [Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew/) [Knew Hated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-hated-428789/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-knew-831890/) ## Related quotes > [I knew I hated him as only a woman can hate a man, as only a slave can hate his master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/i-knew-i-hated-him-as-only-a-woman-can-hate-a-man-as-only-a-slave-can/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [“I knew these elements were intended for me and me alone. There were no endearments, but I understood in part because of this restraint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-knew-these-elements-were-intended-for-me-and-me-alone-there-were-no/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“Take me home," she said, and the words hit me like a whip. I think I shook my head. "Take me home." There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/take-me-home-she-said-and-the-words-hit-me-like-a-whip-i-think-i/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“In addition to being an ass and a pompous prick, he was a knuckle-dragging, potentially mouth-breathing Neanderthal who felt some proprietary ownership over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/in-addition-to-being-an-ass-and-a-pompous-prick-he-was-a-knuckle/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“They jogged along in silence, Jem playing with the thong of the whip, and Mary aware of his hands beside her. She glanced down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/they-jogged-along-in-silence-jem-playing-with-the-thong-of-the-whip/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“They knew he hated vegetables but loved fruit, that his favorite color was gray, and that he didn't like movies or loud music. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-sakavic/they-knew-he-hated-vegetables-but-loved-fruit-that-his-favorite-color/) [Nora Sakavic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-sakavic/) > [If people knew how much I hated them, they'd love me for holding it in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-people-knew-how-much-i-hated-them-they-d-love-me-for-holding-it-in/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“I wanted to be the last one she loved. And I knew I wasn't. I knew it, and I hated her for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-wanted-to-be-the-last-one-she-loved-and-i-knew-i-wasn-t-i-knew-it/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [HERE ARE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS, CROWLEY. And suddenly he knew. He hated that. They could just as easily have told him, they didn't suddenly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/here-are-your-instructions-crowley-and-suddenly-he-knew-he-hated-that/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When stuck years ago in a job I hated, my only friend was the public bench. As the tedious mornings dragged on, how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/when-stuck-years-ago-in-a-job-i-hated-my-only-friend-was-the-public/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Everybody in the world knew who I was before I knew who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/everybody-in-the-world-knew-who-i-was-before-i-knew-who-i-was/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [“The more I came to know of the world, the more I knew I knew it not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi/the-more-i-came-to-know-of-the-world-the-more-i-knew-i-knew-it-not/) [Avi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi/) > [Everybody in the world knew I was before I knew who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/everybody-in-the-world-knew-i-was-before-i-knew-who-i-was/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [It would be a better world if everyone in it knew all the truth about everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/it-would-be-a-better-world-if-everyone-in-it-knew-all-the-truth-about/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [For much of my life, the Navy was the only world I knew. It is still the world I know best and love most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/for-much-of-my-life-the-navy-was-the-only-world-i-knew-it-is-still/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) ## More by Dave Eggers > [“4. THE CRUMBLING WALL (Hamburger, prepared medium well, with bacon and barbecue sauce. Courtesy of that place on Solano, where, it should be mentioned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/4-the-crumbling-wall-hamburger-prepared-medium-well-with-bacon-and/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I haven't long to live. TREETOPS, ROUNDED AND ROUGH: That's probably true. LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I won't even make it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/low-flying-quick-moving-clouds-i-haven-t-long-to-live-treetops/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“One button for the rest of your life online.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/one-button-for-the-rest-of-your-life-online/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [We feel that to reveal embarrassing or private things, we have given someone something, that, like a primitive person fearing that a photographer will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/we-feel-that-to-reveal-embarrassing-or-private-things-we-have-given/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [I think I'm far too hopeful and trusting. That's something I got from my mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/i-think-i-m-far-too-hopeful-and-trusting-that-s-something-i-got-from/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Overnight, all comment boards became civil, all posters held accountable. The trolls, who had more or less overtaken the internet, were driven back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/overnight-all-comment-boards-became-civil-all-posters-held/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Have we wasted precious space dust on you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/have-we-wasted-precious-space-dust-on-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“The money that could have saved the Shuttle, and the money we send to random countries, that we use to remake unchangeable countries ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-money-that-could-have-saved-the-shuttle-and-the-money-we-send-to/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Write your goddamned book now. The world awaits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/write-your-goddamned-book-now-the-world-awaits/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [The only infallible truth of our lives is that everything we love in life will be taken from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-only-infallible-truth-of-our-lives-is-that-everything-we-love-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“First of all: I am tired. I am true of heart! And Also: You are tired. You are true of heart!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/first-of-all-i-am-tired-i-am-true-of-heart-and-also-you-are-tired-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [And what we were trying to offer every day was one-on-one attention. The goal was to have a one-to-one ratio with every one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/and-what-we-were-trying-to-offer-every-day-was-one-on-one-attention/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Suffering is only suffering if it’s done in silence, in solitude. Pain experienced in public, in view of loving millions, was no longer pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/suffering-is-only-suffering-if-it-s-done-in-silence-in-solitude-pain/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) [Explore all 428 Dave Eggers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## More Comforting quotes > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Because the truth wouldn't be comforting and wouldn't bring them closer again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/because-the-truth-wouldn-t-be-comforting-and-wouldn-t-bring-them/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Soothing touch, whether it be applied to a ruffled cat, a crying infant, or a frightened child, has a universally recognized power to ameliorate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deane-juhan/soothing-touch-whether-it-be-applied-to-a-ruffled-cat-a-crying-infant/) [Deane Juhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deane-juhan/) > [“Reth reached out and took my fingers in his own, his touch light but comforting. “I’ve found that sacrifice is called that for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/reth-reached-out-and-took-my-fingers-in-his-own-his-touch-light-but/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [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/) > [At first, I had such stage fright, and it was always comforting to look over and see my big brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-spielberg/at-first-i-had-such-stage-fright-and-it-was-always-comforting-to-look/) [Sasha Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-spielberg/) > [Truth is often uncomfortable. It is only comforting to those who do not wish to ignore it. Then, truth becomes not only comforting, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/truth-is-often-uncomfortable-it-is-only-comforting-to-those-who-do/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [I've been sent down to the minor leagues six or seven times in my career. You've just got to have that stability. It's huge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-diaz/i-ve-been-sent-down-to-the-minor-leagues-six-or-seven-times-in-my/) [Matt Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-diaz/) > [The upshot here is that Gil Scott-Heron is still a warrior, even if the front lines have moved. He's made a record not without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hermes/the-upshot-here-is-that-gil-scott-heron-is-still-a-warrior-even-if/) [Will Hermes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hermes/) > [The person in misery does not need a look that judges and criticizes but a comforting presence that brings peace and hope and life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/the-person-in-misery-does-not-need-a-look-that-judges-and-criticizes/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [The search for God is a reversal of the normal, mundane worldly order. 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