--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The tragedy of our seemingly…" description: "\"“The tragedy of our seemingly insurmountable ignorance keeps us seeking.”\" — Owen O'Brien" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/owen-o-brien-267709_ignorance_the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmounta_2518404.jpg" --- # The tragedy of our seemingly insurmountable ignorance… ![“The tragedy of our seemingly insurmountable ignorance keeps us seeking.” quote by Owen O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/owen-o-brien-267709_ignorance_the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmounta_2518404.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/owen-o-brien-267709_ignorance_the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmounta_2518404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/owen-o-brien-267709_ignorance_the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmounta_2518404.jpg) > ““The tragedy of our seemingly insurmountable ignorance keeps us seeking.”” Owen O'Brien ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our ignorance drives curiosity, prompting the pursuit of knowledge. **In simple terms:** Ignorance fuels seeking. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity. Themes knowledge curiosity human nature Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research projects - personal study - exploratory travel Key Concepts philosophy epistemology motivation Questions to Reflect On - What ignorance motivates you? - How do you turn ignorance into action? A Different Perspective Ignorance can also lead to complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) ## Related quotes > [Your ignorance keeps dismembering every piece of patience I have left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/your-ignorance-keeps-dismembering-every-piece-of-patience-i-have-left/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [The problem is that our inherent ignorance keeps us in samsara and unable to benefit ourselves and others on a really deep level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-problem-is-that-our-inherent-ignorance-keeps-us-in-samsara-and/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [We must eliminate the gulf of mistrust and ignorance that keeps us from learning from each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coretta-scott-king/we-must-eliminate-the-gulf-of-mistrust-and-ignorance-that-keeps-us/) [Coretta Scott King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coretta-scott-king/) > [It is the illusion of knowledge, not ignorance, that keeps one from growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-uelsmann/it-is-the-illusion-of-knowledge-not-ignorance-that-keeps-one-from/) [Jerry Uelsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-uelsmann/) > [Listening is seeking synchronicity with the speaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rost/listening-is-seeking-synchronicity-with-the-speaker/) Michael Rost > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We need to remain a nation that doesn't just welcome but that celebrates legal immigrants who come here seeking to pursue the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/we-need-to-remain-a-nation-that-doesn-t-just-welcome-but-that/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [The things in my songs are the edited highlights of my life. I don't go seeking out strange sexual experiences every day of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/the-things-in-my-songs-are-the-edited-highlights-of-my-life-i-don-t/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every one is weary, the poore in seeking, the rich in keeping, the good in learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/every-one-is-weary-the-poore-in-seeking-the-rich-in-keeping-the-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [we need not avoid our active lives, but simply bring to them a new vision and shift of gravity. for in the center we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/we-need-not-avoid-our-active-lives-but-simply-bring-to-them-a-new/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) ## More Ignorance quotes > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“If knowledge does not liberate the self from the self, then ignorance is better than such knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-sanai/if-knowledge-does-not-liberate-the-self-from-the-self-then-ignorance/) [Hakim Sanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-sanai/) > [You are senile old fool, and because of your impudence, I cannot fathom how you still live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-senile-old-fool-and-because-of-your-impudence-i-cannot-fathom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/knowledge-will-forever-govern-ignorance-and-a-people-who-mean-to-be/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-only-victories-which-leave-no-regret-are-those-which-are-gained/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/) John P Lintz Sr > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Sanity can take one of only two forms: that of ignorance, or denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/sanity-can-take-one-of-only-two-forms-that-of-ignorance-or-denial/) [Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/) [Browse all 5,657 Ignorance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The tragedy of our seemingly insurmountable ignorance keeps us seeking.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Owen O'Brien" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-o-brien/the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmountable-ignorance-keeps-us-seeking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ignorance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-o-brien/the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmountable-ignorance-keeps-us-seeking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/owen-o-brien-267709_ignorance_the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmounta_2518404.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/owen-o-brien-267709_ignorance_the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmounta_2518404.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a5/owen-o-brien-267709_ignorance_the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmounta_2518404.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The tragedy of our seemingly insurmountable ignorance keeps us seeking.” — Owen O'Brien", "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": "Owen O'Brien", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-o-brien/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The tragedy of our seemingly insurmountable...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-o-brien/the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmountable-ignorance-keeps-us-seeking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-o-brien/the-tragedy-of-our-seemingly-insurmountable-ignorance-keeps-us-seeking/#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 } } ] } ```