--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I knew from experience how hopeless…" description: "\"“But I knew from experience how hopeless this pursuit, this attempt to weed out bias, was. Nothing that lived and breathed was truly objective—even in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hopeless_but-i-knew-from-experience-how-hopeless_2508848.jpg" --- # But I knew from experience how hopeless this pursuit, this… ![“But I knew from experience how hopeless this pursuit, this attempt to weed out bias, was. Nothing that lived and breathed was truly objective—even in a vacuum, even if all that possessed the brain was a self-immolating desire for the truth.” quote by Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hopeless_but-i-knew-from-experience-how-hopeless_2508848.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hopeless_but-i-knew-from-experience-how-hopeless_2508848.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/712/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hopeless_but-i-knew-from-experience-how-hopeless_2508848.jpg) > ““But I knew from experience how hopeless this pursuit, this attempt to weed out bias, was. Nothing that lived and breathed was truly objective—even in a vacuum, even if all that possessed the brain was a self-immolating desire for the truth.”” [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Attempting to eliminate bias is futile; all perception is colored by subjective desire for truth. **In simple terms:** Bias cannot be fully removed; truth is always subjective. Key Takeaway Accept bias and seek humility in judgment. Themes bias truth subjectivity Mood cautious thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - research - journalism - policy making - personal decision making Key Concepts cognitive bias philosophical skepticism human perception Questions to Reflect On - In what ways does acknowledging bias improve our decisions? - Can we ever approach true objectivity? A Different Perspective Complete objectivity is unattainable, and striving for it can blind us to nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Nothing that lived and breathed was truly objective—even in a vacuum, even if all that possessed the brain was a self-immolating desire for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/nothing-that-lived-and-breathed-was-truly-objective-even-in-a-vacuum/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [...Search for the cause may be a hopeless pursuit because most disease states are the indirect outcome of a constellation of circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/search-for-the-cause-may-be-a-hopeless-pursuit-because-most-disease/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [“Do not try to be your father boy, it is a hopeless pursuit, particularly when you, like I, have a father of such colossal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-septimius/do-not-try-to-be-your-father-boy-it-is-a-hopeless-pursuit/) [A. 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This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Jeff VanderMeer > [“Perhaps only I could truly make Wick a person, by forgiving him, and if I forgave him, if I showed I forgave him, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/perhaps-only-i-could-truly-make-wick-a-person-by-forgiving-him-and-if/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“I knew these elements were intended for me and me alone. There were no endearments, but I understood in part because of this restraint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-knew-these-elements-were-intended-for-me-and-me-alone-there-were-no/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“What if an infection was a message, a brightness a kind of symphony? As a defense? An odd form of communication? If so, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-if-an-infection-was-a-message-a-brightness-a-kind-of-symphony-as/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/that-s-how-the-madness-of-the-world-tries-to-colonize-you-from-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [What I envy about musicians is, they have this more direct relationship with the audience. 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