--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's human desire to be understood. And…" description: "\"It's human desire to be understood. And we always feel we're not understood.\" — John Baldessari" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/john-baldessari-16840_always_it-s-human-desire-to-be-understood-and-w_42569.png" --- # It's human desire to be understood. And we always feel… ![“It's human desire to be understood. And we always feel we're not understood.” quote by John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/john-baldessari-16840_always_it-s-human-desire-to-be-understood-and-w_42569.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/john-baldessari-16840_always_it-s-human-desire-to-be-understood-and-w_42569.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eeb/john-baldessari-16840_always_it-s-human-desire-to-be-understood-and-w_42569.png) > “It's human desire to be understood. And we always feel we're not understood.” [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People crave being truly comprehended, yet often feel misunderstood. **In simple terms:** Desire for understanding Key Takeaway Misunderstanding is common Themes communication psychology empathy human nature Mood reflective longing Type observation insight When to use this quote - personal relationships - therapy - team meetings - customer service Key Concepts interpretation subjectivity Practical Applications - improve active listening - design empathy-driven experiences Questions to Reflect On - How can we verify we are understood? - What barriers cause misinterpretation? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ## Related quotes > [If I write about something that I've experienced and somebody goes, "Oh my God, I feel the exact same way," then both of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/if-i-write-about-something-that-i-ve-experienced-and-somebody-goes-oh/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [Love allows understanding to dawn, and understanding is precious. Where you are understood, you are at home. Understanding nourishes belonging. When you really feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-allows-understanding-to-dawn-and-understanding-is-precious-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Of course you have memories, and these memories are convincing. But it's really at the moment when I write them down - when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/of-course-you-have-memories-and-these-memories-are-convincing-but-it/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“Let the desire to be understood become someone else's elusive dream. Accept we are all evolving & can be relatable mainly for reasons associated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/let-the-desire-to-be-understood-become-someone-else-s-elusive-dream/) Truth Devour > [We all desire to be understood, but no one enjoys being obvious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevanian/we-all-desire-to-be-understood-but-no-one-enjoys-being-obvious/) [Trevanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevanian/) > [What is human in me is not what is best in me. What is human in me is that I desire, and to obtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/what-is-human-in-me-is-not-what-is-best-in-me-what-is-human-in-me-is/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“That's what it was. I had been given something I absolutely did not deserve. And only here in coming back did I realize what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/that-s-what-it-was-i-had-been-given-something-i-absolutely-did-not/) [Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/) > [“You have a longing to be understood, but still feel the need to protect yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-p-freeman/you-have-a-longing-to-be-understood-but-still-feel-the-need-to/) [Emily P. Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-p-freeman/) > [I never understood how anyone could feel small compared with the universe. 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But seriously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/when-i-was-asked-how-i-felt-love-i-opened-my-mouth-to-say-the/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [When my friends and family call me Josie, it feels like I'm being seen. It's something everyone wants, to feel understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-totah/when-my-friends-and-family-call-me-josie-it-feels-like-i-m-being-seen/) [Josie Totah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-totah/) > [“Great books help you understand, and they help you to feel understood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/great-books-help-you-understand-and-they-help-you-to-feel-understood/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More by John Baldessari > [Talent is cheap, you have to be possessed or obsessed, rather. You really have to feel like you cannot not do art, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/talent-is-cheap-you-have-to-be-possessed-or-obsessed-rather-you/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [The idea of vaudeville clowns and court jesters is always to show the flaw, to point out what's not working and why it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/the-idea-of-vaudeville-clowns-and-court-jesters-is-always-to-show-the/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I will not make anymore boring art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-will-not-make-anymore-boring-art/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Writing helped me understand what I was thinking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/writing-helped-me-understand-what-i-was-thinking-about/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Probably one of the worst things that happened to photography is that cameras have viewfinders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/probably-one-of-the-worst-things-that-happened-to-photography-is-that/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [There's no such thing as a bad photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-bad-photograph/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I think I live such a boring life. But I can't imagine any other kind of life, so I guess it's the life I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-think-i-live-such-a-boring-life-but-i-can-t-imagine-any-other-kind/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I was teaching live drawing in a community college and students started zoning in on the face and spending a couple of hours on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-was-teaching-live-drawing-in-a-community-college-and-students/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Ideally I would like the work to be a hybrid between painting and photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/ideally-i-would-like-the-work-to-be-a-hybrid-between-painting-and/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [Most of my friends are women. I think women are more interesting to talk to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/most-of-my-friends-are-women-i-think-women-are-more-interesting-to/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [The idea was to take fine art and put it into the location of the movie scripts. The script itself is collage - some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/the-idea-was-to-take-fine-art-and-put-it-into-the-location-of-the/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [If I saw the art around me that I liked, then I wouldn't do art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/if-i-saw-the-art-around-me-that-i-liked-then-i-wouldn-t-do-art/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I could never figure out why photography and art had separate histories. So I decided to explore both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-could-never-figure-out-why-photography-and-art-had-separate/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [I go back and forth between wanting to be abundantly simple and maddeningly complex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/i-go-back-and-forth-between-wanting-to-be-abundantly-simple-and/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) > [If you're smart, you abandon the things that didn't work out so well, and you enlarge upon the things that seem to be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-baldessari/if-you-re-smart-you-abandon-the-things-that-didn-t-work-out-so-well/) [John Baldessari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) [Explore all 38 John Baldessari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-baldessari/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's human desire to be understood. 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