--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you think things always have an…" description: "\"“Do you think things always have an explanation?” “Yes. I believe that they do. But I think that with our human limitations we’re not always able to un..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/madeleine-l-engle-345_explanation_do-you-think-things-always-have-an-expla_3004367.png" --- # Do you think things always have an explanation?” “Yes. I… ![“Do you think things always have an explanation?” “Yes. I believe that they do. But I think that with our human limitations we’re not always able to understand the explanations. But you see, Meg, just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation doesn’t exist.” quote by Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/madeleine-l-engle-345_explanation_do-you-think-things-always-have-an-expla_3004367.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/madeleine-l-engle-345_explanation_do-you-think-things-always-have-an-expla_3004367.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/madeleine-l-engle-345_explanation_do-you-think-things-always-have-an-expla_3004367.png) > ““Do you think things always have an explanation?” “Yes. I believe that they do. But I think that with our human limitations we’re not always able to understand the explanations. But you see, Meg, just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation doesn’t exist.”” [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explanations exist even if human limits prevent us from fully understanding them. **In simple terms:** Answers may be beyond our grasp. Key Takeaway Accept limits while seeking truth. Themes philosophy humility knowledge Mood thoughtful humble Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - science education - personal growth - spiritual inquiry - problem solving Key Concepts ontology cognitive limits Questions to Reflect On - What explanations do you accept without fully understanding? - How do you cope with unknown reasons? A Different Perspective Some mysteries may remain unknowable forever. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [With our human limitations we're not always able to understand the explanations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/with-our-human-limitations-we-re-not-always-able-to-understand-the/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Those that know, do not need explanations, and those that do not, would not understand any explanations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-frost/those-that-know-do-not-need-explanations-and-those-that-do-not-would/) [Michelle Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-frost/) > [Just because we don't understand doesn't mean that the explanation doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/just-because-we-don-t-understand-doesn-t-mean-that-the-explanation/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [But the stupidity which is common to all such "explanations" is, of course, simply that of proceeding as though the merits of a theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stove/but-the-stupidity-which-is-common-to-all-such-explanations-is-of/) [David Stove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stove/) > [And if you can offer an explanation as to why it doesn't work then you've got to the whole root of comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-norden/and-if-you-can-offer-an-explanation-as-to-why-it-doesn-t-work-then/) [Denis Norden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-norden/) > [When doesn't life make sense, an explanation doesn't ease your pain; the presence of God does...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/when-doesn-t-life-make-sense-an-explanation-doesn-t-ease-your-pain/) Unkown > [“Al’s explanation doesn’t appease John. “It’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-kofman/al-s-explanation-doesn-t-appease-john-it-s/) [Fred Kofman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-kofman/) > [Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/watching-a-whole-cluster-of-friends-and-my-own-mother-die-over-quite/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [There are many aspects of time we just do not understand. That’s the thing about writing a popular book: You realize the things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/there-are-many-aspects-of-time-we-just-do-not-understand-that-s-the/) [Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/) > [Some explanations of a crime are not explanations: they're part of the crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olavo-de-carvalho/some-explanations-of-a-crime-are-not-explanations-they-re-part-of-the/) Olavo de Carvalho > [With old inflation riding the headlines, I have read till I am bleary-eyed, and I can't get head from tails of the whole thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/with-old-inflation-riding-the-headlines-i-have-read-till-i-am-bleary/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Explanations don't comfort. You won't feel better if you know why. It won't hurt any less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/explanations-don-t-comfort-you-won-t-feel-better-if-you-know-why-it/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“The easiest explanations are often the right ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/the-easiest-explanations-are-often-the-right-ones/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [I loved Sherlock Holmes as a kid, but I remember being disappointed when he'd come up with these simple explanations for these complex mysteries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/i-loved-sherlock-holmes-as-a-kid-but-i-remember-being-disappointed/) [Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/) > [There are situations when all answers and explanations fade. When you fully accept that you do not know, you give up struggling to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-are-situations-when-all-answers-and-explanations-fade-when-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) ## More by Madeleine L'Engle > [“One of the hardest lessons I have to learn is how not to be judgmental about people who are judgmental. When I see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/one-of-the-hardest-lessons-i-have-to-learn-is-how-not-to-be/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Inspiration more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of an artist is to listen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/inspiration-more-often-comes-during-the-work-than-before-it-because/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/you-have-to-write-the-book-that-wants-to-be-written-and-if-the-book/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Severe illness isolates those in close contact with it, because it inevitably narrows the focus of concern. To a certain extent this can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/severe-illness-isolates-those-in-close-contact-with-it-because-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Goodness has never been a guarantee of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/goodness-has-never-been-a-guarantee-of-safety/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/faith-is-what-makes-life-bearable-with-all-its-tragedies-and/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“Instead of rejoicing in this glorious “impossible” which gives meaning and dignity to our lives, we try to domesticate God, to make his mighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/instead-of-rejoicing-in-this-glorious-impossible-which-gives-meaning/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I have never lived before...Until this summer, I did not know what it was to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-have-never-lived-before-until-this-summer-i-did-not-know-what-it/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [On the other side of pain, there is still love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/on-the-other-side-of-pain-there-is-still-love/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“To love is to be vulnerable; and it is only in vulnerability and risk—not safety and security—that we overcome darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/to-love-is-to-be-vulnerable-and-it-is-only-in-vulnerability-and-risk/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [“IT was the most horrible, the most repellent thing she had ever seen, far more nauseating then anything she had ever imagined with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-was-the-most-horrible-the-most-repellent-thing-she-had-ever-seen/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [I feel as though I'm not breathing when I'm out of his presence. He's the oxygen in my air, the sun in my universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/i-feel-as-though-i-m-not-breathing-when-i-m-out-of-his-presence-he-s/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Rather than feeling lost and unimportant and meaningless, set against galaxies which go beyond the reach of the furthest telescopes, I feel that my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/rather-than-feeling-lost-and-unimportant-and-meaningless-set-against/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [My husband is my most ruthless critic... sometimes he will say, 'It's been said better before.' Of course it has. It's all been said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/my-husband-is-my-most-ruthless-critic-sometimes-he-will-say-it-s-been/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [If we aren't capable of being hurt we aren't capable of feeling joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/if-we-aren-t-capable-of-being-hurt-we-aren-t-capable-of-feeling-joy/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) [Explore all 660 Madeleine L'Engle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## More Explanation quotes > [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/) > [Yesterday's truth is today's bullshit. Even yesterday's liberating insight is today's jail of stale explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-blanton/yesterday-s-truth-is-today-s-bullshit-even-yesterday-s-liberating/) [Brad Blanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-blanton/) > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [To prevent discussion of any other explanations of human origins is hardly what I would expect from open-minded educators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/to-prevent-discussion-of-any-other-explanations-of-human-origins-is/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [What most needs explanation is not why some people are criminals, but why most people are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-q-wilson/what-most-needs-explanation-is-not-why-some-people-are-criminals-but/) [James Q. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-q-wilson/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/the-goal-of-faithfulness-is-not-that-we-will-do-work-for-god-but-that/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“But let the wise be warned against too great readiness at explanation: it multiplies the sources of mistake, lengthening the sum for reckoners sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-let-the-wise-be-warned-against-too-great-readiness-at-explanation/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [ \[Barack Obama\] will spend long periods of time explaining to people why he won't use it. At the end of the explanation, nobody knows… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/barack-obama-will-spend-long-periods-of-time-explaining-to-people-why/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Being a moral realist I see normative ethics as a search of the truth about our obligations and a search of explanation; the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torbjorn-tannsjo/being-a-moral-realist-i-see-normative-ethics-as-a-search-of-the-truth/) [Torbjorn Tannsjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torbjorn-tannsjo/) > [Take the story of Cain and Abel. Why were we given that story? Scientifically, you may have an explanation for it, but I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/take-the-story-of-cain-and-abel-why-were-we-given-that-story/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [It is amazing how soon one becomes accustomed to the sound of ones voice, when forced to repeat a speech five or six times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/it-is-amazing-how-soon-one-becomes-accustomed-to-the-sound-of-ones/) [J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/) > [I don't listen to music. I know it's weird, and I have no explanation for that. But I never do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/i-don-t-listen-to-music-i-know-it-s-weird-and-i-have-no-explanation/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [There are situations when all answers and explanations fade. When you fully accept that you do not know, you give up struggling to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/there-are-situations-when-all-answers-and-explanations-fade-when-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) Browse all 1,440 Explanation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Do you think things always have an explanation?” “Yes. I believe that they do. But I think that with our human limitations we’re not always able to understand the explanations. But you see, Meg, just because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation doesn’t exist.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Madeleine L'Engle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/do-you-think-things-always-have-an-explanation-yes-i-believe-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Explanation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/do-you-think-things-always-have-an-explanation-yes-i-believe-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/madeleine-l-engle-345_explanation_do-you-think-things-always-have-an-expla_3004367.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/madeleine-l-engle-345_explanation_do-you-think-things-always-have-an-expla_3004367.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0eb/madeleine-l-engle-345_explanation_do-you-think-things-always-have-an-expla_3004367.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do you think things always have an explanation?” “Yes. I believe that they do. But I think that with our…” — Madeleine L'Engle", "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": "Madeleine L'Engle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Do you think things always have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/do-you-think-things-always-have-an-explanation-yes-i-believe-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/do-you-think-things-always-have-an-explanation-yes-i-believe-that/#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 } } ] } ```