--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As adults, we do know more, but we don't…" description: "\"As adults, we do know more, but we don't know enough. People can be very unthinkingly callous.\" — Dennis Potter" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/dennis-potter-13787_adults_as-adults-we-do-know-more-but-we-don-t-k_2344855.png" --- # As adults, we do know more, but we don't know enough… ![“As adults, we do know more, but we don't know enough. People can be very unthinkingly callous.” quote by Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/dennis-potter-13787_adults_as-adults-we-do-know-more-but-we-don-t-k_2344855.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/dennis-potter-13787_adults_as-adults-we-do-know-more-but-we-don-t-k_2344855.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/dennis-potter-13787_adults_as-adults-we-do-know-more-but-we-don-t-k_2344855.png) > “As adults, we do know more, but we don't know enough. People can be very unthinkingly callous.” [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adults have knowledge but often lack wisdom; they can act thoughtlessly and harshly. **In simple terms:** Knowing isn’t enough; wisdom matters. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy and reflection. Themes wisdom empathy humanity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - parenting - management - education - policy - media Key Concepts knowledge maturity compassion Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to become more thoughtful? - How does empathy change interactions? A Different Perspective People may resist acknowledging their own flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I knew enough about adults to know that if did tell them what had happened, I would not be believed. Adults rarely seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-knew-enough-about-adults-to-know-that-if-did-tell-them-what-had/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“At the time, I thought this was just one of those vague things adults say to remind you that you're a kid who doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-clarke/at-the-time-i-thought-this-was-just-one-of-those-vague-things-adults/) [Brock Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-clarke/) > [Most American adults know what a drag queen is, but as they're portrayed in films like 'Dressed to Kill' and 'Silence of the Lambs.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-needles/most-american-adults-know-what-a-drag-queen-is-but-as-they-re/) [Sharon Needles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-needles/) > [It's a fact that children with cancer have higher cure rates than adults with cancer, and I wonder if the reason is their natural,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/it-s-a-fact-that-children-with-cancer-have-higher-cure-rates-than/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [“...children learn much more, far more quickly than adults. Do you know why that is? Because they're open-minded. Because they want to know and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/children-learn-much-more-far-more-quickly-than-adults-do-you-know-why/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“I think adults forget just how much faith teenagers can have in them, just how willing to believe that adults, by virtue of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-think-adults-forget-just-how-much-faith-teenagers-can-have-in-them/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [There exists in this country, sadly, a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells and stows violence against its own people through vicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-lapierre/there-exists-in-this-country-sadly-a-callous-corrupt-and-corrupting/) [Wayne LaPierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-lapierre/) > [Remember chief of staff Rahm Emanuel's callous enjoinder 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste'? This White House is a serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tyrrell/remember-chief-of-staff-rahm-emanuel-s-callous-enjoinder-you-never/) [Bob Tyrrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-tyrrell/) > [In my blood there is no Jewish blood. In their callous rage, all anti-Semites must hate me now as a Jew. For that reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-yevtushenko/in-my-blood-there-is-no-jewish-blood-in-their-callous-rage-all-anti/) [Yevgeny Yevtushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-yevtushenko/) > [Is it because you are sunk in the cruelty of superstition, or feel no interest in the honor of your Creator, that you listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/is-it-because-you-are-sunk-in-the-cruelty-of-superstition-or-feel-no/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“I have found that happiness is a defiant act of bravery in spite of a callous world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-newman/i-have-found-that-happiness-is-a-defiant-act-of-bravery-in-spite-of-a/) [Liz Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-newman/) > [Evolution is, as well as smarter than we are, infinitely more callous and cruel, and also capricious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/evolution-is-as-well-as-smarter-than-we-are-infinitely-more-callous/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [And the point is, is it possible for the mind to be totally free from suffering and yet not become indifferent, callous, irresponsible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/and-the-point-is-is-it-possible-for-the-mind-to-be-totally-free-from/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Among sportsmen are the noble, the diligent and the caring, as there are the callous, the cheats and the criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/among-sportsmen-are-the-noble-the-diligent-and-the-caring-as-there/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) > [Me seeing how thick my callous is on my hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-country/me-seeing-how-thick-my-callous-is-on-my-hand/) [Michael Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-country/) ## More by Dennis Potter > [Television's Mr. Filth: that's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/television-s-mr-filth-that-s-me/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [We should always look back on our own past with a sort of contempt, as long as the tenderness is there - but please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/we-should-always-look-back-on-our-own-past-with-a-sort-of-contempt-as/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [“My only regret is to die four pages too soon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/my-only-regret-is-to-die-four-pages-too-soon/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [As a piece of literacy criticism, Freud's best writing is about Dostoyevsky. It's a kind of displaced literacy criticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/as-a-piece-of-literacy-criticism-freud-s-best-writing-is-about/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [Words themselves - the very material of our discourse increasingly take on masks or disguises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/words-themselves-the-very-material-of-our-discourse-increasingly-take/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [The loss of Eden is personally experienced by every one of us as we leave the wonder and magic and also the pains and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/the-loss-of-eden-is-personally-experienced-by-every-one-of-us-as-we/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [Therapy, as opposed to analysis, is a whole construct of myth, beautiful and creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/therapy-as-opposed-to-analysis-is-a-whole-construct-of-myth-beautiful/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [Metaphor is embodied in language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/metaphor-is-embodied-in-language/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [I have been aware, from the age of 6, that I had talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/i-have-been-aware-from-the-age-of-6-that-i-had-talent/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [I was given talent, and if you are given it, it is your obligation to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/i-was-given-talent-and-if-you-are-given-it-it-is-your-obligation-to/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [The strangest thing that human speech and human writing can do is create a metaphor. That is an amazing leap, is it not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/the-strangest-thing-that-human-speech-and-human-writing-can-do-is/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [People endure what they endure and they deal with it. It may corrupt them. It may lead them into all sorts of compensatory excesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/people-endure-what-they-endure-and-they-deal-with-it-it-may-corrupt/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [You just don't know writers. They'll use anything, anybody. They'll eat their young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/you-just-don-t-know-writers-they-ll-use-anything-anybody-they-ll-eat/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [The thing about imagination is that by the very act of putting it down, there must be some truth in one's own imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/the-thing-about-imagination-is-that-by-the-very-act-of-putting-it/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [Ideals jump across the hierarchies of the printed word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/ideals-jump-across-the-hierarchies-of-the-printed-word/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) [Explore all 46 Dennis Potter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. Anders Ericsson > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As adults, we do know more, but we don't know enough. 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