---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The word 'tradition' covered it all, as…"
description: "\"“The word 'tradition' covered it all, as it covered so many things, some useful, some foolish.”\" — Isaac Asimov"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/isaac-asimov-309_culture_the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it_603494.jpg"
---

#  The word 'tradition' covered it all, as it covered so many…

![“The word 'tradition' covered it all, as it covered so many things, some useful, some foolish.” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/isaac-asimov-309_culture_the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it_603494.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/isaac-asimov-309_culture_the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it_603494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/isaac-asimov-309_culture_the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it_603494.jpg)

> ““The word 'tradition' covered it all, as it covered so many things, some useful, some foolish.””

[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.

Tradition encompasses both valuable practices and outdated customs, requiring discernment.

**In simple terms:** Tradition includes useful and foolish elements.

Key Takeaway

Critically evaluate customs before acceptance.

Themes

culture history critical thinking

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- corporate culture
- family rituals
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

tradition innovation skepticism

Questions to Reflect On

- Which traditions serve us today?
- How to identify harmful customs?

A Different Perspective

Blind adherence can hinder progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Covered Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/covered-things-1290757/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Tradition Covered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition-covered-4915254/) [Useful Foolish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useful-foolish-4915256/) [Word Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-tradition-4915255/)

## Related quotes

> [“Her words were like tinfoil; they shone and they covered things up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-cross/her-words-were-like-tinfoil-they-shone-and-they-covered-things-up/)

[Helen Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-cross/)

> [You know what they say, 'You have to work at wisdom; you have to take pains to be reasonable, but to be foolish, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-colet/you-know-what-they-say-you-have-to-work-at-wisdom-you-have-to-take/)

[Louise Colet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-colet/)

> [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. We could almost say that being willing to be a fool is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/acknowledging-foolishness-is-a-very-powerful-and-important-experience/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [“I wish he were better at hailing taxis than I am; on the other hand, I realize that expectation is culturally conditioned, utterly foolish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/i-wish-he-were-better-at-hailing-taxis-than-i-am-on-the-other-hand-i/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [I have my good days and my bad days, but I don't have as much energy as I used to back when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/i-have-my-good-days-and-my-bad-days-but-i-don-t-have-as-much-energy/)

[Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/)

> [Foolish tongues talke by the dozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/foolish-tongues-talke-by-the-dozen/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [Right, and you point out something important which is that people who don’t want to pay, people who are pirates, don’t get bothered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/right-and-you-point-out-something-important-which-is-that-people-who/)

[Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/)

> [Virtue is as little to be acquired by learning as genius; nay, the idea is barren, and is only to be employed as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/virtue-is-as-little-to-be-acquired-by-learning-as-genius-nay-the-idea/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/)

[David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/)

> [Regrets are just a way for the foolish and the guilty to pass the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gensoumaden-saiyuki/regrets-are-just-a-way-for-the-foolish-and-the-guilty-to-pass-the-time/)

[Gensoumaden Saiyuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gensoumaden-saiyuki/)

> [I was so foolish to ever leave your side, Searching for what was right before my eyes. It was me who didn't realize, 'til…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmine-sullivan/i-was-so-foolish-to-ever-leave-your-side-searching-for-what-was-right/)

[Jazmine Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmine-sullivan/)

> [...it isn't foolish or wicked to enjoy. Wickedness is hurting people on purpose. I love what you are and who you are and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/it-isn-t-foolish-or-wicked-to-enjoy-wickedness-is-hurting-people-on/)

[John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/)

## 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 Culture quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/)

[Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [I think it's useful to experience other types of dance and other cultures, and the life of a classical dancer these days is certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-bull/i-think-it-s-useful-to-experience-other-types-of-dance-and-other/)

[Deborah Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-bull/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [It is not my intention to explain Turkey, its culture and its problems. My literature has a universal concern: I want to bring people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/it-is-not-my-intention-to-explain-turkey-its-culture-and-its-problems/)

[Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/)

> [I don't think the distinction between high and low culture exists anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-don-t-think-the-distinction-between-high-and-low-culture-exists/)

[Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/)

> [You get below the Mason-Dixon line and you have some of the best music, culture, the two races, the literature, and it's so rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-duvall/you-get-below-the-mason-dixon-line-and-you-have-some-of-the-best/)

[Robert Duvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-duvall/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/being-grounded-in-your-lifelong-culture-and-your-personal-perspective/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

[Browse all 15,940 Culture quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The word 'tradition' covered it all, as it covered so many things, some useful, some foolish.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isaac Asimov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it-covered-so-many-things-some/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Culture"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it-covered-so-many-things-some/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/isaac-asimov-309_culture_the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it_603494.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/isaac-asimov-309_culture_the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it_603494.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6eb/isaac-asimov-309_culture_the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it_603494.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The word 'tradition' covered it all, as it covered so many things, some useful, some foolish.” — 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": "“The word 'tradition' covered it all,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it-covered-so-many-things-some/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-word-tradition-covered-it-all-as-it-covered-so-many-things-some/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
