--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People would be surprised if they knew…" description: "\"People would be surprised if they knew how much in this world was due to prayers.\" — Kurt Vonnegut" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/kurt-vonnegut-41_people_people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-h_1846995.jpg" --- # People would be surprised if they knew how much in this… ![“People would be surprised if they knew how much in this world was due to prayers.” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/kurt-vonnegut-41_people_people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-h_1846995.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/kurt-vonnegut-41_people_people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-h_1846995.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/kurt-vonnegut-41_people_people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-h_1846995.jpg) > “People would be surprised if they knew how much in this world was due to prayers.” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prayer’s impact is underestimated; many outcomes stem from unseen spiritual influence. **In simple terms:** Prayer subtly shapes the world. Key Takeaway Acknowledge unseen influences. Themes faith cause and effect humility Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal coping - community rituals - ethical decisions Key Concepts spirituality probability Questions to Reflect On - How does prayer affect your life? - What other unseen forces matter? A Different Perspective Not all outcomes are attributable to prayer. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Prayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayers/) [Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [People would be surprised by me if they knew I was humble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreja-pejic/people-would-be-surprised-by-me-if-they-knew-i-was-humble/) [Andreja Pejic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreja-pejic/) > [There are few men who dare to publish to the world the prayers they make to Almighty God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/there-are-few-men-who-dare-to-publish-to-the-world-the-prayers-they/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“Her own fearless audacity had surprised her, though she knew she had been born for more than her life had asked of her thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-russo-morin/her-own-fearless-audacity-had-surprised-her-though-she-knew-she-had/) Donna Russo Morin > [“Feeling very surprised too at myself. I knew what was happening, O my brothers. I was like growing up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/feeling-very-surprised-too-at-myself-i-knew-what-was-happening-o-my/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [In all my childhood, I never heard my grandparents say that anything shocked or surprised them. They knew what their country was capable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/in-all-my-childhood-i-never-heard-my-grandparents-say-that-anything/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [English people are always surprised I'm English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunnam/english-people-are-always-surprised-i-m-english/) [Charlie Hunnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunnam/) > [I think people will be surprised to find that I'm not as much of an idiot as they think I am. I'm not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-o/i-think-people-will-be-surprised-to-find-that-i-m-not-as-much-of-an/) [Steve-O](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-o/) > [I think people are surprised that I'm not - I think people come up to talk to me, and they think I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perfume-genius/i-think-people-are-surprised-that-i-m-not-i-think-people-come-up-to/) [Perfume Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perfume-genius/) > [It was amazing that a play that seems dated in this world... A man whose best friend is a six-foot white rabbit... But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stewart/it-was-amazing-that-a-play-that-seems-dated-in-this-world-a-man-whose/) [James Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stewart/) > [People are always surprised when I say that I'm an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/people-are-always-surprised-when-i-say-that-i-m-an-atheist/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I am also a hard worker and people are sometimes surprised to see that as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-milian/i-am-also-a-hard-worker-and-people-are-sometimes-surprised-to-see/) [Christina Milian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-milian/) > [People are always surprised to see clues to my being a normal kind of guy. As if I'm somehow letting the team down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/people-are-always-surprised-to-see-clues-to-my-being-a-normal-kind-of/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [There are people who are surprised at my politics and being a conservative and the rest of it. But the truth of the matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-newton/there-are-people-who-are-surprised-at-my-politics-and-being-a/) [Wayne Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-newton/) > [People are always so surprised when they meet me. Firstly, that I'm 'so tiny', and secondly that I'm 'so sweet'. They seem surprised that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/people-are-always-so-surprised-when-they-meet-me-firstly-that-i-m-so/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [Many people would be surprised that, in fact, I'm quite shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/many-people-would-be-surprised-that-in-fact-i-m-quite-shy/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More People quotes > [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) [Browse all 211,607 People quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People would be surprised if they knew how much in this world was due to prayers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-how-much-in-this-world-was-due/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "People" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-how-much-in-this-world-was-due/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/kurt-vonnegut-41_people_people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-h_1846995.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/kurt-vonnegut-41_people_people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-h_1846995.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68b/kurt-vonnegut-41_people_people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-h_1846995.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People would be surprised if they knew how much in this world was due to prayers.” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People would be surprised if they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-how-much-in-this-world-was-due/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-would-be-surprised-if-they-knew-how-much-in-this-world-was-due/#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 } } ] } ```