--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can know a thing to death and be for…" description: "\"“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his son, and there might still be nothi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/marilynne-robinson-602_death_you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for_43951.png" --- # You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes… ![“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his son, and there might still be nothing between them but loyalty and love and mutual incomprehension.” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/marilynne-robinson-602_death_you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for_43951.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/marilynne-robinson-602_death_you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for_43951.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/marilynne-robinson-602_death_you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for_43951.png) > ““You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his son, and there might still be nothing between them but loyalty and love and mutual incomprehension.”” [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deep knowledge can coexist with fundamental mystery; even intimate relationships are bound by love and loyalty despite incomprehension. **In simple terms:** Intimacy holds despite ignorance. Key Takeaway Love transcends understanding. Themes knowledge mystery family loyalty love incomprehension Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - parent‑child dynamics - spousal relationships - friendships - mentor‑mentee bonds Key Concepts epistemology human connection emotional resilience Practical Applications - counseling - literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to truly know someone? - Can love survive without full understanding? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loyalty And Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty-and-love/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sons/) ## Related quotes > [A man can know his father, or his son, and there might still be nothing between them but loyalty and love and mutual incomprehension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/a-man-can-know-his-father-or-his-son-and-there-might-still-be-nothing/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“No, he would never know his father, who would continue to sleep over there, his face for ever lost in the ashes. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/no-he-would-never-know-his-father-who-would-continue-to-sleep-over/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for-all-purposes-completely-2/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Dad had once said, Trust your mind, Rob. If it smells like shit but has writing across it that says Happy Birthday and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/dad-had-once-said-trust-your-mind-rob-if-it-smells-like-shit-but-has/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Woe to the generation of sons who find their censers empty of the rich incense of prayer, whose fathers have been too busy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/woe-to-the-generation-of-sons-who-find-their-censers-empty-of-the/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [Every man is responsible only for his own acts. The sons do not inherit the sins of the fathers. But can we say: that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksander-kwasniewski/every-man-is-responsible-only-for-his-own-acts-the-sons-do-not/) [Aleksander Kwasniewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksander-kwasniewski/) > [Relationships are interesting to me. 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Still alive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-beaty/yes-we-are-our-fathers-sons-and-daughters-but-we-are-not-their/) [Daniel Beaty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-beaty/) > [“I never told you this enough- it's a failing between all men, I think, but too often of fathers to their sons- I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-d-lacey/i-never-told-you-this-enough-it-s-a-failing-between-all-men-i-think/) Joseph D'Lacey > [We must speed up the time table for fathers, brothers and sons to provide their mothers, daughters and sisters with the same opportunities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/we-must-speed-up-the-time-table-for-fathers-brothers-and-sons-to/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [“Few sons are like their fathers--most are worse, few better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/few-sons-are-like-their-fathers-most-are-worse-few-better/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) ## More by Marilynne Robinson > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“I think sometimes there might be an advantage in making people aware how worn and stale these old transgressions are. 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