--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The notion that any one person can…" description: "\"The notion that any one person can describe 'what really happened' is an absurdity. If ten - or a hundred - people witness an event, there will be ten ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/david-eddings-2147_absurdity_the-notion-that-any-one-person-can-descr_2866491.jpg" --- # The notion that any one person can describe 'what really… ![“The notion that any one person can describe 'what really happened' is an absurdity. If ten - or a hundred - people witness an event, there will be ten - or a hundred - different versions of what took place. What we see and how we interpret it depends entirely upon our individual past experience.” quote by David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/david-eddings-2147_absurdity_the-notion-that-any-one-person-can-descr_2866491.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/david-eddings-2147_absurdity_the-notion-that-any-one-person-can-descr_2866491.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d7/david-eddings-2147_absurdity_the-notion-that-any-one-person-can-descr_2866491.jpg) > “The notion that any one person can describe 'what really happened' is an absurdity. If ten - or a hundred - people witness an event, there will be ten - or a hundred - different versions of what took place. What we see and how we interpret it depends entirely upon our individual past experience.” [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Multiple witnesses produce varied accounts because personal histories shape perception. **In simple terms:** People see events differently. Key Takeaway Recognize bias in narratives. Themes subjectivity memory perception truth relativism Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical inquisitive When to use this quote - court testimony - historical research - news reporting - personal anecdotes Key Concepts interpretation bias experience Questions to Reflect On - How can we reconcile differing accounts? - What role does memory play in truth? A Different Perspective Consensus may be impossible without shared perspective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurdity/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Happened Absurdity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-absurdity-3897390/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Individual Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual-past-3897391/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-experience/) [Past experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-experiences/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Really Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-happened/) [Ten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten/) [Versions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/versions/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Witness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witness/) ## Related quotes > [When we perceive any object of a familiar kind, much of what appears subjectively to be immediately given is really derived from past experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/when-we-perceive-any-object-of-a-familiar-kind-much-of-what-appears/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [We never ask candidates to demonstrate their skill. We ask lots of questions about past experience, but simply looking at the results of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/we-never-ask-candidates-to-demonstrate-their-skill-we-ask-lots-of/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [We live in reference to past experience and not to future events, however inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/we-live-in-reference-to-past-experience-and-not-to-future-events/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [It is more rational to suspect knavery and folly than to discount, at a stroke, everything that past experience has taught me about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/it-is-more-rational-to-suspect-knavery-and-folly-than-to-discount-at/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Based on past experience, I hope not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/based-on-past-experience-i-hope-not/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Never limit your view of life by any past experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/never-limit-your-view-of-life-by-any-past-experience/) [Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/) > [A man really living alone (alone mentally as well as physically) would have little or no occasion to reflect upon his past experience to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-man-really-living-alone-alone-mentally-as-well-as-physically-would/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [There can be few fields of human endeavor in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.Past experience, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-can-be-few-fields-of-human-endeavor-in-which-history-counts-for/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Open-mindedness is considered to be a virtue. But, strictly speaking, it cannot occur. A new experience must be redacted into old categories. We cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/open-mindedness-is-considered-to-be-a-virtue-but-strictly-speaking-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A repetition is the re-enactment of past experience toward the end of isolating the time segment which has lapsed in order that it, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/a-repetition-is-the-re-enactment-of-past-experience-toward-the-end-of/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [How are we going to know what sounds are important before we've even heard those sounds? It's an absurd question. The only thing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hempton/how-are-we-going-to-know-what-sounds-are-important-before-we-ve-even/) [Gordon Hempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hempton/) > [Have you not noticed in your past experience that your kind interpretations were almost always truer than your harsh ones?