--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't do anything sensible until you…" description: "\"You can't do anything sensible until you know what the situation is that you're in.\" — Julian Assange" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/julian-assange-1566_anything_you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you_1376031.jpg" --- # You can't do anything sensible until you know what the… ![“You can't do anything sensible until you know what the situation is that you're in.” quote by Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/julian-assange-1566_anything_you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you_1376031.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/julian-assange-1566_anything_you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you_1376031.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/julian-assange-1566_anything_you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you_1376031.jpg) > “You can't do anything sensible until you know what the situation is that you're in.” [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding the current context is prerequisite to making rational decisions. **In simple terms:** Know the situation before acting. Key Takeaway Assess context first. Themes decisionmaking awareness strategy Mood thoughtful cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - business planning - crisis response - personal goal setting Key Concepts situational analysis critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify your understanding of a situation? - What biases affect your perception? A Different Perspective Without accurate context, actions may be misguided. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-situation-585498/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Sensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensible/) [Sensible Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensible-know-2735390/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Until](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/until/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [People are sensible enough to know who's dragging my name in dirt for publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-patel/people-are-sensible-enough-to-know-who-s-dragging-my-name-in-dirt-for/) [Karan Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-patel/) > [“Be okay about the things you do not understand. In fact, embrace the uncertainty, but do not allow it to bring you down. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-c-adams/be-okay-about-the-things-you-do-not-understand-in-fact-embrace-the/) [Mike C. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-c-adams/) > [“You do not know a situation until you experience .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aceqwetyu/you-do-not-know-a-situation-until-you-experience/) [AceQwetyu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aceqwetyu/) > [Know more about the situation you're facing than a reporter who is writing a major article would.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-beth-jones/know-more-about-the-situation-you-re-facing-than-a-reporter-who-is/) [Laurie Beth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-beth-jones/) > [If you don't know the situation, then you don't have a right to have an opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-know-the-situation-then-you-don-t-have-a-right-to-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You will never lose a battle if you know your own situation as well as that of the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/you-will-never-lose-a-battle-if-you-know-your-own-situation-as-well/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Well we know the whole situation's full of lies, Dad. That's just the way it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gotti/well-we-know-the-whole-situation-s-full-of-lies-dad-that-s-just-the/) [John Gotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gotti/) > [“When you don’t know what to do in a situation, ask yourself, ‘What would the person I want to be do in this situation?’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-dudley/when-you-don-t-know-what-to-do-in-a-situation-ask-yourself-what-would/) [Drew Dudley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-dudley/) > [If I know everything around the situation, all the facts, I feel like I can handle just about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-keys/if-i-know-everything-around-the-situation-all-the-facts-i-feel-like-i/) [Alicia Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-keys/) > [Don't judge person if u don't know the whole situation!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-judge-person-if-u-don-t-know-the-whole-situation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes you have to let go ... for some reason you only know ... and for the situation you have to move on ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-oroso/sometimes-you-have-to-let-go-for-some-reason-you-only-know-and-for/) [Mae Oroso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-oroso/) > [Unless you know the whole situation and know FACTS...keep your mouth shut!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/unless-you-know-the-whole-situation-and-know-facts-keep-your-mouth/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [If you don't know the situation, then you don't have the right to have an opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/if-you-don-t-know-the-situation-then-you-don-t-have-the-right-to-have/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I wasn't afraid of anything until I had a kid. Then I was terrified because immediately I could imagine a hundred ways in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-wasn-t-afraid-of-anything-until-i-had-a-kid-then-i-was-terrified/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I didn't want to do anything but ride horses until I was, like, 15.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-cyrus/i-didn-t-want-to-do-anything-but-ride-horses-until-i-was-like-15/) [Noah Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-cyrus/) ## More by Julian Assange > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [There's more than 1700 emails out of the thirty three thousand Hillary Clinton emails that we've published, just about Libya. It's not that Libya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/there-s-more-than-1700-emails-out-of-the-thirty-three-thousand/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [We always expect tremendous criticism. It is my role to be the lightning rod ... to attract the attacks against the organization for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-always-expect-tremendous-criticism-it-is-my-role-to-be-the/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [“Well it's not possible to win this kind of thing. This is a continuous striving that people have done for a long time. