---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I should have known. I should have known…"
description: "\"“I should have known. I should have known from the beginning. I was raised in another world. A world where royal blood is not a license to rule, a worl..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_another-world_i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known_2484587.jpg"
---

#  I should have known. I should have known from the…

![“I should have known. I should have known from the beginning. I was raised in another world. A world where royal blood is not a license to rule, a world whose wizards do more than sneer from their high towers, a world where life is not so cheap, where justice does not come as a knife in the night…” quote by Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_another-world_i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known_2484587.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_another-world_i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known_2484587.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_another-world_i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known_2484587.jpg)

> ““I should have known. I should have known from the beginning. I was raised in another world. A world where royal blood is not a license to rule, a world whose wizards do more than sneer from their high towers, a world where life is not so cheap, where justice does not come as a knife in the night, a world where we know that the texture of a race's skin shouldn't matter - And yet for you, born in this world, to question what others took for granted; for you, without ever touching the Sword, to hear the scream that had to be stopped at all costs - "I don't trust you either," Hirou whispered, "but I don't expect there's anyone better," and he closed his eyes until the end of the world.””

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker reflects on a world where privilege does not guarantee moral authority, and where justice and equality matter more than birthright.

**In simple terms:** Privilege isn’t moral authority; justice matters more.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions of privilege and act justly.

Themes

justice equality privilege morality identity

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- Political activism
- education reform
- community building
- personal introspection

Key Concepts

Ethics social hierarchy human dignity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you confront hidden biases?
- What actions can promote true equality?

A Different Perspective

Even with noble intentions, bias can persist unnoticed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Another world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-world/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Hirou Whispered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hirou-whispered-901730/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Known Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-beginning-901736/) [Royal blood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-blood/) [Sword Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sword-hear-901734/) [Trust Hirou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust-hirou-901732/)

## Related quotes

> [Inside you there’s an artist you don’t know about… say yes quickly, if you know, if you’ve known it from before the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/inside-you-there-s-an-artist-you-don-t-know-about-say-yes-quickly-if/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [“Careful, Prince. We wouldn’t want to spill any royal blood today. I promise you, as long as you follow my command, you will remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-danner/careful-prince-we-wouldn-t-want-to-spill-any-royal-blood-today-i/)

[Robin Danner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-danner/)

> [“Like a child, I close my eyes as if they can't see me either. The fire from the kiss broadcasts itself all over me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-banks/like-a-child-i-close-my-eyes-as-if-they-can-t-see-me-either-the-fire/)

[Anna Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-banks/)

> [“Because I write women’s history I rarely have the luxury of a full and fair biography to study. Until about 1960 there were very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/because-i-write-women-s-history-i-rarely-have-the-luxury-of-a-full/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“It was the general opinion of ancient nations, that the divinity alone was adequate to the important office of giving laws to men... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/it-was-the-general-opinion-of-ancient-nations-that-the-divinity-alone/)

[John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/)

> [I've got royal blood coursing through my veins and if the boxing bug is 'something I've inherited through the family bloodline, I'm proud of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-jr/i-ve-got-royal-blood-coursing-through-my-veins-and-if-the-boxing-bug/)

[Chris Eubank Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-jr/)

> [Cowards never won heaven. Do not claim that you are begotten of God and you have His royal blood running in your veins unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/cowards-never-won-heaven-do-not-claim-that-you-are-begotten-of-god/)

[William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/)

> [Yes, Your Grace," I correct her. "I am My Lady, the King's Mother, now, and you shall curtsey to me, as low as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/yes-your-grace-i-correct-her-i-am-my-lady-the-king-s-mother-now-and/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [Royal blood isn't blue, it is a jaundiced shade of red and riddled with broken chromosomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/royal-blood-isn-t-blue-it-is-a-jaundiced-shade-of-red-and-riddled/)

[Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/)

