--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't mistrust reality, of which I know…" description: "\"I don't mistrust reality, of which I know next to nothing. I mistrust the picture of reality conveyed to us by our senses, which is imperfect and circu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/gerhard-richter-2249_imperfect_i-don-t-mistrust-reality-of-which-i-know_2507882.jpg" --- # I don't mistrust reality, of which I know next to nothing… ![“I don't mistrust reality, of which I know next to nothing. I mistrust the picture of reality conveyed to us by our senses, which is imperfect and circumscribed.” quote by Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/gerhard-richter-2249_imperfect_i-don-t-mistrust-reality-of-which-i-know_2507882.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/gerhard-richter-2249_imperfect_i-don-t-mistrust-reality-of-which-i-know_2507882.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/177/gerhard-richter-2249_imperfect_i-don-t-mistrust-reality-of-which-i-know_2507882.jpg) > “I don't mistrust reality, of which I know next to nothing. I mistrust the picture of reality conveyed to us by our senses, which is imperfect and circumscribed.” [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our senses give us an incomplete, flawed picture of reality, so we should question what we think we know. **In simple terms:** Senses are unreliable; reality is unclear. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about perception. Themes philosophy art epistemology Mood reflective curious Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - museum visits - scientific research - personal reflection - critical thinking Key Concepts perception reality skepticism Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify what you perceive? - What limits do your senses impose on understanding? A Different Perspective Our senses still guide daily decisions despite imperfections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [I do not mistrust reality, of which I know next to nothing, but I am suspicious regarding the image of reality which our senses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/i-do-not-mistrust-reality-of-which-i-know-next-to-nothing-but-i-am/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [...You know the mistrust of heights is the mistrust of self, you don't know whether you're going to jump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/you-know-the-mistrust-of-heights-is-the-mistrust-of-self-you-don-t/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“We youths say “like” all the time because we mistrust reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-s-kunen/we-youths-say-like-all-the-time-because-we-mistrust-reality/) James S. Kunen > [One can mistrust one's own senses, but not one's own belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/one-can-mistrust-one-s-own-senses-but-not-one-s-own-belief/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Always trust, when mistrust comes love goes out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-trust-when-mistrust-comes-love-goes-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To mistrust science and deny the validity of scientific method is to resign your job as a human. You'd better go look for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/to-mistrust-science-and-deny-the-validity-of-scientific-method-is-to/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust ensuing danger; as, by proof, we see the waters swell before a boisterous storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/by-a-divine-instinct-men-s-minds-mistrust-ensuing-danger-as-by-proof/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I'm an anarchist. I'm implacably opposed to heirarchical systems of power and control. I also mistrust crowds, as they often operate according to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/i-m-an-anarchist-i-m-implacably-opposed-to-heirarchical-systems-of/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“To switch effectively from defense to social engagement strategies, the nervous system must do two things: (1) assess risk, and (2) if the environment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-w-porges/to-switch-effectively-from-defense-to-social-engagement-strategies/) [Stephen W. 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I go especially to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/they-are-specific-places-i-have-discovered-here-and-there-when-i-am/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [To me, grey is the welcome and only possible equivalent for indifference, noncommitment, absence of opinion, absence of shape. But grey, like formlessness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/to-me-grey-is-the-welcome-and-only-possible-equivalent-for/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Now that we do not have priests and philosophers any more, artists are the most important people in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/now-that-we-do-not-have-priests-and-philosophers-any-more-artists-are/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Yes, we were amazed when that happened. It was a real joke to us. 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