--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Letting there be room for not knowing is…" description: "\"Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there's a big disappointment, we don't know if that's the end of the sto..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/pema-ch-dr-n-327_adventure_letting-there-be-room-for-not-knowing-is_1398670.jpg" --- # Letting there be room for not knowing is the most… ![“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there's a big disappointment, we don't know if that's the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But…” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/pema-ch-dr-n-327_adventure_letting-there-be-room-for-not-knowing-is_1398670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/pema-ch-dr-n-327_adventure_letting-there-be-room-for-not-knowing-is_1398670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/pema-ch-dr-n-327_adventure_letting-there-be-room-for-not-knowing-is_1398670.jpg) > “Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there's a big disappointment, we don't know if that's the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embracing uncertainty allows growth; disappointment can become a new beginning when we accept we cannot know everything. **In simple terms:** Accept uncertainty; see setbacks as potential starts. Key Takeaway Stay open to unknown possibilities. Themes uncertainty growth resilience Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - career change - creative projects - relationship challenges Key Concepts mindfulness impermanence acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How can you welcome the unknown in daily life? - What does a “great adventure” look like after a setback? A Different Perspective It may be hard to act without clear outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Adventure Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure-life/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Don Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-know/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Know Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-bad/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Knowing Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-important-897862/) [Life adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-adventure/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life is like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-like/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Not knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-knowing/) [Room Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room-knowing-2897879/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. We”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/letting-there-be-room-for-not-knowing-is-the-most-important-thing-of-2/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-is-like-that-we-don-t-know-anything-we-call-something-bad-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [He had never felt anything like that before - yet somehow he knew that from now on he would always feel like that, always,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/he-had-never-felt-anything-like-that-before-yet-somehow-he-knew-that/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I had never really understood what an adventure life could be, if you followed your heart and did what you really wanted to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-had-never-really-understood-what-an-adventure-life-could-be-if-you/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [What Scouting says to people is: Every child has a right to have an adventure. Life is about grabbing opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/what-scouting-says-to-people-is-every-child-has-a-right-to-have-an/) [Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/) > [If there is no adventure in your life, it is as if you live no life! Adventure is the real soul of man; without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-is-no-adventure-in-your-life-it-is-as-if-you-live-no-life/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Because of the routines we follow, we often forget that life is an ongoing adventure. . . Life is pure adventure, and the sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/because-of-the-routines-we-follow-we-often-forget-that-life-is-an/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [We're just inviting adventure into our life, and adventure carries a little baggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-weir/we-re-just-inviting-adventure-into-our-life-and-adventure-carries-a/) [Bob Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-weir/) > [Don't die without embracing the daring adventure your life is meant to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-pavlina/don-t-die-without-embracing-the-daring-adventure-your-life-is-meant-2/) [Steve Pavlina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-pavlina/) > [I've done a lot of living and a lot of adventuring and I think that's very healthy, ya know. And I think everybody should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-ramone/i-ve-done-a-lot-of-living-and-a-lot-of-adventuring-and-i-think-that-s/) [Joey Ramone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-ramone/) > [As you love God and serve Him, you will undoubtedly experience the greatest adventure life has to offer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/as-you-love-god-and-serve-him-you-will-undoubtedly-experience-the/) [Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/) > [It's weird being with actors in a room and knowing, 'Only two of us are going to get these roles.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/it-s-weird-being-with-actors-in-a-room-and-knowing-only-two-of-us-are/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Walk into a room, knowing you are somebody, somebody special. Don't ever let them smash that or pull you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-mitchell/walk-into-a-room-knowing-you-are-somebody-somebody-special-don-t-ever/) [Arthur Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-mitchell/) > [“Make room for who you are by knowing who you’re not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-fabiaschi/make-room-for-who-you-are-by-knowing-who-you-re-not/) [Abby Fabiaschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-fabiaschi/) > [There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/there-is-no-moment-of-delight-in-any-pilgrimage-like-the-beginning-of/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) ## More by Pema Chodron > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chodron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) [Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/) > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there's a big disappointment, we don't know if that's the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. 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