> [Say not that thou hast royal blood in thy veins; say not that thou art born of God if thou canst not prove thy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/say-not-that-thou-hast-royal-blood-in-thy-veins-say-not-that-thou-art/)

[William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/)

> [“That isn't why. She would have chosen him even if you'd had royal blood in your veins, even if you'd had the same blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/that-isn-t-why-she-would-have-chosen-him-even-if-you-d-had-royal/)

[S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/)

> [“Your Royal Bloody Pain in My Back, We're bloody waiting here to talk to you, and we're getting angry perturbed. (That means angry.) Thom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-royal-bloody-pain-in-my-back-we-re-bloody-waiting-here-to-talk/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Do you know why that Crochan was spying in the Ferian Gap this spring? She had been sent to find you. After a hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/do-you-know-why-that-crochan-was-spying-in-the-ferian-gap-this-spring/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [“I DECLARE I will live victoriously. I was created in the image of God. I have the DNA of a winner. I am wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-declare-i-will-live-victoriously-i-was-created-in-the-image-of-god/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [“by my mother I am of the royal blood; for the children of Asamoneus, from whom that family was derived, had both the office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavius-josephus/by-my-mother-i-am-of-the-royal-blood-for-the-children-of-asamoneus/)

[Flavius Josephus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flavius-josephus/)

## More by Eliezer Yudkowsky

> [“But I really am Ravenclaw, you know, not Slytherin. I don't want to rule the universe. I just think it could be more sensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/but-i-really-am-ravenclaw-you-know-not-slytherin-i-don-t-want-to-rule/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“‎If you regard evidence as a constraint and seek to free yourself, you sell yourself into the chains of your whims. For you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/if-you-regard-evidence-as-a-constraint-and-seek-to-free-yourself-you/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“I am not sure how to explain it, except that - truth matters to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-am-not-sure-how-to-explain-it-except-that-truth-matters-to-us/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [I see little hope for democracy as an effective form of government, but I admire the poetry of how it makes its victims complicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-see-little-hope-for-democracy-as-an-effective-form-of-government/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“He really really really shouldn't have done that. Amazing how much more obvious that became one second after it was too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/he-really-really-really-shouldn-t-have-done-that-amazing-how-much/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [I'm wondering if there's a spell to make lightning flash in the background whenever I make an ominous resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-m-wondering-if-there-s-a-spell-to-make-lightning-flash-in-the/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“There’s a technique we use in our local rationalist cluster called “Is That Your True Rejection?”, and it works like this: Before you stake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/there-s-a-technique-we-use-in-our-local-rationalist-cluster-called-is/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [Lonely dissent doesn't feel like going to school dressed in black. It feels like going to school wearing a clown suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/lonely-dissent-doesn-t-feel-like-going-to-school-dressed-in-black-it/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“Knowing that Draco's hopeful face had probably been drilled into him by months of practice did not make it any less effective, Harry observed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/knowing-that-draco-s-hopeful-face-had-probably-been-drilled-into-him/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [The strength of a theory is not what it allows, but what it prohibits; if you can invent an equally persuasive explanation for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-strength-of-a-theory-is-not-what-it-allows-but-what-it-prohibits/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [It is triple ultra forbidden to respond to criticism with violence. There are a very few injunctions in the human art of rationality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/it-is-triple-ultra-forbidden-to-respond-to-criticism-with-violence/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [The human species was not born into a market economy. Bees won't sell you honey if you offer them an electronic funds transfer. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-human-species-was-not-born-into-a-market-economy-bees-won-t-sell/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“Frigideiro! " said Hermione again from the desk next to him. Her water was solid ice and there were white crystals forming on the rim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/frigideiro-said-hermione-again-from-the-desk-next-to-him-her-water/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“And then Harry Potter had launched in to a speech that was inspiring, yet vague. A speech to the effect that Fred and George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-then-harry-potter-had-launched-in-to-a-speech-that-was-inspiring/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

