--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are things we know and things we…" description: "\"There are things we know and things we don't know about food. But there are certain basic things we do know, and that's what I've tried to build these ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b98/michael-pollan-408_basic-things_there-are-things-we-know-and-things-we-d_3028992.png" --- # There are things we know and things we don't know about… ![“There are things we know and things we don't know about food. But there are certain basic things we do know, and that's what I've tried to build these rules on.” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b98/michael-pollan-408_basic-things_there-are-things-we-know-and-things-we-d_3028992.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b98/michael-pollan-408_basic-things_there-are-things-we-know-and-things-we-d_3028992.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b98/michael-pollan-408_basic-things_there-are-things-we-know-and-things-we-d_3028992.png) > “There are things we know and things we don't know about food. But there are certain basic things we do know, and that's what I've tried to build these rules on.” [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We can distinguish reliable food knowledge from speculation, and base decisions on solid fundamentals. **In simple terms:** Know basic food facts, ignore guesswork. Key Takeaway Build habits on proven nutrition. Themes nutrition science decision‑making Mood curious pragmatic Type educational analytical When to use this quote - grocery shopping - meal planning - policy advocacy Key Concepts food safety evidence‑based diet knowledge gaps Questions to Reflect On - What basic food fact could you verify today? - How do you handle conflicting nutrition advice? A Different Perspective Limited by evolving science and cultural differences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basic things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basic-things/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Food Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-certain-3973094/) [Know Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-food-429555/) [Know Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-things/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Things Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-know/) ## Related quotes > [I have a certain point of view, a certain way to plate food, certain ingredients that I like to use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-trotter/i-have-a-certain-point-of-view-a-certain-way-to-plate-food-certain/) [Charlie Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-trotter/) > [“You of all people, who seem to know things about me before I myself do. You know this is right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brockmole/you-of-all-people-who-seem-to-know-things-about-me-before-i-myself-do/) [Jessica Brockmole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brockmole/) > [If you don't know things, you know, you just go by your instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-murphy/if-you-don-t-know-things-you-know-you-just-go-by-your-instinct/) [Charlie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-murphy/) > [Yet they that know all things but know That all this life can give us is A child's laughter, a woman's kiss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/yet-they-that-know-all-things-but-know-that-all-this-life-can-give-us/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“It is astonishing, in the end, how difficult it is to know the things you know. What I mean is that all I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aoibheann-sweeney/it-is-astonishing-in-the-end-how-difficult-it-is-to-know-the-things/) [Aoibheann Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aoibheann-sweeney/) > [Now I know the things I know, and I do the things I do; and if you do not like me so, to hell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/now-i-know-the-things-i-know-and-i-do-the-things-i-do-and-if-you-do/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [In youth, it was a way I had, To do my best to please. And change, with every passing lad To suit his theories.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-youth-it-was-a-way-i-had-to-do-my-best-to-please-and-change-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We know the things that are not good and are right. Those things that we know are wrong, we've got to fix them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/we-know-the-things-that-are-not-good-and-are-right-those-things-that/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [The only thing I know is the only things that I know. You can't ask me to talk about something I have no information…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-jhn/the-only-thing-i-know-is-the-only-things-that-i-know-you-can-t-ask-me/) [Saint Jhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-jhn/) > [But now I know the things I know And do the things I do, And if you do not like me so, To hell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-now-i-know-the-things-i-know-and-do-the-things-i-do-and-if-you-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ignorance lies not in the things you don't know, but in the things you know that ain't so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/ignorance-lies-not-in-the-things-you-don-t-know-but-in-the-things-you/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I know some things--I know that I'm not alone, that I have friends, that I'm in love. I know that I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-know-some-things-i-know-that-i-m-not-alone-that-i-have-friends-that/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Sometimes you think you know things, know things very deeply, only to realize you don't know a damn thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/sometimes-you-think-you-know-things-know-things-very-deeply-only-to/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [The more you know about how things are the less you know about how things could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-dediu/the-more-you-know-about-how-things-are-the-less-you-know-about-how/) [Horace Dediu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-dediu/) > [“Take your time to find and understand what you don’t know and in the end, you shall know that it is not all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/take-your-time-to-find-and-understand-what-you-don-t-know-and-in-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) ## More by Michael Pollan > [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [The problem is that we let special-occasion food become everyday food. That goes for soda and