--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Such visible failure and a sense of lost…" description: "\"“Such visible failure and a sense of lost moorings can be – for the individual as for society – not only a cause for concern but an exhausting emotiona..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/douglas-murray-12950_doubt_such-visible-failure-and-a-sense-of-lost_743780.jpg" --- # Such visible failure and a sense of lost moorings can be –… ![“Such visible failure and a sense of lost moorings can be – for the individual as for society – not only a cause for concern but an exhausting emotional process. Where once there was an overriding explanation (however many troubles that brought), now there is only an overriding uncertainty and…” quote by Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/douglas-murray-12950_doubt_such-visible-failure-and-a-sense-of-lost_743780.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/douglas-murray-12950_doubt_such-visible-failure-and-a-sense-of-lost_743780.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b6d/douglas-murray-12950_doubt_such-visible-failure-and-a-sense-of-lost_743780.jpg) > ““Such visible failure and a sense of lost moorings can be – for the individual as for society – not only a cause for concern but an exhausting emotional process. Where once there was an overriding explanation (however many troubles that brought), now there is only an overriding uncertainty and question. And we cannot unlearn our knowledge.”” [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes how loss of shared narratives leads to personal and societal anxiety, making knowledge hard to relearn. **In simple terms:** Loss of common stories creates uncertainty and emotional strain. Key Takeaway Seek new shared narratives to reduce anxiety. Themes culture uncertainty psychology knowledge society Mood reflective concerned Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - community building - education reform - mental health support - media analysis - public discourse Key Concepts collective meaning cognitive dissonance narrative loss Questions to Reflect On - What new stories can unite diverse groups? - How does uncertainty affect decision‑making? A Different Perspective Rebuilding narratives can be contentious and slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Truth Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-seeking/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) ## Related quotes > [Failure is in a sense the highway to success, as each discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/failure-is-in-a-sense-the-highway-to-success-as-each-discovery-of/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/don-t-be-discouraged-by-a-failure-it-can-be-a-positive-experience-2/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/don-t-be-discouraged-by-a-failure-it-can-be-a-positive-experience/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/failure-is-in-a-sense-the-highway-to-success/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I am particularly interested in primary education because the state of affairs in primary education in this country is a cause for concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azim-premji/i-am-particularly-interested-in-primary-education-because-the-state/) [Azim Premji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azim-premji/) > [Social media has had a corrosive effect on government and trust, and I think it is a real cause for concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-edelman/social-media-has-had-a-corrosive-effect-on-government-and-trust-and-i/) [Richard Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-edelman/) > [In those pamphlets that they give at mental health centers where they list the ten or so symptoms that would indicate a clinical depression,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-those-pamphlets-that-they-give-at-mental-health-centers-where-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My existence was beginning to cause me serious concern. Was I a mere figment of the imagination?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre-2/my-existence-was-beginning-to-cause-me-serious-concern-was-i-a-mere/) [Jean Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre-2/) > [It does need to be addressed when a band looks as hot as we do. There's no avoiding these facts. If they talked about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sykes/it-does-need-to-be-addressed-when-a-band-looks-as-hot-as-we-do-there/) [Oliver Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sykes/) > [The goddess Physics was Stephen's idol. I was not jealous of her, but she did give me some cause for concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hawking/the-goddess-physics-was-stephen-s-idol-i-was-not-jealous-of-her-but/) [Jane Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hawking/) > [There's always cause for concern if bad policies are pursued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kemp/there-s-always-cause-for-concern-if-bad-policies-are-pursued/) [Jack Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kemp/) > [If you lose your job because there has been an influx of labour from another country, that is a legitimate cause for concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keir-starmer/if-you-lose-your-job-because-there-has-been-an-influx-of-labour-from/) [Keir Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keir-starmer/) > [We are in danger of making our cities places where business goes on but where life, in its real sense, is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/we-are-in-danger-of-making-our-cities-places-where-business-goes-on/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [The animal should not be measured by man. In a world older than ours they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-beston/the-animal-should-not-be-measured-by-man-in-a-world-older-than-ours/) [Henry Beston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-beston/) > [A sense of a wider meaning to one's existence is what raises a man beyond mere getting and spending. If he lacks this sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/a-sense-of-a-wider-meaning-to-one-s-existence-is-what-raises-a-man/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## More by Douglas Murray > [“The same uneven application of values applies in the weird worlds of academia and the think tanks. Like the media, they choose to close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/the-same-uneven-application-of-values-applies-in-the-weird-worlds-of/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“Nevertheless, although modern European guilt is currently described as though it is a terminal condition, there is no certainty that it will be. Will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/nevertheless-although-modern-european-guilt-is-currently-described-as/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“But under President Obama, as much as under his predecessor, the continuing call to celebrate Islam rather than any other religion – like Christianity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/but-under-president-obama-as-much-as-under-his-predecessor-the/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [ISIS may seem un-Islamic to President Obama, but to anybody who has read Islam's core texts, it might appear to be a fairly straightforward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/isis-may-seem-un-islamic-to-president-obama-but-to-anybody-who-has/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [Fanaticism is at its very strongest when it has political or, better still, religious motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/fanaticism-is-at-its-very-strongest-when-it-has-political-or-better/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“growth solely accounted for by immigration – led to the usual strains”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/growth-solely-accounted-for-by-immigration-led-to-the-usual-strains/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [Fanatics end by subverting their own argument. For instance, animal rights activists have some point, and many people feel sympathy with them. But animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/fanatics-end-by-subverting-their-own-argument-for-instance-animal/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“By 2015 more British Muslims were fighting for Isis than for the British armed forces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/by-2015-more-british-muslims-were-fighting-for-isis-than-for-the/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“Sad to say, this Islamophilia problem does not occur only at the low-ranking level of Director of the CIA. But at least you’ve always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/sad-to-say-this-islamophilia-problem-does-not-occur-only-at-the-low/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“Islamophilia’. And it has gripped the Western world. It could be defined as the expression of disproportionate adoration of Islam. I don’t say –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/islamophilia-and-it-has-gripped-the-western-world-it-could-be-defined/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“And so all the time the European brain has held onto two contradictory things. The first is the dominant established narrative of a generation:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/and-so-all-the-time-the-european-brain-has-held-onto-two/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“The problem for US officials is the same problem that filters through all the other sections of our societies. It goes something like this.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/the-problem-for-us-officials-is-the-same-problem-that-filters-through/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“On 11 September 2012 crowds of friendly locals in Kabul, Afghanistan, were chanting the usual ‘Death to America’ slogans. At the same time American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/on-11-september-2012-crowds-of-friendly-locals-in-kabul-afghanistan/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [“To immerse oneself in popular culture for any length of time is to wallow in an almost unbearable shallowness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/to-immerse-oneself-in-popular-culture-for-any-length-of-time-is-to/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) > [In Israel, you see strong borders as the best way to ensure peace, while in Europe, people see it as a cause of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-murray/in-israel-you-see-strong-borders-as-the-best-way-to-ensure-peace/) [Douglas Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) [Explore all 52 Douglas Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-murray/) ## More Doubt quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/for-diplomacy-to-be-effective-words-must-be-credible-and-no-one-can/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Vision motivates, sustains and dispels doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-young/vision-motivates-sustains-and-dispels-doubt/) [Thomas Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-young/) > [One may not doubt that, somehow Good Shall come of Water and of Mud; And sure, the reverent eye must see A purpose in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-brooke/one-may-not-doubt-that-somehow-good-shall-come-of-water-and-of-mud/) [Rupert Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-brooke/) > [Let smiles overshadow sadness. Let faith make you believe. Let confidence wash away doubts. Let love complete your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/let-smiles-overshadow-sadness-let-faith-make-you-believe-let/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapman/when-in-doubt-suggest-that-a-subcommittee-be-appointed/) Harry Chapman > [“Those who contemplate never escape the doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/those-who-contemplate-never-escape-the-doubt/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) [Browse all 9,582 Doubt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Such visible failure and a sense of lost moorings can be – for the individual as for society – not only a cause for concern but an exhausting emotional process. 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