--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surely the greatest mercy granted us by…" description: "\"“Surely the greatest mercy granted us by Providence is our ignorance of the future. Imagine if we knew the outcome of our hopes and plans, or could see..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/robert-harris-2039_ancient-rome_surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by_1068805.png" --- # Surely the greatest mercy granted us by Providence is our… ![“Surely the greatest mercy granted us by Providence is our ignorance of the future. Imagine if we knew the outcome of our hopes and plans, or could see the manner in which we are doomed to die - how ruined our lives would be! Instead we live on dumbly from day to day as happily as animals. But all…” quote by Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/robert-harris-2039_ancient-rome_surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by_1068805.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/robert-harris-2039_ancient-rome_surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by_1068805.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/robert-harris-2039_ancient-rome_surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by_1068805.png) > ““Surely the greatest mercy granted us by Providence is our ignorance of the future. Imagine if we knew the outcome of our hopes and plans, or could see the manner in which we are doomed to die - how ruined our lives would be! Instead we live on dumbly from day to day as happily as animals. But all things must come to dust eventually. No human being, no system, no age is impervious to this law; everything beneath the stars will perish; the hardest rock will be worn away. Nothing endures but words.”” [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ignorance of the future is a mercy; knowing outcomes would diminish life's spontaneity and meaning. **In simple terms:** Not knowing the future preserves freedom and purpose. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty as a source of meaning. Themes mortality ignorance purpose impermanence Mood thoughtful melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical debate Key Concepts existentialism nihilism human condition Questions to Reflect On - What role does uncertainty play in personal growth? - How does awareness of mortality influence our choices? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook the value of foresight in planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient rome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-rome/) [Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cicero/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Day to day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-to-day/) [Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doomed/) [Doomed Die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doomed-die-2651462/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Ignorance Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance-future-2651460/) [Providence Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/providence-ignorance-2651461/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Well, good luck to you both. Rome will be the winner whoever is the victor'. Cicero began to move away but then checked himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/well-good-luck-to-you-both-rome-will-be-the-winner-whoever-is-the/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Innocence is doomed to die a senseless death at our own hands, a casualty of the mistakes we can never undo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/innocence-is-doomed-to-die-a-senseless-death-at-our-own-hands-a/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“That's when I decided once and for all that we were doomed. It was that or I would die right there and then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-v-hunt/that-s-when-i-decided-once-and-for-all-that-we-were-doomed-it-was/) [C.V. Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-v-hunt/) > [Natural selection will not remove ignorance from future generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/natural-selection-will-not-remove-ignorance-from-future-generations/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Suetonius, the gossip columnist of ancient Rome, says that Caesar wrote to Cicero and other friends in a cipher in which the plaintext letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kahn/suetonius-the-gossip-columnist-of-ancient-rome-says-that-caesar-wrote/) [David Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kahn/) > [“Sometimes when I've thought o' my life, and the little pleasure I've had in it, I've believed that, maybe, I was one of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/sometimes-when-i-ve-thought-o-my-life-and-the-little-pleasure-i-ve/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“I guess I'm doomed to die loveless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-guess-i-m-doomed-to-die-loveless/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [...every human being is doomed to die, which is the greatest of all failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/every-human-being-is-doomed-to-die-which-is-the-greatest-of-all/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“I found, for example, that Cicero was fond of repeating certain phrases, and these I learned to reduce to a line, or even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/i-found-for-example-that-cicero-was-fond-of-repeating-certain-phrases/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Cicero himself appeared, hand in hand with Tullia, nodding good morning to everyone, greeting each by name (“the first rule in politics, Tiro: never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/cicero-himself-appeared-hand-in-hand-with-tullia-nodding-good-morning/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Cicero often asked me to perform small services for Milo during that campaign. For example, I went back through our files and prepared lists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/cicero-often-asked-me-to-perform-small-services-for-milo-during-that/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Cicero most reminds me of Harold Wilson. Both men knew how to keep the show on the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/cicero-most-reminds-me-of-harold-wilson-both-men-knew-how-to-keep-the/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Cicero smiled at us. 'The art of life is to deal with problems as they arise, rather than destory one's spirit by worrying about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/cicero-smiled-at-us-the-art-of-life-is-to-deal-with-problems-as-they/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“No one can really claim to know politics properly until he has stayed up all night writing a speech for delivery the following day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/no-one-can-really-claim-to-know-politics-properly-until-he-has-stayed/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Another of Cicero's maxims was that if you must do something unpopular, you might as well do it wholeheartedly, for in politics there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/another-of-cicero-s-maxims-was-that-if-you-must-do-something/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) ## More by Robert Harris > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [If one first gives himself to the Lord, all other giving is easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/if-one-first-gives-himself-to-the-lord-all-other-giving-is-easy/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“He felt more human with his boots on. A man can face the world with something on his feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/he-felt-more-human-with-his-boots-on-a-man-can-face-the-world-with/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Cicero most reminds me of Harold Wilson. Both men knew how to keep the show on the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/cicero-most-reminds-me-of-harold-wilson-both-men-knew-how-to-keep-the/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [The financial world is at the cutting edge of high technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/the-financial-world-is-at-the-cutting-edge-of-high-technology/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“To choose one's victims, to prepare one's plans minutely, to slake an implacable vengeance, and then to go to bed ... there is nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/to-choose-one-s-victims-to-prepare-one-s-plans-minutely-to-slake-an/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Nature has granted man no better gift than the shortness of life. The senses grow dull, the limbs are numb, sight, bearing, gait, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/nature-has-granted-man-no-better-gift-than-the-shortness-of-life-the/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“A crock of shit,” Rick had called it. But actually this was worse. Shit, to quote Gore Vidal, has its own integrity. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/a-crock-of-shit-rick-had-called-it-but-actually-this-was-worse-shit/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“... unfortunately, freedom alone is not enough, by far. If there is a shortage of bread, a shortage of butter and fats, a shortage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/unfortunately-freedom-alone-is-not-enough-by-far-if-there-is-a/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [It is perseverance, and not genius that takes a man to the top. Rome is full of unrecognized geniuses. Only perseverance enables you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/it-is-perseverance-and-not-genius-that-takes-a-man-to-the-top-rome-is/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“No one can really claim to know politics properly until he has stayed up all night writing a speech for delivery the following day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/no-one-can-really-claim-to-know-politics-properly-until-he-has-stayed/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [People perish. Books are immortal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/people-perish-books-are-immortal/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [Does a name stick because it suits a man or does the man, unconsciously, evolve into his name?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/does-a-name-stick-because-it-suits-a-man-or-does-the-man/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“He glanced around the reading room and closed his eyes, trying to keep hold of the past for a minute longer, a fattening and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/he-glanced-around-the-reading-room-and-closed-his-eyes-trying-to-keep/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [The natural impulse of men is to follow and whoever has the strongest sense of purpose will always dominate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/the-natural-impulse-of-men-is-to-follow-and-whoever-has-the-strongest/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) [Explore all 184 Robert Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) ## More Ancient rome quotes > [“The truth is heavier than a sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/the-truth-is-heavier-than-a-sword/) [Naiyem Chowdhury Rony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/) > [“What you seem so unwilling to accept, even now, is this: that the ideals which supported the old Republic had no correspondence to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/what-you-seem-so-unwilling-to-accept-even-now-is-this-that-the-ideals/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“Governor Paetus...’ Lupus closed his eyes that we might not read the rage in them. ‘Governor Paetus has informed us that he will return…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/governor-paetus-lupus-closed-his-eyes-that-we-might-not-read-the-rage/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [“Cum dignitate otium”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/cum-dignitate-otium/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) [S.F. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-f-chandler/) > [From food trucks to hot dog stands to county fair favorites, 'street food' has enjoyed a rich and storied history in American cuisine. However,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homaro-cantu/from-food-trucks-to-hot-dog-stands-to-county-fair-favorites-street/) [Homaro Cantu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homaro-cantu/) > [“The hermit, without access to the news of the day, owes it to himself to be up to date on the doings of ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-tesson/the-hermit-without-access-to-the-news-of-the-day-owes-it-to-himself/) [Sylvain Tesson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-tesson/) > [“Marcus woke again to find Sanga lying asleep on his bed, and he quietly climbed off his own mattress, standing still for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/marcus-woke-again-to-find-sanga-lying-asleep-on-his-bed-and-he/) [Anthony Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/) > [If we were living in ancient Rome or Greece, I would be considered sickly and unattractive. The times dictate that thin is better for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/if-we-were-living-in-ancient-rome-or-greece-i-would-be-considered/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [“Julius waited stone-faced as the other centurions scattered to their centuries, eager to make sure their men were ready for a forced march, none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-riches/julius-waited-stone-faced-as-the-other-centurions-scattered-to-their/) [Anthony Riches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-riches/) > [“It would have been easy to ask, then, ‘What of this Eagle?’, to have wheedled out of them all they knew: where it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-scott/it-would-have-been-easy-to-ask-then-what-of-this-eagle-to-have/) [M.C. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-scott/) > [ “My tongue tasted like a gladiator's jockstrap \[Marcus Corvinus after a night out\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wishart/my-tongue-tasted-like-a-gladiator-s-jockstrap-marcus-corvinus-after-a/) [David Wishart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wishart/) > [I write about times and places I would visit in a time machine, like ancient Rome or the Wild West.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lawrence/i-write-about-times-and-places-i-would-visit-in-a-time-machine-like/) [Caroline Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lawrence/) > [I was born in England and went to school there. That's when I discovered my undying passion for history - not just for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-henley/i-was-born-in-england-and-went-to-school-there-that-s-when-i/) [Virginia Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-henley/) > [“The fervor and single-mindedness of this deification probably have no precedent in history. It's not like Duvalier or Assad passing the torch to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-fervor-and-single-mindedness-of-this-deification-probably-have-no/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) [Browse all 142 Ancient rome quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-rome/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Surely the greatest mercy granted us by Providence is our ignorance of the future. Imagine if we knew the outcome of our hopes and plans, or could see the manner in which we are doomed to die - how ruined our lives would be! Instead we live on dumbly from day to day as happily as animals. But all things must come to dust eventually. No human being, no system, no age is impervious to this law; everything beneath the stars will perish; the hardest rock will be worn away. Nothing endures but words.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Harris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by-providence-is-our-ignorance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancient rome" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by-providence-is-our-ignorance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/robert-harris-2039_ancient-rome_surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by_1068805.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/robert-harris-2039_ancient-rome_surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by_1068805.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f52/robert-harris-2039_ancient-rome_surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by_1068805.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Surely the greatest mercy granted us by Providence is our ignorance of the future. Imagine if we knew the…” — Robert Harris", "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 Harris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Surely the greatest mercy granted us...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by-providence-is-our-ignorance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/surely-the-greatest-mercy-granted-us-by-providence-is-our-ignorance/#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 } } ] } ```