--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not understand them but they did…" description: "\"I did not understand them but they did not have any mystery, and when I understood them they meant nothing to me. I was sorry about this but there was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/ernest-hemingway-83_learning_i-did-not-understand-them-but-they-did-n_888359.jpg" --- # I did not understand them but they did not have any… ![“I did not understand them but they did not have any mystery, and when I understood them they meant nothing to me. I was sorry about this but there was nothing I could do about it.” quote by Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/ernest-hemingway-83_learning_i-did-not-understand-them-but-they-did-n_888359.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/ernest-hemingway-83_learning_i-did-not-understand-them-but-they-did-n_888359.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/568/ernest-hemingway-83_learning_i-did-not-understand-them-but-they-did-n_888359.jpg) > “I did not understand them but they did not have any mystery, and when I understood them they meant nothing to me. I was sorry about this but there was nothing I could do about it.” [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He realized that once something is fully understood, its mystery disappears and it may feel meaningless. **In simple terms:** Understanding can strip away mystery and meaning. Key Takeaway Accept that clarity can change perception. Themes knowledge understanding meaning illusion Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - learning new skills - reading complex texts - solving puzzles - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism epistemology nihilism Questions to Reflect On - What does mystery add to your experience? - How do you find value after understanding? A Different Perspective Sometimes loss of mystery can reduce motivation to engage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) ## Related quotes > [Just because you did not understand us, it did not mean we were wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-you-did-not-understand-us-it-did-not-mean-we-were-wrong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am sorry I hurt your feelings and that I said what I said, I am sorry that I am not what you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humaira/i-am-sorry-i-hurt-your-feelings-and-that-i-said-what-i-said-i-am/) [Humaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humaira/) > [This is probably the single great subject of horror fiction: our need to cope with a mystery that can be understood only with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/this-is-probably-the-single-great-subject-of-horror-fiction-our-need/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Clementine settled for two words, "I'm sorry", she said. She meant I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry I didn't see you were going through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/clementine-settled-for-two-words-i-m-sorry-she-said-she-meant-i-m/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [“They asked him questions he had never thought of: What is more important, the soul or the mind? Are we responsible for each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-vanderpool/they-asked-him-questions-he-had-never-thought-of-what-is-more/) [Clare Vanderpool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-vanderpool/) > [“I wondered if we could ever truly understand each other, and if not, did it matter? 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It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [One cat just leads to another. The place is so damned big it doesn't really seem as though there were many cats until you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/one-cat-just-leads-to-another-the-place-is-so-damned-big-it-doesn-t/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Creation's probably overrated. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/everything-kills-everything-else-in-some-way-fishing-kills-me-exactly/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Explore all 1,464 Ernest Hemingway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More Learning quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. 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It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. 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Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/) [Browse all 22,300 Learning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did not understand them but they did not have any mystery, and when I understood them they meant nothing to me. 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