---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: all the suffering that humanity ever knew…"
description: "\"“all the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to the one fact that no man in the history of the Galaxy, until Hari Seldon, and very few men ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/isaac-asimov-309_another-man_all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-kne_2250417.jpg"
---

#  all the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to…

![“all the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to the one fact that no man in the history of the Galaxy, until Hari Seldon, and very few men thereafter, could really understand one another. Every human being lived behind an impenetrable wall of choking mist within which no other but he…” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/isaac-asimov-309_another-man_all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-kne_2250417.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/isaac-asimov-309_another-man_all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-kne_2250417.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/isaac-asimov-309_another-man_all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-kne_2250417.jpg)

> ““all the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to the one fact that no man in the history of the Galaxy, until Hari Seldon, and very few men thereafter, could really understand one another. Every human being lived behind an impenetrable wall of choking mist within which no other but he existed. Occasionally there were the dim signals from deep within the cavern in which another man was located - so that each might grope toward the other. Yet because they did not know one another, and could not understand one another, and dared not trust one another, and felt from infancy the terrors and insecurity of that ultimate isolation - there was the hunted fear of man for man, the savage rapacity of man toward man.””

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

## About This Quote

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

Human suffering stems from deep misunderstanding and mistrust, isolating individuals behind barriers that prevent genuine connection.

**In simple terms:** Misunderstanding creates isolation and conflict.

Key Takeaway

Seek empathy and communication.

Themes

misunderstanding isolation trust conflict humanity

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- political negotiations
- team building
- community outreach
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology social dynamics philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we bridge gaps when power divides?
- What role does empathy play in overcoming fear?

A Different Perspective

Understanding alone doesn't guarantee trust; power structures can impede connection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/)

## Related quotes

> [All the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to the one fact that no man in the history of the Galaxy ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-knew-can-be-traced-to-the-one-2/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [Every human being lived behind an impenetrable wall of choking mist within which no other but he existed. Occasionally there were the dim signals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/every-human-being-lived-behind-an-impenetrable-wall-of-choking-mist/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“Yet because they did not know one another, and could not understand one another, and dared not trust one another, and felt from infancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/yet-because-they-did-not-know-one-another-and-could-not-understand/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [I am a rebel by birth... I contest anything that is unjust, that causes suffering in humanity. My feelings about that are so strong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yip-harburg/i-am-a-rebel-by-birth-i-contest-anything-that-is-unjust-that-causes/)

[Yip Harburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yip-harburg/)

> [There will be no major solution to the suffering of humanity until we reach some understanding of who we are, what the purpose of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-will-be-no-major-solution-to-the-suffering-of-humanity-until-we/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [Hast thou attuned thyself to the suffering of humanity, O candidate for light?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-blavatsky/hast-thou-attuned-thyself-to-the-suffering-of-humanity-o-candidate/)

[H. P. Blavatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-blavatsky/)

> [Just imagine what would happen if practicing physicians, the ones who have come into contact directly with suffering humanity, had some acquaintance with Eastern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/just-imagine-what-would-happen-if-practicing-physicians-the-ones-who/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [“All this talk about 'suffering humanity' is principally drivel based on the error of transferring one's own psychology to one's neighbour. The Golden Rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/all-this-talk-about-suffering-humanity-is-principally-drivel-based-on/)

[Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/)

> [I wanted to discuss the suffering of humanity in general, but perhaps we'd better confine ourselves to the sufferings of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-wanted-to-discuss-the-suffering-of-humanity-in-general-but-perhaps/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [“I think a look at suffering humanity would lead to the realization that trauma is perhaps the greatest mission field of the twenty-first century.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-mandt-langberg/i-think-a-look-at-suffering-humanity-would-lead-to-the-realization/)

Diane Mandt Langberg

> [“I have no doubt that she is sincerely desirous of seeing all the evils of suffering humanity remedied, and that she thinks this might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/i-have-no-doubt-that-she-is-sincerely-desirous-of-seeing-all-the/)

[Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [We poets don't tend to be certain a lot. Much of our art is made out of our own uncertainty. And there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/we-poets-don-t-tend-to-be-certain-a-lot-much-of-our-art-is-made-out/)

[Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/)

