--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes the need for mystery is greater…" description: "\"Sometimes the need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.\" — Ken Kesey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/ken-kesey-1034_answers_sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greate_1192110.png" --- # Sometimes the need for mystery is greater than the need… ![“Sometimes the need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.” quote by Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/ken-kesey-1034_answers_sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greate_1192110.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/ken-kesey-1034_answers_sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greate_1192110.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/ken-kesey-1034_answers_sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greate_1192110.png) > “Sometimes the need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.” [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often prioritize the intrigue of mystery over the comfort of clear answers. **In simple terms:** Mystery can be more appealing than answers. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity, but seek truth. Themes curiosity uncertainty knowledge Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - creative writing - personal dilemmas - spiritual quests Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - When does mystery become a barrier? - How can we balance intrigue with clarity? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on mystery may hinder resolution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Greater Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greater-need-874839/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mystery Greater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-greater-3541867/) [Need Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-answer-460848/) [Need Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-mystery-3123058/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) ## Related quotes > [The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-need-for-mystery-is-greater-than-the-need-for-an-answer/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The answer is never the answer. What's really interesting is the mystery. If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you'll always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-answer-is-never-the-answer-what-s-really-interesting-is-the/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Faith is not knowledge of what the mystery of the universe is, but the conviction that there is a mystery, and that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolpe/faith-is-not-knowledge-of-what-the-mystery-of-the-universe-is-but-the/) [David Wolpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolpe/) > [You need mystery. You actually do. I think that's what foreign women, French women in particular, are good at. There's still a sense that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-clarke/you-need-mystery-you-actually-do-i-think-that-s-what-foreign-women/) [Jason Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-clarke/) > [You were born with everything you need to answer the call of your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-forleo/you-were-born-with-everything-you-need-to-answer-the-call-of-your-soul/) [Marie Forleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-forleo/) > [“I don't need every answer. Just the right answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrett-mccoy/i-don-t-need-every-answer-just-the-right-answer/) [Garrett McCoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrett-mccoy/) > [When you ask someone how much they love us and how much they need us? They cant answer you right away then just forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaadiamond/when-you-ask-someone-how-much-they-love-us-and-how-much-they-need-us/) [ShaaDiamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaadiamond/) > [ L need you to answer the questions below... \[1\] Can one cry under water? \[2\] Do fish ever get thirsty? \[3\] Why don't birds… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arcine-arciniegas/l-need-you-to-answer-the-questions-below-1-can-one-cry-under-water-2/) [Arcine Arciniegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arcine-arciniegas/) > [“You need to answer questions on where, when and what to do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-need-to-answer-questions-on-where-when-and-what-to-do/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“If you are truthful, then you do not need to give an answer to anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukesh-prajapat/if-you-are-truthful-then-you-do-not-need-to-give-an-answer-to-anyone/) [mukesh prajapat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukesh-prajapat/) > [We must show charity towards the sick, who are in greater need of help. Let us take them some small gift if they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonsus-liguori/we-must-show-charity-towards-the-sick-who-are-in-greater-need-of-help/) [Alphonsus Liguori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonsus-liguori/) > [“The higher you rise, the greater your need for advice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-w-carr/the-higher-you-rise-the-greater-your-need-for-advice/) [Patrick W. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-w-carr/) > [The more complex the problems of the Nation become, the greater is the need for more and more advanced instruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/the-more-complex-the-problems-of-the-nation-become-the-greater-is-the/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [ Reflect that in reality you have a greater need to serve \[the poor\] than they have of your service. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merici/reflect-that-in-reality-you-have-a-greater-need-to-serve-the-poor/) [Angela Merici](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merici/) > [It would be considered a theft on our part if we didn't give to someone in greater need than we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/it-would-be-considered-a-theft-on-our-part-if-we-didn-t-give-to/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) ## More by Ken Kesey > [“Time overlaps itself. A breath breathed from a passing breeze is not the whole wind, neither is it just the last of what has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/time-overlaps-itself-a-breath-breathed-from-a-passing-breeze-is-not/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The Grateful Dead are faster than light drive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-grateful-dead-are-faster-than-light-drive/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“Okay, stand outa the way. Sometimes when I go to exertin' myself I use up all the air nearby and grown men faint from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/okay-stand-outa-the-way-sometimes-when-i-go-to-exertin-myself-i-use/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The frontiers we broke into in the '60s are still largely unexplored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-frontiers-we-broke-into-in-the-60s-are-still-largely-unexplored/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [There's something about taking a plow and breaking new ground. It gives you energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/there-s-something-about-taking-a-plow-and-breaking-new-ground-it/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [The best of all possible cages.' Ben stepped back to regard the job with a sad smile. 'What more can one ask?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/the-best-of-all-possible-cages-ben-stepped-back-to-regard-the-job/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [Your trouble is, you keep trying to unscrew the unscrutable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/your-trouble-is-you-keep-trying-to-unscrew-the-unscrutable/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [That ain't me, that ain't my face. It wasn't even me when I was trying to be that face. I wasn't even really me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/that-ain-t-me-that-ain-t-my-face-it-wasn-t-even-me-when-i-was-trying/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [But if the strength ain't real, I recall thinking the very last thing that day, before I finally passed out, then the weakness sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/but-if-the-strength-ain-t-real-i-recall-thinking-the-very-last-thing/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“They think they know the book by its cover, but the book knows what it is. Now he knew better; if the book never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/they-think-they-know-the-book-by-its-cover-but-the-book-knows-what-it/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [More was revealed in a human face than a human being can bear face to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/more-was-revealed-in-a-human-face-than-a-human-being-can-bear-face-to/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [If this glorious birth to death hassle is the only hassle we are ever to have ..if our grand exhilarating fight of life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/if-this-glorious-birth-to-death-hassle-is-the-only-hassle-we-are-ever/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“It's gonna burn me just that way, finally telling about all this, about the hospital, and her, and the guys- and about McMurphy. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/it-s-gonna-burn-me-just-that-way-finally-telling-about-all-this-about/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [When Shakespeare was writing, he wasn't writing for stuff to lie on the page; it was supposed to get up and move around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/when-shakespeare-was-writing-he-wasn-t-writing-for-stuff-to-lie-on/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [“And then some guy wandering as lost as you would all of a sudden be right before your eyes, his face bigger and clearer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/and-then-some-guy-wandering-as-lost-as-you-would-all-of-a-sudden-be/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) [Explore all 295 Ken Kesey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes the need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Kesey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greater-than-the-need-for-an-answer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greater-than-the-need-for-an-answer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/ken-kesey-1034_answers_sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greate_1192110.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/ken-kesey-1034_answers_sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greate_1192110.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/ken-kesey-1034_answers_sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greate_1192110.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes the need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.” — Ken Kesey", "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": "Ken Kesey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes the need for mystery is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greater-than-the-need-for-an-answer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/sometimes-the-need-for-mystery-is-greater-than-the-need-for-an-answer/#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 } } ] } ```