--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is astonishing is that we, who had…" description: "\"“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”\" — Philip Roth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/philip-roth-681_astonishing_what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-n_30952.jpg" --- # What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how… ![“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.” quote by Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/philip-roth-681_astonishing_what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-n_30952.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/philip-roth-681_astonishing_what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-n_30952.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/philip-roth-681_astonishing_what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-n_30952.jpg) > ““What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”” [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights the paradox of hindsight, where uncertainty about future events becomes clarity after they unfold, revealing how narratives are constructed retroactively. **In simple terms:** Retrospective certainty after uncertainty. Key Takeaway We often think we understood the past only after it happened. Themes certainty uncertainty perception narrative knowledge Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - historical analysis - personal reflection - scientific research - policy evaluation Key Concepts causality memory interpretation Practical Applications - writing memoirs - building case studies Questions to Reflect On - How does hindsight shape our understanding of events? - Can we avoid bias when interpreting past outcomes? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Astonishing Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing-idea-426488/) [Exactly Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exactly-happened-426487/) [Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened/) [Know Exactly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-exactly/) ## Related quotes > [The reason I emphasize that is because that is exactly what happened when Mussolini was put in by the king of Italy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guido-calabresi/the-reason-i-emphasize-that-is-because-that-is-exactly-what-happened/) [Guido Calabresi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guido-calabresi/) > [I think that in performing, everybody's path is so so different, that there's nobody where I think, "Oh my god, that's exactly what happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-micucci/i-think-that-in-performing-everybody-s-path-is-so-so-different-that/) [Kate Micucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-micucci/) > [“She knew exactly what happened in Las Palabras, every single program. It kind of made me wonder why this wasn’t a reality TV show.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/she-knew-exactly-what-happened-in-las-palabras-every-single-program/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [Describe exactly what happened to you last night. -Jane Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor/describe-exactly-what-happened-to-you-last-night-jane-foster/) [Thor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor/) > [Do you see how Jerry Heller made it work? That is how he combined what we did to make the rap music into mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-le/do-you-see-how-jerry-heller-made-it-work-that-is-how-he-combined-what/) [Michel'le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-le/) > [I stand 100 percent by the truth, exactly what happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-canseco/i-stand-100-percent-by-the-truth-exactly-what-happened/) [Jose Canseco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-canseco/) > [I can just say exactly what happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-canseco/i-can-just-say-exactly-what-happened/) [Jose Canseco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-canseco/) > [“And maybe that is exactly what happened…he walked away and never woke up…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-apan/and-maybe-that-is-exactly-what-happened-he-walked-away-and-never-woke/) [Tiffany Apan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-apan/) > [It's amazing to see a situation in retrospect and understand exactly why it happened...There is a reason for everything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amazing-to-see-a-situation-in-retrospect-and-understand-exactly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been doing interviews for years, and in all that time, I've virtually never read one and gone, 'Yep, factually and tonally that's exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-ve-been-doing-interviews-for-years-and-in-all-that-time-i-ve/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [I knew I would grow up and wear a costume one day, and that's exactly what happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-peterson/i-knew-i-would-grow-up-and-wear-a-costume-one-day-and-that-s-exactly/) [Cassandra Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-peterson/) > [I found two true stories. One was in 2003. One was the beginning of 2004. I decided to meld them. Richard Davis' story which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-haggis/i-found-two-true-stories-one-was-in-2003-one-was-the-beginning-of/) [Paul Haggis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-haggis/) > [All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/all-that-we-don-t-know-is-astonishing-even-more-astonishing-is-what/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [If you worry less about what people think of you, you can pick up an astonishing amount of information about them. You no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-worry-less-about-what-people-think-of-you-you-can-pick-up-an/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [ “\[...\] I'm going to have to be systematic about experimental eating so I know exactly what fatally poisons me.