> [Blessed be the inventor of photography! I set him above even the inventor of chloroform! It has given more positive pleasure to poor suffering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-welsh-carlyle/blessed-be-the-inventor-of-photography-i-set-him-above-even-the/)

[Jane Welsh Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-welsh-carlyle/)

> [“Perhaps our suffering is part of our humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-l-barr/perhaps-our-suffering-is-part-of-our-humanity/)

[Christina L. Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-l-barr/)

> [I did not bow down to you, I bowed down to all the suffering of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/i-did-not-bow-down-to-you-i-bowed-down-to-all-the-suffering-of/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

## More by Isaac Asimov

> [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

[Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

## More Another man quotes

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“I took ten days off and by 11 o’clock on the first morning I had drunk fourteen cups of coffee, read all the newspapers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-clarkson/i-took-ten-days-off-and-by-11-o-clock-on-the-first-morning-i-had/)

[Jeremy Clarkson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-clarkson/)

> [One day I woke up and Juventus wanted me, another Manchester United and what I know is that there were approaches made. But an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-jimenez/one-day-i-woke-up-and-juventus-wanted-me-another-manchester-united/)

[Raul Jimenez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-jimenez/)

> [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/)

[Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/)

> [“One theory on cannibals, of course, is that they eat parts of their slain enemies to benefit from that person's greatest assets - their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/one-theory-on-cannibals-of-course-is-that-they-eat-parts-of-their/)

[Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/)

> [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“If you aren't in love, Willow Vaughn, then my name isn't Miriam Brigham." Willow started out of her daydreaming and glanced up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/if-you-aren-t-in-love-willow-vaughn-then-my-name-isn-t-miriam-brigham/)

[Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/)

> [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/)

Anthony Sargent

> [“Hell, I bet there's another man right now on the other side of this planet, standing in the pouring rain, fighting desperately for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-montes/hell-i-bet-there-s-another-man-right-now-on-the-other-side-of-this/)

EL Montes

> [The perception of what we as professors provide has changed. Constant and demanding e-mails are just another manifestation of what our society has become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-payne/the-perception-of-what-we-as-professors-provide-has-changed-constant/)

[Dan Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-payne/)

> [Fighting, to me, seems barbaric. I don't really like it. I enjoy out-thinking another man and out-maneuvering him, but I still don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-robinson/fighting-to-me-seems-barbaric-i-don-t-really-like-it-i-enjoy-out/)

[Sugar Ray Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-robinson/)

> [The single greatest pleasure that I have in doing ('Bizarre Foods') is when I meet families with 6, 7, 8-year-olds, or teenagers, who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/the-single-greatest-pleasure-that-i-have-in-doing-bizarre-foods-is/)

[Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/)

> [One man's vulgarity is another man's lyric.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marshall-harlan-ii/one-man-s-vulgarity-is-another-man-s-lyric/)

[John Marshall Harlan II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marshall-harlan-ii/)

> [“that of dealing death, of loosing another man’s soul and sending it down to hell. You want to savor it, to twist the blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/that-of-dealing-death-of-loosing-another-man-s-soul-and-sending-it/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

Browse all 1,112 Another man quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“all the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to the one fact that no man in the history of the Galaxy, until Hari Seldon, and very few men thereafter, could really understand one another. Every human being lived behind an impenetrable wall of choking mist within which no other but he existed. Occasionally there were the dim signals from deep within the cavern in which another man was located - so that each might grope toward the other. Yet because they did not know one another, and could not understand one another, and dared not trust one another, and felt from infancy the terrors and insecurity of that ultimate isolation - there was the hunted fear of man for man, the savage rapacity of man toward man.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isaac Asimov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-knew-can-be-traced-to-the-one/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Another man"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-knew-can-be-traced-to-the-one/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/isaac-asimov-309_another-man_all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-kne_2250417.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/isaac-asimov-309_another-man_all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-kne_2250417.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/435/isaac-asimov-309_another-man_all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-kne_2250417.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“all the suffering that humanity ever knew can be traced to the one fact that no man in the history of the…” — Isaac Asimov",
                "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": "Isaac Asimov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“all the suffering that humanity ever...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-knew-can-be-traced-to-the-one/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/all-the-suffering-that-humanity-ever-knew-can-be-traced-to-the-one/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