french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-problem-is-that-we-let-special-occasion-food-become-everyday-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/every-peasant-cuisine-has-incredible-ingenious-tricks-for-getting-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. That's where I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-end-i-m-still-a-writer-i-m-still-a-journalist-and-my-first/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“The bubble logic driving tulipomania has since acquired a name: “the greater fool theory.” Although by any conventional measure it is folly to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-bubble-logic-driving-tulipomania-has-since-acquired-a-name-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most afflicts the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-surely-it-is-pride-that-most-afflicts-the/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Eat with consciousness. When you eat with consciousness, and you know what you're eating, and you eat it in full appreciation of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-with-consciousness-when-you-eat-with-consciousness-and-you-know/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [This is part of human nature, the desire to change consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/this-is-part-of-human-nature-the-desire-to-change-consciousness/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“...whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it's actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/whenever-i-hear-people-say-clean-food-is-expensive-i-tell-them-it-s/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“CONSULT YOUR GUT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/consult-your-gut/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) [Explore all 584 Michael Pollan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More Basic things quotes > [When it comes to educating all of us about the most basic things in life, it seems to me we need more kindergartens and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/when-it-comes-to-educating-all-of-us-about-the-most-basic-things-in/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [“Every human being, he believed, must do one of three basic things during his lifetime: leave something living, create something lovely, or make something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-manfredi/every-human-being-he-believed-must-do-one-of-three-basic-things/) [Renee Manfredi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-manfredi/) > [I want to do the basic things, like putting my daughter to bed. It's the sweetest thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-douglas/i-want-to-do-the-basic-things-like-putting-my-daughter-to-bed-it-s/) [Tom Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-douglas/) > [All I can do is just go in there and tighten up my game, tighten up my handles. Just all the little basic things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-rose/all-i-can-do-is-just-go-in-there-and-tighten-up-my-game-tighten-up-my/) [Derrick Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-rose/) > [Come back down to basics. The basic things of life, the basic things for me are the things that turn me on more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ashcroft/come-back-down-to-basics-the-basic-things-of-life-the-basic-things/) [Richard Ashcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ashcroft/) > [Here's an easy one: "Race is an entirely social construct." No, it's partially one, depending on how any given society seeks to define it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-goad/here-s-an-easy-one-race-is-an-entirely-social-construct-no-it-s/) [Jim Goad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-goad/) > [And after a while, you just pare things down more and more and more, until you get to certain basic things which just -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/and-after-a-while-you-just-pare-things-down-more-and-more-and-more/) [Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/) > [This basic thing I always do: 'What happened between the character's birth, and page one of the script?' Anything that's not in the story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/this-basic-thing-i-always-do-what-happened-between-the-character-s/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [When you realize how hard it is to know the truth about yourself, you understand that even the most exhaustive and well-meaning autobiography, determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-rose/when-you-realize-how-hard-it-is-to-know-the-truth-about-yourself-you/) [Phyllis Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-rose/) > [We just can't love without God. God wants for us want we want for ourselves. These basic things are not that hard to grasp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/we-just-can-t-love-without-god-god-wants-for-us-want-we-want-for/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [Even though L.A Confidential box-office was a fraction of, say, Titanic or the Grinch movie, it finds its audience and will continue doing so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/even-though-l-a-confidential-box-office-was-a-fraction-of-say-titanic/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [If loyalty is, and always has been, perceived as obsolete, why do we continue to praise it? Because loyalty is essential to the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-felten/if-loyalty-is-and-always-has-been-perceived-as-obsolete-why-do-we/) [Eric Felten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-felten/) > [If you look at it that way, then you start thinking about the basic things, which are jobs not jails, and education not incarceration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oren-moverman/if-you-look-at-it-that-way-then-you-start-thinking-about-the-basic/) [Oren Moverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oren-moverman/) > [I was scared before every battle. That old instinct of self-preservation is a pretty basic thing, but while the action was going on some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audie-murphy/i-was-scared-before-every-battle-that-old-instinct-of-self/) [Audie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audie-murphy/) > [Cookbooks hit you where you live. You want comfort; you want security; you want food; you want to not be hungry and not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-colwin/cookbooks-hit-you-where-you-live-you-want-comfort-you-want-security/) [Laurie Colwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-colwin/) [Browse all 50 Basic things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basic-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are things we know and things we don't know about food. 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