--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What's up?\" \"I don't know,\" said Marvin…" description: "\"What's up?\" \"I don't know,\" said Marvin, \"I've never been there.\" — Douglas Adams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/douglas-adams-122_hitchhikers-guide_what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve_1347572.png" --- # What's up?" "I don't know," said Marvin, "I've never been… ![“What's up?" "I don't know," said Marvin, "I've never been there.” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/douglas-adams-122_hitchhikers-guide_what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve_1347572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/douglas-adams-122_hitchhikers-guide_what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve_1347572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/douglas-adams-122_hitchhikers-guide_what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve_1347572.png) > “What's up?" "I don't know," said Marvin, "I've never been there.” [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. Marvin expresses uncertainty and curiosity about an unfamiliar place. **In simple terms:** I don't know, I've never been there. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and admit uncertainty. Themes exploration uncertainty humor existential Mood witty philosophical Type literary humorous When to use this quote - travel - learning - creative brainstorming Key Concepts science fiction philosophy comedy Questions to Reflect On - What does 'never been there' symbolize? - How does uncertainty shape decisions? A Different Perspective Admitting ignorance may hinder decisive action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hitchhikers guide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitchhikers-guide/) [Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy/) ## Related quotes > [Marvin trudged on down the corridor, still moaning. "...and then of course I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/marvin-trudged-on-down-the-corridor-still-moaning-and-then-of-course/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The first ten million years were the worst," said Marvin, "and the second ten million years, they were the worst too. The third ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-first-ten-million-years-were-the-worst-said-marvin-and-the-second/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Would you like me to go and stick my head in a bucket of water?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/would-you-like-me-to-go-and-stick-my-head-in-a-bucket-of-water/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Life! Don't talk to me about life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/life-don-t-talk-to-me-about-life/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Pardon me for breathing, which I never do any way so I don’t know why I bother to say it, oh God, I’m so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/pardon-me-for-breathing-which-i-never-do-any-way-so-i-don-t-know-why/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Don't blame you," said Marvin and counted five hundred and ninety-seven thousand million sheep before falling asleep again a second later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/don-t-blame-you-said-marvin-and-counted-five-hundred-and-ninety-seven/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ What's up?" \[asked Ford.\] I don't know," said Marvin, "I've never been there. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-s-up-asked-ford-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve-never-been-there/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Sorry, did I say something wrong?" said Marvin, dragging himself on regardless. "Pardon me for breathing, which I never do anyway so I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/sorry-did-i-say-something-wrong-said-marvin-dragging-himself-on/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Life,” said Marvin dolefully, “loathe it or ignore it, you can’t like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/life-said-marvin-dolefully-loathe-it-or-ignore-it-you-can-t-like-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy What to do if you find yourself stuck with no hope of rescue, apart from Don't Panic. Consider yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-what-to-do-if-you-find-yourself-stuck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [God's Final Message to His Creation: 'We apologize for the inconvenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/god-s-final-message-to-his-creation-we-apologize-for-the-inconvenience/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Life is like a grapefruit. Well, it's sort of orangy-yellow and dimpled on the outside, wet and squidgy in the middle. It's got pips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/life-is-like-a-grapefruit-well-it-s-sort-of-orangy-yellow-and-dimpled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/space-is-big-really-big-you-just-won-t-believe-how-vastly-hugely-mind/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/far-out-in-the-uncharted-backwaters-of-the-unfashionable-end-of-the-3/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [It seemed to me,' said Wonko the Sane, 'that any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/it-seemed-to-me-said-wonko-the-sane-that-any-civilization-that-had-so/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## 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 Hitchhikers guide quotes > [It seemed to me,' said Wonko the Sane, 'that any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/it-seemed-to-me-said-wonko-the-sane-that-any-civilization-that-had-so/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“She thought that trying to live life according to any plan you actually work out is like trying to buy ingredients for a recipe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/she-thought-that-trying-to-live-life-according-to-any-plan-you/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Life is like a grapefruit. Well, it's sort of orangy-yellow and dimpled on the outside, wet and squidgy in the middle. It's got pips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/life-is-like-a-grapefruit-well-it-s-sort-of-orangy-yellow-and-dimpled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Pardon me for breathing, which I never do any way so I don’t know why I bother to say it, oh God, I’m so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/pardon-me-for-breathing-which-i-never-do-any-way-so-i-don-t-know-why/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy What to do if you find yourself stuck with no hope of rescue, apart from Don't Panic. Consider yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-what-to-do-if-you-find-yourself-stuck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/far-out-in-the-uncharted-backwaters-of-the-unfashionable-end-of-the-3/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Marvin trudged on down the corridor, still moaning. "...and then of course I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/marvin-trudged-on-down-the-corridor-still-moaning-and-then-of-course/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/space-is-big-really-big-you-just-won-t-believe-how-vastly-hugely-mind/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/anything-invented-after-you-re-thirty-five-is-against-the-natural/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Would you like me to go and stick my head in a bucket of water?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/would-you-like-me-to-go-and-stick-my-head-in-a-bucket-of-water/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [God's Final Message to His Creation: 'We apologize for the inconvenience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/god-s-final-message-to-his-creation-we-apologize-for-the-inconvenience/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/space-is-big-you-just-won-t-believe-how-vastly-hugely-mind-bogglingly-3/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I think when people mean that Discworld books have become darker they really mean the series is growing up. In 'The Colour of Magic'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-think-when-people-mean-that-discworld-books-have-become-darker-they/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Earthmen are not proud of their ancestors and never invite them round to dinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/earthmen-are-not-proud-of-their-ancestors-and-never-invite-them-round/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The first ten million years were the worst," said Marvin, "and the second ten million years, they were the worst too. The third ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-first-ten-million-years-were-the-worst-said-marvin-and-the-second/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Browse all 18 Hitchhikers guide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitchhikers-guide/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What's up?\" \"I don't know,\" said Marvin, \"I've never been there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Adams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve-never-been-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hitchhikers guide" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve-never-been-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/douglas-adams-122_hitchhikers-guide_what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve_1347572.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/douglas-adams-122_hitchhikers-guide_what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve_1347572.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/douglas-adams-122_hitchhikers-guide_what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve_1347572.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What's up?\" \"I don't know,\" said Marvin, \"I've never been there.” — 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": "What's up?\" \"I don't know,\" said...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve-never-been-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-s-up-i-don-t-know-said-marvin-i-ve-never-been-there/#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 } } ] } ```