--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...no one knows why things happen, you…" description: "\"“...no one knows why things happen, you see? Anything could follow from anything. Even real history tells us nothing.”\" — Kim Stanley Robinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/kim-stanley-robinson-2148_history_no-one-knows-why-things-happen-you-see-a_563810.png" --- # ...no one knows why things happen, you see? Anything could… ![“...no one knows why things happen, you see? Anything could follow from anything. Even real history tells us nothing.” quote by Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/kim-stanley-robinson-2148_history_no-one-knows-why-things-happen-you-see-a_563810.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/kim-stanley-robinson-2148_history_no-one-knows-why-things-happen-you-see-a_563810.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/kim-stanley-robinson-2148_history_no-one-knows-why-things-happen-you-see-a_563810.png) > ““...no one knows why things happen, you see? Anything could follow from anything. Even real history tells us nothing.”” [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History is unpredictable; causality is elusive, reminding us of uncertainty in knowledge. **In simple terms:** History lacks clear cause and effect. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty, stay curious. Themes knowledge uncertainty philosophy Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - science - education - policy making - personal decisions - research Key Concepts causality historical limits Questions to Reflect On - How do you make decisions when causes are unclear? - What role does uncertainty play in scientific progress? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on uncertainty can paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happen Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-follow-4667967/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-tells-268869/) [Knows Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows-things-299296/) [Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tells/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) ## Related quotes > [History tells us breakaway parties don't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciana-berger/history-tells-us-breakaway-parties-don-t-work/) [Luciana Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciana-berger/) > [What man is, only his history tells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-dilthey/what-man-is-only-his-history-tells/) [Wilhelm Dilthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-dilthey/) > [“History tells Us It’s Possible".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/behnam-rajabpoor/history-tells-us-it-s-possible/) [Behnam Rajabpoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/behnam-rajabpoor/) > [What man is, only history tells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mosse/what-man-is-only-history-tells/) [George Mosse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mosse/) > [History is about who tells it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daveed-diggs/history-is-about-who-tells-it/) [Daveed Diggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daveed-diggs/) > [“The one who tells the stories rules the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-one-who-tells-the-stories-rules-the-world/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [History tells you if dictators are not stopped in time, they cause more damage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/history-tells-you-if-dictators-are-not-stopped-in-time-they-cause/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [History tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they have never been self-executing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/history-tells-us-that-while-these-truths-may-be-self-evident-they/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The purpose of history is to explain the present - to say why the world around us is the way it is. History tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/the-purpose-of-history-is-to-explain-the-present-to-say-why-the-world/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [History tells us that we must keep fighting in order to see progress, so we must continue. 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That's why you must always clear it before your dad uses the computer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-always-tells-a-story-that-s-why-you-must-always-clear-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Kim Stanley Robinson > [The minimum that most minimalists want leaves in place just the institutions who protect their interests. That's libertarians for you - anarchists who want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-minimum-that-most-minimalists-want-leaves-in-place-just-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“It's the love of right lures men to wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/it-s-the-love-of-right-lures-men-to-wrong/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“You can’t make love to your fame. Even though some people try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/you-can-t-make-love-to-your-fame-even-though-some-people-try/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“Memory is a haunting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/memory-is-a-haunting/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“No one cares about books, that’s why you can write anything you want in them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/no-one-cares-about-books-that-s-why-you-can-write-anything-you-want/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“Sometimes I think it's only post-scarcity that evil exists. Before that, it could always be put down to want or fear. 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A fierce inundation of photons—on average, 342 joules per second per square meter. 4185 joules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/the-earth-is-bathed-in-a-flood-of-sunlight-a-fierce-inundation-of/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“And so sometimes when you feel strange, when a pang tugs at your heart or it seems like the moment has already happened- or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/and-so-sometimes-when-you-feel-strange-when-a-pang-tugs-at-your-heart/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“...what has mattered are the moments of exposure to every life, when habit is no longer enough, and choices have to be made. 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It isn't the perfect end-product of our wishes, define it so and it deserves the scorn of those who sneer when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/must-redefine-utopia-it-isn-t-the-perfect-end-product-of-our-wishes/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [“Of course there was no such thing as a true repetition of anything; ever since the pre-Socratics that had been clear, Heraclitus and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/of-course-there-was-no-such-thing-as-a-true-repetition-of-anything/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [But lies were what people wanted; that was politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/but-lies-were-what-people-wanted-that-was-politics/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) [Explore all 183 Kim Stanley Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. 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The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) [C-DASH](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-dash/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...no one knows why things happen, you see? 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