--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had a nasty feeling that that might be…" description: "\"“He had a nasty feeling that that might be an idiotic thing to do, but he did it anyway, and sure enough it had turned out to be an idiotic thing to do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/douglas-adams-122_idiotic_he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-b_518960.png" --- # He had a nasty feeling that that might be an idiotic thing… ![“He had a nasty feeling that that might be an idiotic thing to do, but he did it anyway, and sure enough it had turned out to be an idiotic thing to do. You live and learn. At any rate, you live.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/douglas-adams-122_idiotic_he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-b_518960.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/douglas-adams-122_idiotic_he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-b_518960.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/douglas-adams-122_idiotic_he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-b_518960.png) > ““He had a nasty feeling that that might be an idiotic thing to do, but he did it anyway, and sure enough it had turned out to be an idiotic thing to do. You live and learn. At any rate, you live.”” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An impulsive, foolish action turned out to be foolish, yet the experience taught a lesson about living and learning. **In simple terms:** Foolish actions teach life lessons. Key Takeaway Embrace mistakes as learning opportunities. Themes mistakes learning resilience Mood humorous thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - everyday decisions - risk taking - personal growth Key Concepts existential humor self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - What recent mistake taught you something? - How do you balance risk and wisdom? A Different Perspective Not all mistakes lead to growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Live and learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-and-learn/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm not really a book person." "That might be the most idiotic thing you've ever said to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-m-not-really-a-book-person-that-might-be-the-most-idiotic-thing-you/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [Someone asked me yesterday if Dracula met Saruman and there was a fight, who would win. I just looked at this man. What an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/someone-asked-me-yesterday-if-dracula-met-saruman-and-there-was-a/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [I get a pit in my stomach every time I think of that last attempt to make 155 for the Anthony Pettis fight. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chiesa/i-get-a-pit-in-my-stomach-every-time-i-think-of-that-last-attempt-to/) [Michael Chiesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chiesa/) > [You live and learn. At any rate, you live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-live-and-learn-at-any-rate-you-live/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I can write a song, but can't un-right my wrongs. I guess you live and learn, learn when the love is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-write-a-song-but-can-t-un-right-my-wrongs-i-guess-you-live-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pause and remember - Every single event in your life, especially the difficult lessons, have made you smarter, stronger, and wiser than you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-young/pause-and-remember-every-single-event-in-your-life-especially-the/) [Jennifer Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-young/) > [I think love is one of those things that it's only really bad because it was once good. You can't miss something that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-think-love-is-one-of-those-things-that-it-s-only-really-bad-because/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Anyone who stops learning is old — whether this happens at twenty or at eighty. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/anyone-who-stops-learning-is-old-whether-this-happens-at-twenty-or-at/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“The longer you continue the journey, the more exciting it becomes, because of the chance you have to learn about who you really are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-berg/the-longer-you-continue-the-journey-the-more-exciting-it-becomes/) [Art Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-berg/) > [I remember I had to go and ask my mom for groceries sometimes because I wasn't the best person with budgeting. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-cassidy/i-remember-i-had-to-go-and-ask-my-mom-for-groceries-sometimes-because/) [Katie Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-cassidy/) > [We all live and learn as we go, the hard part if figuring out whats worth holding on to, and what is better off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-all-live-and-learn-as-we-go-the-hard-part-if-figuring-out-whats/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The strength of character and emotional intelligence to face your failures and learn from them are at the core of success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-strength-of-character-and-emotional-intelligence-to-face-your/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Emotions are classes in the Earth school. Some classes are about fear, and some are about love. The Universe is your tutor, and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/emotions-are-classes-in-the-earth-school-some-classes-are-about-fear/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Realizing I was loyal to all the wrong people. You Live and learn though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/realizing-i-was-loyal-to-all-the-wrong-people-you-live-and-learn/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) ## More by Douglas Adams > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One is never alone with a rubber duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-is-never-alone-with-a-rubber-duck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/this-must-be-thursday-i-never-could-get-the-hang-of-thursdays/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-are-some-oddities-in-the-perspective-with-which-we-see-the-world/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The Universe, the whole infinite Universe. The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Idiotic quotes > [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [People will say you cannot get a job in a down economy. People will say you cannot get a job that you love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/people-will-say-you-cannot-get-a-job-in-a-down-economy-people-will/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“To make a mistake is only human; to persist in a mistake is idiotic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cicero/to-make-a-mistake-is-only-human-to-persist-in-a-mistake-is-idiotic/) [Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cicero/) > [Sniper is a movie whose politics are so ludicrous and idiotic that under normal circumstances it would be beneath criticism. The only thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/sniper-is-a-movie-whose-politics-are-so-ludicrous-and-idiotic-that/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [The dominant propaganda systems have appropriated the term "globalization" to refer to the specific version of international economic integration that they favor, which privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-dominant-propaganda-systems-have-appropriated-the-term/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The object of life is not happiness, but to serve God or the Grail. All of the Grail quests are to serve God. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/the-object-of-life-is-not-happiness-but-to-serve-god-or-the-grail-all/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [The Contessa was surely way ahead of her time, too, in believing that men were not only usless and idiotic, but downright dangerous. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-contessa-was-surely-way-ahead-of-her-time-too-in-believing-that/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Nothing is more intimidating than an idiotic grin worn by a manifest non-idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-frank-russell/nothing-is-more-intimidating-than-an-idiotic-grin-worn-by-a-manifest/) [Eric Frank Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-frank-russell/) > [Most of the people I know who smoke marijuana are not very bright and what they talk about when they're stoned, they think they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andie-macdowell/most-of-the-people-i-know-who-smoke-marijuana-are-not-very-bright-and/) [Andie MacDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andie-macdowell/) > [Nothing could be more idiotic and absurd than the doctrine of the trinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/nothing-could-be-more-idiotic-and-absurd-than-the-doctrine-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“When Dr. James Young Simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a woman in childbirth, the clergymen of his day foamed at the mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-dr-james-young-simpson-sought-to-apply-anesthesia-to-a-woman-in/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [It's one thing to be banal, stupid, and idiotic on the inside. It's another to have it captured in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgaard/it-s-one-thing-to-be-banal-stupid-and-idiotic-on-the-inside-it-s/) [Karl Ove Knausgaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgaard/) > [ \[Love\] is the type of disease that spares neither the intelligent nor the idiotic. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/love-is-the-type-of-disease-that-spares-neither-the-intelligent-nor/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) Browse all 218 Idiotic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He had a nasty feeling that that might be an idiotic thing to do, but he did it anyway, and sure enough it had turned out to be an idiotic thing to do. You live and learn. At any rate, you live.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-be-an-idiotic-thing-to-do-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Idiotic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-be-an-idiotic-thing-to-do-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/douglas-adams-122_idiotic_he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-b_518960.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/douglas-adams-122_idiotic_he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-b_518960.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/douglas-adams-122_idiotic_he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-b_518960.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He had a nasty feeling that that might be an idiotic thing to do, but he did it anyway, and sure enough it…” — Douglas Adams", "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": "Douglas Adams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He had a nasty feeling that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-be-an-idiotic-thing-to-do-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/he-had-a-nasty-feeling-that-that-might-be-an-idiotic-thing-to-do-but/#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 } } ] } ```