--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fact, as I get older, I begin to feel…" description: "\"“In fact, as I get older, I begin to feel that actually what we need more in the world is doubt; more skepticism, less crazed certainty. . . . People w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/ian-mcewan-494_doubt_in-fact-as-i-get-older-i-begin-to-feel-t_897826.jpg" --- # In fact, as I get older, I begin to feel that actually… ![“In fact, as I get older, I begin to feel that actually what we need more in the world is doubt; more skepticism, less crazed certainty. . . . People who know the answer and are going to impose it on everybody else, I think, are terrifying people.” quote by Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/ian-mcewan-494_doubt_in-fact-as-i-get-older-i-begin-to-feel-t_897826.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/ian-mcewan-494_doubt_in-fact-as-i-get-older-i-begin-to-feel-t_897826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35a/ian-mcewan-494_doubt_in-fact-as-i-get-older-i-begin-to-feel-t_897826.jpg) > ““In fact, as I get older, I begin to feel that actually what we need more in the world is doubt; more skepticism, less crazed certainty. . . . People who know the answer and are going to impose it on everybody else, I think, are terrifying people.”” [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## 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 argues that a healthy dose of doubt and skepticism is essential, warning that absolute certainty can lead to authoritarianism and fear. **In simple terms:** We need more questioning, less blind certainty, to avoid dangerous dogma. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity and question prevailing narratives. Themes critical thinking authority skepticism freedom Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical thought‑provoking When to use this quote - political debates - scientific research - media consumption - personal decision‑making Key Concepts philosophical inquiry social psychology Questions to Reflect On - When does skepticism become counterproductive? - How can we balance healthy doubt with decisive action? A Different Perspective Excessive doubt can paralyze action and erode confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Skepticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skepticism/) ## Related quotes > [We actually need intelligent doubt and skepticism; they protect us against mistaken views and propaganda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/we-actually-need-intelligent-doubt-and-skepticism-they-protect-us/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [I do not doubt but the majest and beauty of the world are latent in any iota of the world; I do not doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-do-not-doubt-but-the-majest-and-beauty-of-the-world-are-latent-in/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [What should we think of someone who never admits error, never entertains doubt but adheres unflinchingly to the same ideas all his life, regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/what-should-we-think-of-someone-who-never-admits-error-never/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-is-no-harm-in-doubt-and-skepticism-for-it-is-through-these-that/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Doubt, skepticism, innovation, and inquiry are the only means by which wonder, beauty, awe, and symmetry will be discovered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/doubt-skepticism-innovation-and-inquiry-are-the-only-means-by-which/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Properly speaking, there is no certainty; there are only people who are certain. —CHARLES RENOUVIER, ESSAIS DE CRITIQUE GÉNÉRALE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/properly-speaking-there-is-no-certainty-there-are-only-people-who-are/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [“The aim of this step is threefold: (1) to recognize and appreciate the unknown and unknowable, (2) to become sensitive to overconfident assertions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-aim-of-this-step-is-threefold-1-to-recognize-and-appreciate-the/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“Senlin marveled at how adept the human race was at injecting a sense of routine into peculiar environments; it seemed a certainty that once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josiah-bancroft/senlin-marveled-at-how-adept-the-human-race-was-at-injecting-a-sense/) [Josiah Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josiah-bancroft/) > [We absolutely must leave room for doubt or there is no progress and there is no learning. There is no learning without having to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/we-absolutely-must-leave-room-for-doubt-or-there-is-no-progress-and/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [I'm a member of that half of the human race which is inclined to divide the human race into two kinds of people. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/i-m-a-member-of-that-half-of-the-human-race-which-is-inclined-to/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I've always been envious of certainty, of people who always seemed to have a plan for their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/i-ve-always-been-envious-of-certainty-of-people-who-always-seemed-to/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [The only people I've met in this world who never doubt are materialists and atheists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-only-people-i-ve-met-in-this-world-who-never-doubt-are/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [“Thoughts were nothing. Memories were nothing. They were nothing you could touch. They took no time. You could fit them all on the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/thoughts-were-nothing-memories-were-nothing-they-were-nothing-you/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [The world men inhabit is rather bleak. It is a world full of doubt and confusion, where vulnerability must be hidden, not shared; where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-ford/the-world-men-inhabit-is-rather-bleak-it-is-a-world-full-of-doubt-and/) Anna Ford > [I don't know that I've gotten much feedback directly from the literary world; sometimes I doubt even the notion that there is a literary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ames/i-don-t-know-that-i-ve-gotten-much-feedback-directly-from-the/) [Jonathan Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ames/) ## More by Ian McEwan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian McEwan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## 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": "“In fact, as I get older, I begin to feel that actually what we need more in the world is doubt; more skepticism, less crazed certainty. . . . 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