--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Stuff that's hidden and murky and…" description: "\"Stuff that's hidden and murky and ambiguous is scary because you don't know what it does.\" — Jerry Garcia" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af4/jerry-garcia-2346_ambiguous_stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambigu_2496272.jpg" --- # Stuff that's hidden and murky and ambiguous is scary… ![“Stuff that's hidden and murky and ambiguous is scary because you don't know what it does.” quote by Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af4/jerry-garcia-2346_ambiguous_stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambigu_2496272.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af4/jerry-garcia-2346_ambiguous_stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambigu_2496272.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af4/jerry-garcia-2346_ambiguous_stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambigu_2496272.jpg) > “Stuff that's hidden and murky and ambiguous is scary because you don't know what it does.” [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unclear, hidden things cause anxiety because their effects are unpredictable. **In simple terms:** Ambiguity feels scary. Key Takeaway Seek clarity before reacting. Themes fear uncertainty psychology Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - making decisions - exploring new ideas - handling rumors - personal relationships Key Concepts risk perception unknown outcomes Questions to Reflect On - What unknowns could you explore safely? - How does uncertainty affect your choices? A Different Perspective Some ambiguity can inspire creativity, not just fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambiguous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous/) [Ambiguous Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous-scary-1015301/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Hidden Murky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hidden-murky-1015302/) [Murky Ambiguous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murky-ambiguous-1015303/) [Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar/) [Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scary/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) ## Related quotes > [Corporate nationalism to me is a little bit like what would have happened if Hitler had won. It's scary stuff. It's totalitarianism in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/corporate-nationalism-to-me-is-a-little-bit-like-what-would-have/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) > [I am Indian-American, but I often play ethnically ambiguous roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiya-sircar/i-am-indian-american-but-i-often-play-ethnically-ambiguous-roles/) [Tiya Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiya-sircar/) > [I was always, like, ambiguous. Is that how you say it? When I was turning 16 I talked to my mom about transitioning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adore-delano/i-was-always-like-ambiguous-is-that-how-you-say-it-when-i-was-turning/) [Adore Delano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adore-delano/) > [I was perceiving myself as good as a man or equal to a man and as powerful and I wanted to look ambiguous because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-was-perceiving-myself-as-good-as-a-man-or-equal-to-a-man-and-as/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [Humor is really one of the hardest things to define, very hard. And it's very ambiguous. You have it or you don't. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/humor-is-really-one-of-the-hardest-things-to-define-very-hard-and-it/) [Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) > [Wave particle duality is a core feature of our world. Or rather, we should say, it is a core feature of our mathematical descriptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-wertheim/wave-particle-duality-is-a-core-feature-of-our-world-or-rather-we/) [Margaret Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-wertheim/) > [Words are such gross machinery, so primitive and ambiguous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/words-are-such-gross-machinery-so-primitive-and-ambiguous/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilon-redon/my-drawings-inspire-and-are-not-to-be-defined-they-place-us-as-does/) [Odilon Redon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilon-redon/) > [Photography appears to be an easy activity; in fact it is a varied and ambiguous process in which the only common denominator among its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/photography-appears-to-be-an-easy-activity-in-fact-it-is-a-varied-and/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [I want each poem to be ambiguous enough that its meaning can shift, depending on the reader's own frame of reference, and depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-want-each-poem-to-be-ambiguous-enough-that-its-meaning-can-shift/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [“In general we are reminded that the word heimlich is not unambiguous, but belongs to two sets of ideas, which, without being contradictory, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/in-general-we-are-reminded-that-the-word-heimlich-is-not-unambiguous/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Redundancy is ambiguous because it seems like a waste if nothing unusual happens. Except that something unusual happens-usually .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/redundancy-is-ambiguous-because-it-seems-like-a-waste-if-nothing/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Somehow, in the novel format, I don't really like to do upfront, ideological discussion. In my heart, literature remains a poetic and ambiguous medium.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/somehow-in-the-novel-format-i-don-t-really-like-to-do-upfront/) [Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/) > [Happiness can be bought with a bottle of wine and has become ambiguous through overuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-can-be-bought-with-a-bottle-of-wine-and-has-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) ## More by Jerry Garcia > [once in awhile you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look it right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/once-in-awhile-you-get-shown-the-light-in-the-strangest-of-places-if/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [To me, that's the key thing, the pursuit of happiness. That's the basic, ultimate freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/to-me-that-s-the-key-thing-the-pursuit-of-happiness-that-s-the-basic/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [“A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle To a double-e waterfall over my back”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/a-leaf-of-all-colors-plays-a-golden-string-fiddle-to-a-double-e/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [Some things may work, but they definitely won't work every time. Some things may work at various times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/some-things-may-work-but-they-definitely-won-t-work-every-time-some/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [It's odd that there is a high level of appreciation of nature. There is the aesthetic side that really loves nature and beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/it-s-odd-that-there-is-a-high-level-of-appreciation-of-nature-there/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [If you think of music as a universal language, it still has some very powerful dialects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/if-you-think-of-music-as-a-universal-language-it-still-has-some-very/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [You have to be ready, and