--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think things are ever exactly the…" description: "\"I don't think things are ever exactly the way one expects, and I don't think things are ever the way one assumes they are at the moment. What I actuall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/deborah-eisenberg-23817_assuming_i-don-t-think-things-are-ever-exactly-th_765033.png" --- # I don't think things are ever exactly the way one expects… ![“I don't think things are ever exactly the way one expects, and I don't think things are ever the way one assumes they are at the moment. What I actually think is that one has no idea of what things are like, ever.” quote by Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/deborah-eisenberg-23817_assuming_i-don-t-think-things-are-ever-exactly-th_765033.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/deborah-eisenberg-23817_assuming_i-don-t-think-things-are-ever-exactly-th_765033.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/deborah-eisenberg-23817_assuming_i-don-t-think-things-are-ever-exactly-th_765033.png) > “I don't think things are ever exactly the way one expects, and I don't think things are ever the way one assumes they are at the moment. What I actually think is that one has no idea of what things are like, ever.” [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our expectations and assumptions are always limited; reality constantly exceeds them. **In simple terms:** We never fully know how things truly are. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and stay open‑minded. Themes uncertainty perception reality humility Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical contemplative When to use this quote - personal relationships - decision making - creative work - learning new skills Key Concepts epistemology cognitive bias existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you check your assumptions? - What does uncertainty teach you? A Different Perspective Our perceptions can mislead us, leading to overconfidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I don't consider myself paranoid at all. 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Some things are exactly as bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/it-isn-t-true-by-the-way-that-nothing-is-as-bad-as-you-think-it-s/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [He's everything I want, everything I need, he's everything inside of me that you wish you could be, he says all the right things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/he-s-everything-i-want-everything-i-need-he-s-everything-inside-of-me/) Patience > [You're not turning the picture over to a system or a process, you are the process, and the most important thing is to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/you-re-not-turning-the-picture-over-to-a-system-or-a-process-you-are/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [“Patience is the deep acceptance that things should be exactly as they are. Most times that's easier said than done." - L. R. W.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/patience-is-the-deep-acceptance-that-things-should-be-exactly-as-they/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [I'm not sensitive, I give people things exactly the way they are, and if they're ready to absorb it they will, and if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/50-cent/i-m-not-sensitive-i-give-people-things-exactly-the-way-they-are-and/) [50 Cent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/50-cent/) > [“The most comic things of all are exactly the things most worth doing--such as making love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-most-comic-things-of-all-are-exactly-the-things-most-worth-doing/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [But I make the observation that no one of us would do things exactly alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dinkins/but-i-make-the-observation-that-no-one-of-us-would-do-things-exactly/) [David Dinkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dinkins/) > [no two writers go about things in exactly the same way (intro)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/no-two-writers-go-about-things-in-exactly-the-same-way-intro/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I have learned to accept that, in the present moment at least, things are exactly as they are meant to be, and although I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-have-learned-to-accept-that-in-the-present-moment-at-least-things/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [I don't actually think there has ever been too much emphasis on what I am wearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-actually-think-there-has-ever-been-too-much-emphasis-on-what/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [I like movies as a viewer that challenge me to actually think rather than spoon feed everything to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-morano/i-like-movies-as-a-viewer-that-challenge-me-to-actually-think-rather/) [Reed Morano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-morano/) > [Actually, I think I'm funnier off-camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-polo/actually-i-think-i-m-funnier-off-camera/) [Teri Polo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-polo/) > [Haters can hate. Because they are the only ones who actually think you're better than them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaohlee-thao/haters-can-hate-because-they-are-the-only-ones-who-actually-think-you/) [Mary Gaohlee Thao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaohlee-thao/) > [The funny thing is, I don't actually think of myself as fat at all. I don't think I am. Not really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/the-funny-thing-is-i-don-t-actually-think-of-myself-as-fat-at-all-i/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) ## More by Deborah Eisenberg > [“When I was a kid, I used to wonder (I bet everyone did) whether there was somebody somewhere on the earth, or even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-wonder-i-bet-everyone-did-whether-there/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [Art is inherently subversive. It’s destabilizing. It undermines what you already know and what you already think. It is the opposite of propaganda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/art-is-inherently-subversive-it-s-destabilizing-it-undermines-what/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [Her professors were astonished by her leaps of thought, by the finesse and elegance of her insights. She arrived at hypotheses by sheer intuition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/her-professors-were-astonished-by-her-leaps-of-thought-by-the-finesse/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [“When you start writing, your incredulity at the childish, incompetent, graceless thing you've done is shattering. One of the advantages of having experience as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/when-you-start-writing-your-incredulity-at-the-childish-incompetent/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [“Stop that Stuart," Patty said as Stuart struggled with the suitcases, which were too heavy for him, she thought. (Almost everything was way too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/stop-that-stuart-patty-said-as-stuart-struggled-with-the-suitcases/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [It's broadening. You meet people in your family you'd never happen to run into otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/it-s-broadening-you-meet-people-in-your-family-you-d-never-happen-to/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [“When I was in high school, all my friends said they were going to be writers. And I thought, How come you get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/when-i-was-in-high-school-all-my-friends-said-they-were-going-to-be/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [Everything makes me angry, unless it makes me sad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/everything-makes-me-angry-unless-it-makes-me-sad/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [The world we live in has been and is being increasingly politicized so that our daily experience is more and more a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/the-world-we-live-in-has-been-and-is-being-increasingly-politicized/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [“Just think! Garden, garden, garden, garden, garden, two happy people, and it could have gone on forever! They knew, they'd been told, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/just-think-garden-garden-garden-garden-garden-two-happy-people-and-it/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [time is as adhesive as love, and the more time you spend with someone the greater the likelihood of finding yourself with a permanent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/time-is-as-adhesive-as-love-and-the-more-time-you-spend-with-someone/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [“I turned with the receiver to the wall as I absorbed the fact of Ivan’s voice, and when I glanced back at the man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/i-turned-with-the-receiver-to-the-wall-as-i-absorbed-the-fact-of-ivan/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [I’m a bit of an expert on anger, having suffered from it all through my youth, when I was both brunt and font. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/i-m-a-bit-of-an-expert-on-anger-having-suffered-from-it-all-through/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [“...The war in the East were hidden behind a thicket of language: patriotism, democracy, loyality, fredom - the words bounced around, changing purpose, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/the-war-in-the-east-were-hidden-behind-a-thicket-of-language/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) > [Every moment is all the things that have happened before and all the things that are going to happen, and...the way all those things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-eisenberg/every-moment-is-all-the-things-that-have-happened-before-and-all-the/) [Deborah Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) [Explore all 25 Deborah Eisenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-eisenberg/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. Conway > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [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/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think things are ever exactly the way one expects, and I don't think things are ever the way one assumes they are at the moment. 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