---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peter didn’t want to change the world: he…"
description: "\"“Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully comprehend it.”\" — David James Duncan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/david-james-duncan-8032_change-the-world_peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he_258042.png"
---

#  Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully…

![“Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully comprehend it.” quote by David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/david-james-duncan-8032_change-the-world_peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he_258042.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/david-james-duncan-8032_change-the-world_peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he_258042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/david-james-duncan-8032_change-the-world_peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he_258042.png)

> ““Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully comprehend it.””

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding the world fully is a deeper aim than changing it.

**In simple terms:** Comprehend before trying to change.

Key Takeaway

Seek deep understanding.

Themes

knowledge change philosophy

Mood

contemplative inquisitive

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- scientific research
- personal growth
- activism
- education

Key Concepts

intellectual curiosity environmentalism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “fully comprehend” entail?
- How does comprehension guide change?

A Different Perspective

Action without understanding can cause harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/)

## Related quotes

> [“Peter didn't answer. He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and put his chin on his knees. Ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brom/peter-didn-t-answer-he-pulled-his-legs-up-to-his-chest-wrapped-his/)

[Brom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brom/)

> [“You don’t understand,” he said. “Yes I do.” “No you don’t. I don’t want to beat Peter.” “Then what do you want?” “I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-don-t-understand-he-said-yes-i-do-no-you-don-t-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“He that will only believe what he can fully comprehend must either have a very long head, or a very short creed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/he-that-will-only-believe-what-he-can-fully-comprehend-must-either/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [He that will believe only what he can fully comprehend must have a long head or a very short creed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/he-that-will-believe-only-what-he-can-fully-comprehend-must-have-a/)

[Pierre Teilhard de Chardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-teilhard-de-chardin/)

> [Only after she had passed away did I fully comprehend to what extent she had truly touched everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hepburn-ferrer/only-after-she-had-passed-away-did-i-fully-comprehend-to-what-extent/)

[Sean Hepburn Ferrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hepburn-ferrer/)

> [I am a lover of truth; and if you think of truth as being multifaceted and so huge that we human beings can't fully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-howatch/i-am-a-lover-of-truth-and-if-you-think-of-truth-as-being-multifaceted/)

[Susan Howatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-howatch/)

> [“It just happens to be the way that I'm made. I have to write things down to feel I fully comprehend them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-just-happens-to-be-the-way-that-i-m-made-i-have-to-write-things/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“There are things we do that the human mind doesn't understand, yet the same things are meant for the heart to fully comprehend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soar-soaring-words-com/there-are-things-we-do-that-the-human-mind-doesn-t-understand-yet-the/)

Soar Soaring-Words.com

> [--I truly and deeply wanted to kill him. And I believe I could have done it, with nothing but my hands. But all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-truly-and-deeply-wanted-to-kill-him-and-i-believe-i-could-have-done/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/)

[Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/)

> [“if i am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-not-in-the-world-simply-to-adapt-to-it-but-rather-transform/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [Paul Gray - he believed in my art, and I believed in his music. Together, we decided to change the world, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-crahan/paul-gray-he-believed-in-my-art-and-i-believed-in-his-music-together/)

[Shawn Crahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-crahan/)

> [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/)