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/well-it-s-not-possible-to-win-this-kind-of-thing-this-is-a-continuous/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [It is impossible to correct abuses unless we know that theyre going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/it-is-impossible-to-correct-abuses-unless-we-know-that-theyre-going-on/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [WikiLeaks is a source protection organization. We are famous for never having exposed one of our sources over 10 years. That's why sources trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/wikileaks-is-a-source-protection-organization-we-are-famous-for-never/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Everyone should understand that when they add their friends to Facebook, they are doing free work for United States intelligence agencies in building this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/everyone-should-understand-that-when-they-add-their-friends-to/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [And if Bradley Manning really did as he is accused, he is a hero, an example to us all and one of the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/and-if-bradley-manning-really-did-as-he-is-accused-he-is-a-hero-an/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [All over the world, the barriers between what is inside an organisation and outside an organisation are being smoothed out. In the military, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/all-over-the-world-the-barriers-between-what-is-inside-an/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Non-conformity is the only real passion worth being ruled by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/non-conformity-is-the-only-real-passion-worth-being-ruled-by/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [Society develops a type of self-censorship, with the knowledge that surveillance exists - a self-censorship that is even expressed when people communicate with each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/society-develops-a-type-of-self-censorship-with-the-knowledge-that/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [During the period of house arrest, I had an electronic manacle around my leg for 24 hours a day, and for someone who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/during-the-period-of-house-arrest-i-had-an-electronic-manacle-around/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [There's an early 2014 email from Hillary Clinton, not so long after she left the State Department, to her campaign manager John Podesta that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/there-s-an-early-2014-email-from-hillary-clinton-not-so-long-after/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [ The U.N. \[the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention\] has looked into this whole situation. They spent eighteen months in formal, adversarial litigation.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/the-u-n-the-united-nations-working-group-on-arbitrary-detention-has/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [I always believed that WikiLeaks as a concept would perform a global role, and to some degree it was clear that it was doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/i-always-believed-that-wikileaks-as-a-concept-would-perform-a-global/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) [Explore all 227 Julian Assange quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) ## More Anything quotes > [I guess I've never really wanted to be anything else. I've never even thought about having another job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/i-guess-i-ve-never-really-wanted-to-be-anything-else-i-ve-never-even/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/) [Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/) > [Comfort food is really anything you want at that time. That said, I really love Naple-style pizza.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/comfort-food-is-really-anything-you-want-at-that-time-that-said-i/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/) [Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/) > [When it really comes down to it, the job you do is more important and is more representative of who you are than your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/when-it-really-comes-down-to-it-the-job-you-do-is-more-important-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [I never did drama at school. I did it for one term, when it was compulsory, and I hated it. Tennis was the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-mitchell/i-never-did-drama-at-school-i-did-it-for-one-term-when-it-was/) [Luke Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-mitchell/) > [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [You know, I'm from Baltimore; nobody has anything. When somebody had talent, I was hiring my uncle, my cousin, you know? Getting people that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sisqo/you-know-i-m-from-baltimore-nobody-has-anything-when-somebody-had/) [Sisqo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sisqo/) > [I said to my agent, 'I want short, sharp, well-paid jobs because I haven't got time for anything else.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-whitelaw/i-said-to-my-agent-i-want-short-sharp-well-paid-jobs-because-i-haven/) [Billie Whitelaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-whitelaw/) > [I think anything that anyone writes thats any good is going to have a lot of autobiography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-adly-guirgis/i-think-anything-that-anyone-writes-thats-any-good-is-going-to-have-a/) [Stephen Adly Guirgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-adly-guirgis/) > [If the Bible is correct, and the Earth is only 6,000 years old, that means there were no dinosaurs, and museum curators have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shock/if-the-bible-is-correct-and-the-earth-is-only-6-000-years-old-that/) [Ron Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shock/) > [Don't do anything drastic like getting your eyebrows tattooed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-lee/don-t-do-anything-drastic-like-getting-your-eyebrows-tattooed/) [Greta Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-lee/) > [Whenever you define family as anything other than a man and a woman married together, you have just introduced an ethical nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-evans/whenever-you-define-family-as-anything-other-than-a-man-and-a-woman/) [Tony Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-evans/) > [No lusting after your neighbor's house - or wife or servant or maid or ox or donkey. Don't set your heart on anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moses/no-lusting-after-your-neighbor-s-house-or-wife-or-servant-or-maid-or/) [Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moses/) [Browse all 9,437 Anything quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anything/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't do anything sensible until you know what the situation is that you're in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julian Assange" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you-know-what-the-situation-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anything" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you-know-what-the-situation-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/julian-assange-1566_anything_you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you_1376031.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/julian-assange-1566_anything_you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you_1376031.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/julian-assange-1566_anything_you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you_1376031.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't do anything sensible until you know what the situation is that you're in.” — Julian Assange", "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": "Julian Assange", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't do anything sensible until...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you-know-what-the-situation-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/you-can-t-do-anything-sensible-until-you-know-what-the-situation-is/#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 } } ] } ```