> [“And I know that I'd just make myself unhappy by comparing that reality to... something perfect that I built up in my imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-i-know-that-i-d-just-make-myself-unhappy-by-comparing-that/)

[Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

[Explore all 274 Eliezer Yudkowsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/)

## More Another world quotes

> [I identify with Superman. I am adopted, I am an only child, and I love the idea that he comes from another world, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-singer/i-identify-with-superman-i-am-adopted-i-am-an-only-child-and-i-love/)

[Bryan Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-singer/)

> [Every time you touch me I stop breathing, that's why I never have much to say. Every time I see you, my heart skips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-time-you-touch-me-i-stop-breathing-that-s-why-i-never-have-much/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I had never done anything with blue screen before, or prosthetics, or anything like that. Lord of the Rings was like stepping into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-had-never-done-anything-with-blue-screen-before-or-prosthetics-or/)

[Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/)

> [Remove from the history of the past all those actions which have either sprung directly from the religious nature of man, or been modified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hopkins/remove-from-the-history-of-the-past-all-those-actions-which-have/)

[Mark Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hopkins/)

> [“Here, in the garden at night, it is another world, strange and yet friendly and familiar, never frightening. There is such quietness, such sweetness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hill/here-in-the-garden-at-night-it-is-another-world-strange-and-yet/)

[Susan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hill/)

> [“A novel is not an allegory...it is a sensual experience of another world. If you don't enter that world, hold your breath with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/a-novel-is-not-an-allegory-it-is-a-sensual-experience-of-another/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [To try to really land a spacecraft really on another world is really difficult, and if we lose that ability, it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/to-try-to-really-land-a-spacecraft-really-on-another-world-is-really/)

[Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/)

> [“Story is a butterfly whose wings transport us to another world where we receive gifts that change who we are and who we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-king/story-is-a-butterfly-whose-wings-transport-us-to-another-world-where/)

[Harley King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-king/)

> [“And it was then that the things I've never liked to talk about began. Not that they were particularly terrible; I've no wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-it-was-then-that-the-things-i-ve-never-liked-to-talk-about-began/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The young man knows that he is irretrievably lost. This is no town of cats, he finally realizes. It is the place where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-young-man-knows-that-he-is-irretrievably-lost-this-is-no-town-of/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [ \[The Utopia of Rules\] should offer a challenge to us all. Should we just accept this bureaucracy as inevitable? Or is there a way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-tett/the-utopia-of-rules-should-offer-a-challenge-to-us-all-should-we-just/)

[Gillian Tett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-tett/)

> [We are here to make another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/we-are-here-to-make-another-world/)

[W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/)

> [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“There is another world and it is in this one. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/there-is-another-world-and-it-is-in-this-one/)

[Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/)

> [“One late-autumn day I opened the back door to fetch some water, and there was a young hare sat on my back step. Save…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-ansell/one-late-autumn-day-i-opened-the-back-door-to-fetch-some-water-and/)

[Neil Ansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-ansell/)

[Browse all 707 Another world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-world/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I should have known. I should have known from the beginning. I was raised in another world. A world where royal blood is not a license to rule, a world whose wizards do more than sneer from their high towers, a world where life is not so cheap, where justice does not come as a knife in the night, a world where we know that the texture of a race's skin shouldn't matter - And yet for you, born in this world, to question what others took for granted; for you, without ever touching the Sword, to hear the scream that had to be stopped at all costs - \"I don't trust you either,\" Hirou whispered, \"but I don't expect there's anyone better,\" and he closed his eyes until the end of the world.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eliezer Yudkowsky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known-from-the-beginning-i-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Another world"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known-from-the-beginning-i-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_another-world_i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known_2484587.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_another-world_i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known_2484587.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_another-world_i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known_2484587.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I should have known. I should have known from the beginning. I was raised in another world. A world where…” — Eliezer Yudkowsky",
                "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": "Eliezer Yudkowsky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I should have known. I should...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known-from-the-beginning-i-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-should-have-known-i-should-have-known-from-the-beginning-i-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