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-g-lovasik/have-you-not-noticed-in-your-past-experience-that-your-kind/) [Lawrence G. Lovasik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-g-lovasik/) > [It is foolish to try to live on past experience. It is very dangerous, if not a fatal habit, to judge ourselves to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/it-is-foolish-to-try-to-live-on-past-experience-it-is-very-dangerous/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [What lingers from the parent's individual past, unresolved or incomplete, often becomes part of her or his irrational parenting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-satir/what-lingers-from-the-parent-s-individual-past-unresolved-or/) [Virginia Satir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-satir/) > [Everyone's past is locked up in their recipes - the past of an individual and the past of a nation as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-esquivel/everyone-s-past-is-locked-up-in-their-recipes-the-past-of-an/) [Laura Esquivel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-esquivel/) ## More by David Eddings > [I have an unconscious burglar living in my mind: If I read something, it's mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-have-an-unconscious-burglar-living-in-my-mind-if-i-read-something/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“I could insist that somebody take me to her so I can obey her orders." "I think you might choke on that one, Zakath,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-could-insist-that-somebody-take-me-to-her-so-i-can-obey-her-orders/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“Salmissra was alone and unguarded. The palace eunuchs were sworn to protect her, but evidently a eunuch's oath doesn't mean all that much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/salmissra-was-alone-and-unguarded-the-palace-eunuchs-were-sworn-to/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [...I know that in your heart you miss all those wonderful moments you spent with my father --watching him gnaw on the furniture, listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-know-that-in-your-heart-you-miss-all-those-wonderful-moments-you/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Someday I’d like to see something rise up out of the earth –just for the sake of variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/someday-i-d-like-to-see-something-rise-up-out-of-the-earth-just-for/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Isn't it easier to forgive than to hate? -Eriond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/isn-t-it-easier-to-forgive-than-to-hate-eriond/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Water…I'm thirsty not dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/water-i-m-thirsty-not-dirty/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“One does one's best" - Silk”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/one-does-one-s-best-silk/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“Being afraid was not the sort of thing that endangered life or limb, but it was still an injury of sorts – and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/being-afraid-was-not-the-sort-of-thing-that-endangered-life-or-limb/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [I'm a storyteller, not a prophet. I'm just interested in a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/i-m-a-storyteller-not-a-prophet-i-m-just-interested-in-a-good-story/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [You'll drive yourself crazy if you start trying to pry the meaning out of every gust of wind or rain squall. I'm not denying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/you-ll-drive-yourself-crazy-if-you-start-trying-to-pry-the-meaning/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“Your extensive travels must have been fatiguing," Zakath said in that same flat tone, "particularly for the ladies. I'll see to it that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/your-extensive-travels-must-have-been-fatiguing-zakath-said-in-that/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [“No one seems to realise that the aristocracy is God’s special gift to mankind. The burghers treat us no better than commoners. Considering our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/no-one-seems-to-realise-that-the-aristocracy-is-god-s-special-gift-to/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Nothing that ever happens is so unimportant that it doesn't change things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/nothing-that-ever-happens-is-so-unimportant-that-it-doesn-t-change/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [You're a cynic," Urgit accused. Silk shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. I'm a realist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/you-re-a-cynic-urgit-accused-silk-shook-his-head-no-your-majesty-i-m/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) [Explore all 179 David Eddings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) ## More Absurdity quotes > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [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/) > [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Thought of the incomprehensible sequence of changes and chances that make up a life, all the beauties and horrors and absurdities whose conjunctions create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/thought-of-the-incomprehensible-sequence-of-changes-and-chances-that/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [We all live inside the terrible engine of authority, and it grinds and shrieks and burns so that no one will say: lines on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/we-all-live-inside-the-terrible-engine-of-authority-and-it-grinds-and/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Desire is this absurdity that holds open the infinity of possibility. Ever optimistic, ever resourceful, desire tells us what it sees as it speeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-farley/desire-is-this-absurdity-that-holds-open-the-infinity-of-possibility/) [Wendy Farley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-farley/) > [I've always felt that comedy doesn't just come from misery. It comes from an absurdity around that misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-amstell/i-ve-always-felt-that-comedy-doesn-t-just-come-from-misery-it-comes/) [Simon Amstell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-amstell/) > [Unaware of the absurdity of it, we introduce our own petty household rules into the economy of the universe for which the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/unaware-of-the-absurdity-of-it-we-introduce-our-own-petty-household/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [“Christianity would be helpless without the idea of free will and the idea of free will would be helpless without incongruity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/christianity-would-be-helpless-without-the-idea-of-free-will-and-the/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [Sensible Catholics have for generations been ignoring the views on contraception held by reactionary old men in the Vatican, but alas, since it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-grayling/sensible-catholics-have-for-generations-been-ignoring-the-views-on/) [A.C. 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