also you have to discard notions that are fondly held by a lot of musicians, about sequences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/you-have-to-be-ready-and-also-you-have-to-discard-notions-that-are/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [If you are picking the lesser of two evils, you are still picking Evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/if-you-are-picking-the-lesser-of-two-evils-you-are-still-picking-evil/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [Our strong suit is what we do, and our audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/our-strong-suit-is-what-we-do-and-our-audience/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [And for me there's still more material than 20 lifetimes that I can use up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/and-for-me-there-s-still-more-material-than-20-lifetimes-that-i-can/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [It's much too late to do anything about rock & roll now ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/it-s-much-too-late-to-do-anything-about-rock-roll-now/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [Yeah, I think we have to. If we want our shows to be - if we want the quality of the shows to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/yeah-i-think-we-have-to-if-we-want-our-shows-to-be-if-we-want-the/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [You ain't gonna learn what you don't wanna know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/you-ain-t-gonna-learn-what-you-don-t-wanna-know/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [America is still mostly xenophobic and racist. That's the nature of America, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/america-is-still-mostly-xenophobic-and-racist-that-s-the-nature-of/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [Nothing left to do but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/nothing-left-to-do-but-smile/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) [Explore all 171 Jerry Garcia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) ## More Ambiguous quotes > [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [Happiness can be bought with a bottle of wine and has become ambiguous through overuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-can-be-bought-with-a-bottle-of-wine-and-has-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Somehow, in the novel format, I don't really like to do upfront, ideological discussion. In my heart, literature remains a poetic and ambiguous medium.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xiaolu-guo/somehow-in-the-novel-format-i-don-t-really-like-to-do-upfront/) [Xiaolu Guo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xiaolu-guo/) > [Redundancy is ambiguous because it seems like a waste if nothing unusual happens. Except that something unusual happens-usually .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/redundancy-is-ambiguous-because-it-seems-like-a-waste-if-nothing/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“In general we are reminded that the word heimlich is not unambiguous, but belongs to two sets of ideas, which, without being contradictory, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/in-general-we-are-reminded-that-the-word-heimlich-is-not-unambiguous/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I want each poem to be ambiguous enough that its meaning can shift, depending on the reader's own frame of reference, and depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/i-want-each-poem-to-be-ambiguous-enough-that-its-meaning-can-shift/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [Photography appears to be an easy activity; in fact it is a varied and ambiguous process in which the only common denominator among its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/photography-appears-to-be-an-easy-activity-in-fact-it-is-a-varied-and/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [My drawings inspire, and are not to be defined. They place us, as does music, in the ambiguous realm of the undetermined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilon-redon/my-drawings-inspire-and-are-not-to-be-defined-they-place-us-as-does/) [Odilon Redon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odilon-redon/) > [Words are such gross machinery, so primitive and ambiguous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/words-are-such-gross-machinery-so-primitive-and-ambiguous/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Wave particle duality is a core feature of our world. Or rather, we should say, it is a core feature of our mathematical descriptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-wertheim/wave-particle-duality-is-a-core-feature-of-our-world-or-rather-we/) [Margaret Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-wertheim/) > [Humor is really one of the hardest things to define, very hard. And it's very ambiguous. You have it or you don't. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/humor-is-really-one-of-the-hardest-things-to-define-very-hard-and-it/) [Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) > [I was perceiving myself as good as a man or equal to a man and as powerful and I wanted to look ambiguous because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-was-perceiving-myself-as-good-as-a-man-or-equal-to-a-man-and-as/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [I was always, like, ambiguous. Is that how you say it? When I was turning 16 I talked to my mom about transitioning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adore-delano/i-was-always-like-ambiguous-is-that-how-you-say-it-when-i-was-turning/) [Adore Delano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adore-delano/) > [I am Indian-American, but I often play ethnically ambiguous roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiya-sircar/i-am-indian-american-but-i-often-play-ethnically-ambiguous-roles/) [Tiya Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiya-sircar/) > [Humor is really one of the hardest things to define, very hard. And it's very ambiguous. You have it, or you don't. You can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/humor-is-really-one-of-the-hardest-things-to-define-very-hard-and-it-2/) [Heinrich Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) [Browse all 271 Ambiguous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambiguous/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Stuff that's hidden and murky and ambiguous is scary because you don't know what it does.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jerry Garcia" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambiguous-is-scary-because-you-don/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambiguous" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambiguous-is-scary-because-you-don/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af4/jerry-garcia-2346_ambiguous_stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambigu_2496272.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af4/jerry-garcia-2346_ambiguous_stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambigu_2496272.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af4/jerry-garcia-2346_ambiguous_stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambigu_2496272.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Stuff that's hidden and murky and ambiguous is scary because you don't know what it does.” — Jerry Garcia", "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": "Jerry Garcia", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Stuff that's hidden and murky and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambiguous-is-scary-because-you-don/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/stuff-that-s-hidden-and-murky-and-ambiguous-is-scary-because-you-don/#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 } } ] } ```