---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I go beyond a certain range it's…"
description: "\"When I go beyond a certain range it's outside of my direct horizon therefore I've got to rely on the writings and personal communications given to me b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/r-d-laing-4861_certain_when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-ou_1378350.jpg"
---

#  When I go beyond a certain range it's outside of my direct…

![“When I go beyond a certain range it's outside of my direct horizon therefore I've got to rely on the writings and personal communications given to me by other people that I know… I've got to try to piece together some tentative information picture of what the whole thing is like, but I'm aware…” quote by R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/r-d-laing-4861_certain_when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-ou_1378350.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/r-d-laing-4861_certain_when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-ou_1378350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/r-d-laing-4861_certain_when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-ou_1378350.jpg)

> “When I go beyond a certain range it's outside of my direct horizon therefore I've got to rely on the writings and personal communications given to me by other people that I know… I've got to try to piece together some tentative information picture of what the whole thing is like, but I'm aware that it becomes more and more speculative as it becomes more and more second, third, fourth hand. And this applies to absolutely everyone.”

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding beyond personal experience relies on second‑hand accounts, which become increasingly speculative as they are further removed from direct observation.

**In simple terms:** We must piece together knowledge from others, but it grows less reliable.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty and seek multiple perspectives.

Themes

knowledge perspective uncertainty communication

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- research
- learning
- decision making
- storytelling
- critical analysis

Key Concepts

epistemology subjectivity second‑hand information

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify information from indirect sources?
- When does speculation become harmful?

A Different Perspective

Second‑hand accounts can be biased or incomplete, limiting accuracy.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Direct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direct/) [Fourth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fourth/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horizon/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Piece Tentative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piece-tentative-4768137/) [Pieces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pieces/) [Range](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/range/) [Rely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rely/) [Rely Writings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rely-writings-4768136/) [Speculative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speculative/) [Speculative Second](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speculative-second-4768135/) [Thirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirds/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writings Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writings-personal-4768134/)

## Related quotes

> [“My hopes for pie died on the sidewalk. There went my grin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-butler/my-hopes-for-pie-died-on-the-sidewalk-there-went-my-grin/)

[Carrie Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-butler/)

> [Alternatives to gold and currency and to make a big speculative vehicle - I never considered for one second having anything to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/alternatives-to-gold-and-currency-and-to-make-a-big-speculative/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [Sci-fi is speculative fiction. 'Field of Dreams' is sci-fi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/sci-fi-is-speculative-fiction-field-of-dreams-is-sci-fi/)

[Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/)

> [Every novel begins with the speculative question, What if "X" happened? That's how you start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/every-novel-begins-with-the-speculative-question-what-if-x-happened/)

[Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/)

> [Attempts to estimate the impacts of climate change continue to be highly speculative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-nordhaus/attempts-to-estimate-the-impacts-of-climate-change-continue-to-be/)

[William Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-nordhaus/)

> [“There is a great difference between historical facts and speculative opinions ; nor is the knowledge of the one propagated in the same manner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/there-is-a-great-difference-between-historical-facts-and-speculative/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Those who had been riding the upward wave decide now is the time to get out. Those who thought the increase would be forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/those-who-had-been-riding-the-upward-wave-decide-now-is-the-time-to/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Never mingle your speculative and investment operations in the same account nor in any part of your thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/never-mingle-your-speculative-and-investment-operations-in-the-same/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [Those who incline to very strictly utilitarian views may perhaps feel that the peculiar powers of the Analytical Engine bear upon questions of abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-lovelace/those-who-incline-to-very-strictly-utilitarian-views-may-perhaps-feel/)

[Ada Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-lovelace/)

> [I like the idea of a big caesura between the narratives, a space which readers can fill in with their own speculative history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/i-like-the-idea-of-a-big-caesura-between-the-narratives-a-space-which/)

[Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/)

> [Bold ideas, unjustified anticipations, and speculative thought, are our only means for interpreting nature: our only organon, our only instrument, for grasping her. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/bold-ideas-unjustified-anticipations-and-speculative-thought-are-our/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [Books appear to be the most immediate instruments of speculative delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-de-bury/books-appear-to-be-the-most-immediate-instruments-of-speculative/)

[Richard de Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-de-bury/)

