---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's only possible to see people when one…"
description: "\"It's only possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see it.\" — Robert Anton Wilson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/robert-anton-wilson-1198_able_it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-on_2993802.jpg"
---

#  It's only possible to see people when one is able to see…

![“It's only possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see it.” quote by Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/robert-anton-wilson-1198_able_it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-on_2993802.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/robert-anton-wilson-1198_able_it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-on_2993802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/robert-anton-wilson-1198_able_it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-on_2993802.jpg)

> “It's only possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see it.”

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

## About This Quote

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

Understanding others requires seeing the world from their perspective, not just your own.

**In simple terms:** To understand others, view the world through their eyes.

Key Takeaway

Practice empathy by adopting others' viewpoints.

Themes

empathy perspective communication

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- team collaboration
- cross‑cultural interaction
- leadership development

Key Concepts

cognitive flexibility social cognition

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you practice seeing another's perspective?
- What barriers prevent you from adopting others' views?

A Different Perspective

Seeing the world as you do may limit insight; empathy can be challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [I've been able to see the world many times over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-harrison/i-ve-been-able-to-see-the-world-many-times-over/)

[Chris Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-harrison/)

> [Ever since that happened to me, I haven't been able to give myself to anyone in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/ever-since-that-happened-to-me-i-haven-t-been-able-to-give-myself-to/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [You supposed to be able to do anything in this world. That's what Martin Luther King told me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/you-supposed-to-be-able-to-do-anything-in-this-world-that-s-what/)

[Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/)

> [It's possible for people to gain control of every facet of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-quaid/it-s-possible-for-people-to-gain-control-of-every-facet-of-your-life/)

[Randy Quaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-quaid/)

> [It is possible that people who share core values will make choices along the same lines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fethullah-gulen/it-is-possible-that-people-who-share-core-values-will-make-choices/)

[Fethullah Gulen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fethullah-gulen/)

> [If you know exactly what you want to be, you need to spend as much time as possible with people who are actually that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/if-you-know-exactly-what-you-want-to-be-you-need-to-spend-as-much/)

[Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/)

> [“It's not possible to have people like you when you don't even show the real you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kozue-chiba/it-s-not-possible-to-have-people-like-you-when-you-don-t-even-show/)

Kozue Chiba

> [“Do you think it possible that some people are born to give more love than they will ever get back in return?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-knott-gregson/do-you-think-it-possible-that-some-people-are-born-to-give-more-love/)

[Tyler Knott Gregson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-knott-gregson/)

> [It is quite possible for people who have never met us and who have spent only twenty minutes thinking about us to come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/it-is-quite-possible-for-people-who-have-never-met-us-and-who-have/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [I would tend to say that I do what I do as well as possible and that most people don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-would-tend-to-say-that-i-do-what-i-do-as-well-as-possible-and-that/)

[Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/)

> [“We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-are-going-to-die-and-that-makes-us-the-lucky-ones-most-people-are-2/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Be funny whenever possible, even if some people don't get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/be-funny-whenever-possible-even-if-some-people-don-t-get-it/)

[Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/)

> [Think as little as possible about yourself and as much as possible about other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/think-as-little-as-possible-about-yourself-and-as-much-as-possible/)

[Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/)

> [“Innovation becomes possible only if people can step out of their comfort zone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/innovation-becomes-possible-only-if-people-can-step-out-of-their/)

[Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/)

> [I think the strongest people are those who are able to hang on for so long on the people they love even though their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egba-terry/i-think-the-strongest-people-are-those-who-are-able-to-hang-on-for-so/)

[Egba Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egba-terry/)

## More by Robert Anton Wilson

> [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. This is not appealing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-only-way-to-stave-off-boredom-in-a-complex-domesticated-primate/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [Disobedience was man's Original Virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/disobedience-was-man-s-original-virtue/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [In every state of the Union, Fundamentalists still fight to ban all the science they dislike and prosecute all who teach it. To them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/in-every-state-of-the-union-fundamentalists-still-fight-to-ban-all/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [It is a great privilege to be conscious in this universe. Those who understand, shine like stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/it-is-a-great-privilege-to-be-conscious-in-this-universe-those-who/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [I will do anything, including highway robbery and murder, to avoid leaving my children in poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-will-do-anything-including-highway-robbery-and-murder-to-avoid/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [I see anarchism as the theoretical ideal to which we are all gradually evolving to a point where everybody can tell the truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-see-anarchism-as-the-theoretical-ideal-to-which-we-are-all/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [“Masturbation is not the happiest form of sexuality, but the most advisable for him who wants to be alone and think. I detect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/masturbation-is-not-the-happiest-form-of-sexuality-but-the-most/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [I like pacifists and people who have a heavy emotional identification with deathism and war would probably call me a pacifist, but I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-like-pacifists-and-people-who-have-a-heavy-emotional-identification/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [Cynics regarded everybody as equally corrupt... Idealists regarded everybody as equally corrupt, except themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/cynics-regarded-everybody-as-equally-corrupt-idealists-regarded/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [The most important truths always appear first as blasphemies or obscenities. That's why every great innovator is persecuted. And the sacraments look obscene, too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-most-important-truths-always-appear-first-as-blasphemies-or/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [“When you're dealing with these forces or powers in a philosophic and scientific way, contemplating them from an armchair, that rationalistic approach is useful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/when-you-re-dealing-with-these-forces-or-powers-in-a-philosophic-and/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [“And Spaceship Earth, that glorious and bloody circus, continued its four-billion-year-long spiral orbit about the Sun; the engineering, I must admit, was so exquisite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/and-spaceship-earth-that-glorious-and-bloody-circus-continued-its/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [Existence is larger than any model that is not itself the exact size of existence (which has no size).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/existence-is-larger-than-any-model-that-is-not-itself-the-exact-size/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

> [The totally convinced and the totally stupid have too much in common for the resemblance to be accidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-totally-convinced-and-the-totally-stupid-have-too-much-in-common/)

[Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

[Explore all 274 Robert Anton Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/)

## More Able 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/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's only possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Anton Wilson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-one-is-able-to-see-the-world-as/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-one-is-able-to-see-the-world-as/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/robert-anton-wilson-1198_able_it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-on_2993802.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/robert-anton-wilson-1198_able_it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-on_2993802.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd9/robert-anton-wilson-1198_able_it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-on_2993802.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's only possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see it.” — Robert Anton Wilson",
                "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": "Robert Anton Wilson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's only possible to see people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-one-is-able-to-see-the-world-as/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/it-s-only-possible-to-see-people-when-one-is-able-to-see-the-world-as/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