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-k-h-st/i-m-going-to-have-to-be-systematic-about-experimental-eating-so-i/) [Andrea K. Höst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-k-h-st/) ## More by Philip Roth > [“The old intergenerational give-and-take of the country-that-used-to-be, when everyone knew his role and took the rules dead seriously, the acculturating back-and-forth that all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-old-intergenerational-give-and-take-of-the-country-that-used-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. You'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-be-greater-than-your-feelings-i-don-t-demand-this-of-you-life/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The only way to have a funeral is to invite everyone who ever knew the person and just wait for the accident to happen-somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-only-way-to-have-a-funeral-is-to-invite-everyone-who-ever-knew/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [To become a celebrity is to become a brand name. There is Ivory Soap, Rice Krispies, and Philip Roth. Ivory is the soap that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/to-become-a-celebrity-is-to-become-a-brand-name-there-is-ivory-soap/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“There are no reasons. She is obliged to be as she is. We all are. Reasons are in books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/there-are-no-reasons-she-is-obliged-to-be-as-she-is-we-all-are/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“As far as I can see there is no conquering or exorcising the past with words - words born either of imagination or forthrightness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/as-far-as-i-can-see-there-is-no-conquering-or-exorcising-the-past/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [The book really comes to life in the rewriting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/the-book-really-comes-to-life-in-the-rewriting/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Good Christ, a Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteen-year-old boy till they die!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/good-christ-a-jewish-man-with-parents-alive-is-a-fifteen-year-old-boy/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [I am the Raskolnikov of jerking off – the sticky evidence is everywhere!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/i-am-the-raskolnikov-of-jerking-off-the-sticky-evidence-is-everywhere/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Better for real things to be uncontrollable, better for one's life to be undecipherable and intellectually impenetrable than to attempt to make casual sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/better-for-real-things-to-be-uncontrollable-better-for-one-s-life-to/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“Doctor Spielvogel, it alleviates nothing fixing the blame - blaming is still ailing, of course, of course - but nonetheless, what was it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/doctor-spielvogel-it-alleviates-nothing-fixing-the-blame-blaming-is/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [You asked if I thought my fiction had changed anything in the culture and the answer is no. Sure, there's been some scandal, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-asked-if-i-thought-my-fiction-had-changed-anything-in-the-culture/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“There it was: the tactless severity of vital male youth, not a single doubt about his coherence, blind with self-confidence and the virtue of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/there-it-was-the-tactless-severity-of-vital-male-youth-not-a-single/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) [Explore all 388 Philip Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) ## More Astonishing quotes > [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-may-perform-astonishing-feats-and-comprehend-a-vast-amount-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/) [Janice Y. K. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-y-k-lee-2/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The astonishing thing for me is that I had a career before politics and I never thought about my colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-gyimah/the-astonishing-thing-for-me-is-that-i-had-a-career-before-politics/) [Sam Gyimah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-gyimah/) > [“There is no denying it; one must admit that there is something astonishing about Christianity. 'It is because you were born in it,' they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-no-denying-it-one-must-admit-that-there-is-something/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [It's Twitter's combination of simplicity and complexity that is astonishing in the same way that minimalist sculpture was inspiring and enlightening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goldsmith/it-s-twitter-s-combination-of-simplicity-and-complexity-that-is/) [Kenneth Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goldsmith/) > [All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/all-that-we-don-t-know-is-astonishing-even-more-astonishing-is-what/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [“No one ever said aloud any of the kinds of things he was so constantly thinking, because no one in the parish, not Alice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/no-one-ever-said-aloud-any-of-the-kinds-of-things-he-was-so/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [If you worry less about what people think of you, you can pick up an astonishing amount of information about them. You no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-worry-less-about-what-people-think-of-you-you-can-pick-up-an/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) > [What astonishing changes a few years are capable of producing! I am told that even respectable characters speak of a monarchical form of government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/what-astonishing-changes-a-few-years-are-capable-of-producing-i-am/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) [Browse all 410 Astonishing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Roth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astonishing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/philip-roth-681_astonishing_what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-n_30952.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/philip-roth-681_astonishing_what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-n_30952.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/135/philip-roth-681_astonishing_what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-n_30952.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what…” — Philip Roth", "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": "Philip Roth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What is astonishing is that we,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/#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 } } ] } ```