Lanie Lane

## More by David James Duncan

> [“Because I wasn’t anything anymore. Not anythingI love or know or care about. Because thou shalt not kill, Kade. Thou shalt not kill. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/because-i-wasn-t-anything-anymore-not-anythingi-love-or-know-or-care/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [Our lack of community is intensely painful. A TV talk show is not community. A couple of hours in a church pew each Sabbath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/our-lack-of-community-is-intensely-painful-a-tv-talk-show-is-not/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“It was so good to see him in there, yet so funny to find him so much like me, and so tiny. "Nice kingdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/it-was-so-good-to-see-him-in-there-yet-so-funny-to-find-him-so-much/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“Bobby Edson, like most coaches, was a kind of mystic: he believed the cosmos was endowed with an ineffable muffling system that rendered all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/bobby-edson-like-most-coaches-was-a-kind-of-mystic-he-believed-the/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [--I truly and deeply wanted to kill him. And I believe I could have done it, with nothing but my hands. But all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-truly-and-deeply-wanted-to-kill-him-and-i-believe-i-could-have-done/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“Papa was no longer fixing a carburetor: he was setting up a greasy little Cuban missile base smack-dab in the middle of Mama’s immaculate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/papa-was-no-longer-fixing-a-carburetor-he-was-setting-up-a-greasy/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“The Austrian writer Robert Musil summed up the Fanatic's great rhetorical advantage in just ten words: There is no truth which stupidity can't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/the-austrian-writer-robert-musil-summed-up-the-fanatic-s-great/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“Is the work of sun worshippers to honor those who think they can see the sun? Or to worship the sun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/is-the-work-of-sun-worshippers-to-honor-those-who-think-they-can-see/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“It is a rare high school teacher who enjoys seeing their world being enormously improved upon by youths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/it-is-a-rare-high-school-teacher-who-enjoys-seeing-their-world-being/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [The principles that will save Earth's life are the same principles that save the living souls of humans: ineluctable spiritual principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/the-principles-that-will-save-earth-s-life-are-the-same-principles/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“I’m just saying that his card-burning would have meant far more, on the day he did it, if he hadn’t already incinerated his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-m-just-saying-that-his-card-burning-would-have-meant-far-more-on/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“I gave him everything from my lunches I hate, which is called Charity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-gave-him-everything-from-my-lunches-i-hate-which-is-called-charity/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“If we can’t be ballplayers together, maybe I can start bein’ a Buddhist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/if-we-can-t-be-ballplayers-together-maybe-i-can-start-bein-a-buddhist/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [As a lifelong student of the world’s wisdom literature, it is my duty to inform students that “ridding the world of evil” is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/as-a-lifelong-student-of-the-world-s-wisdom-literature-it-is-my-duty/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“that was the thing about nature: make one lousy rule to describe it and it'll contradict you even if it has to transmogrify and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/that-was-the-thing-about-nature-make-one-lousy-rule-to-describe-it/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

[Explore all 85 David James Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

## More Change the world quotes

> [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/)

Lanie Lane

> [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [Paul Gray - he believed in my art, and I believed in his music. Together, we decided to change the world, and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-crahan/paul-gray-he-believed-in-my-art-and-i-believed-in-his-music-together/)

[Shawn Crahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-crahan/)

> [If I wanted to change the world, the last thing I would do is write a play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/if-i-wanted-to-change-the-world-the-last-thing-i-would-do-is-write-a/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“if i am not in the world simply to adapt to it, but rather transform it, and if it is not possible to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/if-i-am-not-in-the-world-simply-to-adapt-to-it-but-rather-transform/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [I don't like lyrics to be overbearing. I like them to say something. But I'm not trying to change the world overnight. Something simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rodgers/i-don-t-like-lyrics-to-be-overbearing-i-like-them-to-say-something/)

[Paul Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rodgers/)

> [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/)

[Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/)

> [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [“I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina" He said. "You and I are going to change the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/i-ve-been-waiting-for-you-a-long-time-alina-he-said-you-and-i-are/)

[Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/)

> [The most important thing in all human relationships is conversation, but people don’t talk anymore, they don’t sit down to talk and listen. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-most-important-thing-in-all-human-relationships-is-conversation/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/)

[Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/)

> [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

[Browse all 2,043 Change the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-the-world/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully comprehend it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David James Duncan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he-wanted-to-fully-comprehend-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change the world"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he-wanted-to-fully-comprehend-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/david-james-duncan-8032_change-the-world_peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he_258042.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/david-james-duncan-8032_change-the-world_peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he_258042.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f9/david-james-duncan-8032_change-the-world_peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he_258042.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully comprehend it.” — David James Duncan",
                "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": "David James Duncan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Peter didn’t want to change the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he-wanted-to-fully-comprehend-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he-wanted-to-fully-comprehend-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