> [I've loved sci-fi and speculative fiction since I was a kid. It was inevitable I'd try my hand at it at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-ve-loved-sci-fi-and-speculative-fiction-since-i-was-a-kid-it-was/)

[Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/)

> [“I mean, that was the code, wasn’t it? Single girls and taken guys weren’t allowed to be friends. The leash always got in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-butler/i-mean-that-was-the-code-wasn-t-it-single-girls-and-taken-guys-weren/)

[Carrie Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-butler/)

> [Evolution is a bankrupt speculative philosophy, not a scientific fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-swaggart/evolution-is-a-bankrupt-speculative-philosophy-not-a-scientific-fact/)

[Jimmy Swaggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-swaggart/)

## More by R. D. Laing

> [To live in the past or in the future may be less satisfying than to live in the present, but it can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/to-live-in-the-past-or-in-the-future-may-be-less-satisfying-than-to/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [We must remember that we are living in an age in which the ground is shifting and the foundations are shaking. I cannot answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/we-must-remember-that-we-are-living-in-an-age-in-which-the-ground-is/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/we-live-in-a-moment-of-history-where-change-is-so-speeded-up-that-we/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [Our behavior is a function of our experience. We act according to the way we see things. If our experience is destroyed, our behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/our-behavior-is-a-function-of-our-experience-we-act-according-to-the/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [How do we define, how do we describe, how do we explain and/or understand ourselves? What sort of creatures do we take ourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/how-do-we-define-how-do-we-describe-how-do-we-explain-and-or/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [There is a great deal of pain in life and perhaps the only pain that can be avoided is the pain that comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/there-is-a-great-deal-of-pain-in-life-and-perhaps-the-only-pain-that/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-range-of-what-we-think-and-do-is-limited-by-what-we-fail-to/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-range-of-what-we-think-and-do-is-limited-by-what-we-fail-to-notice/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [In the society of men the truth resides now less in what things are than in what they are not. Our social realities are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-the-society-of-men-the-truth-resides-now-less-in-what-things-are/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [The schizophrenic may indeed be mad. He is mad. He is not ill. I have been told by people who have been through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-schizophrenic-may-indeed-be-mad-he-is-mad-he-is-not-ill-i-have/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [What is to be done? We who are still half alive, living in the often fibrillating heartland of a senescent capitalism -- can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/what-is-to-be-done-we-who-are-still-half-alive-living-in-the-often/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [From the alienated starting point of our pseudo-sanity, everything is equivocal. Our sanity is not "true" sanity. Their madness is not "true" madness. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/from-the-alienated-starting-point-of-our-pseudo-sanity-everything-is/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [In describing one way of going mad, I shall try to show that there is a comprehensible transition from the sane schizoid way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-describing-one-way-of-going-mad-i-shall-try-to-show-that-there-is/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [Doctors have throughout time made fortunes on killing their patients with their cures. The difference in psychiatry is that it is the death of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/doctors-have-throughout-time-made-fortunes-on-killing-their-patients/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [A psychiatrist who professes to be a healer of souls, but who keeps people asleep, treats them for waking up, and drugs them asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/a-psychiatrist-who-professes-to-be-a-healer-of-souls-but-who-keeps/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

[Explore all 105 R. D. Laing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

## More Certain quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

[Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/)

> [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/)

[Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/)

> [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/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/)

[T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/)

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/)

[Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

[Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I go beyond a certain range it's outside of my direct horizon therefore I've got to rely on the writings and personal communications given to me by other people that I know… I've got to try to piece together some tentative information picture of what the whole thing is like, but I'm aware that it becomes more and more speculative as it becomes more and more second, third, fourth hand. And this applies to absolutely everyone.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "R. D. Laing"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-outside-of-my-direct-horizon/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Certain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-outside-of-my-direct-horizon/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/r-d-laing-4861_certain_when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-ou_1378350.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/r-d-laing-4861_certain_when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-ou_1378350.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a2/r-d-laing-4861_certain_when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-ou_1378350.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I go beyond a certain range it's outside of my direct horizon therefore I've got to rely on the…” — R. D. Laing",
                "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": "R. D. Laing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I go beyond a certain...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-outside-of-my-direct-horizon/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/when-i-go-beyond-a-certain-range-it-s-outside-of-my-direct-horizon/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
