--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not envy people who think they have…" description: "\"I do not envy people who think they have a complete explanation of the world, for the simple reason that they are obviously wrong.\" — Salman Rushdie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/salman-rushdie-153_envy_i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have_2410427.jpg" --- # I do not envy people who think they have a complete… ![“I do not envy people who think they have a complete explanation of the world, for the simple reason that they are obviously wrong.” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/salman-rushdie-153_envy_i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have_2410427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/salman-rushdie-153_envy_i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have_2410427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/salman-rushdie-153_envy_i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have_2410427.jpg) > “I do not envy people who think they have a complete explanation of the world, for the simple reason that they are obviously wrong.” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Claiming total knowledge is arrogance; humility is essential in understanding complexity. **In simple terms:** Complete explanations are impossible. Key Takeaway Stay humble and open to new ideas. Themes humility intellectual honesty critical thinking Mood inquisitive skeptical Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - academic research - journalism - personal growth Key Concepts knowledge limits bias complexity Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you hold? - How do you test them? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can hinder learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“I believe there is an explanation for everything - although we shall never know the explanation for everything. Not everything in this world can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-augarde/i-believe-there-is-an-explanation-for-everything-although-we-shall/) Steve Augarde > [But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of-2/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [I envy people that know love. That have someone who takes them as they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-c-scott/i-envy-people-that-know-love-that-have-someone-who-takes-them-as-they/) [Jess C Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-c-scott/) > [I'm not confident around compliments or being celebrated, and I'm not comfortable with the thought of envy, which some people thrive on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-m-not-confident-around-compliments-or-being-celebrated-and-i-m-not/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [I almost envy people who say whatever they want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bosworth/i-almost-envy-people-who-say-whatever-they-want/) [Kate Bosworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bosworth/) > [Many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all. They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience, never troubling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/many-prefer-not-to-exercise-their-imaginations-at-all-they-choose-to/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [I envy the people who say, 'oh, well, I've got my name in the golden book and I'm going to be entered into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-envy-the-people-who-say-oh-well-i-ve-got-my-name-in-the-golden-book/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [“We envy people like you, and we want to be you; we can't, so we destroy you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/we-envy-people-like-you-and-we-want-to-be-you-we-can-t-so-we-destroy/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [In particular, it is absurd to hope to banish envy of other people's possessions or fortunes, if only because the spirit of envy can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/in-particular-it-is-absurd-to-hope-to-banish-envy-of-other-people-s/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Don't envy what people have, emulate what they did to have it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/don-t-envy-what-people-have-emulate-what-they-did-to-have-it/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [“The only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-only-logical-explanation-is-that-i-was-made-for-another-world/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Everything short of an explanation of the world as a whole is frustratingly partial. An explanation of the world must include an answer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-neiman/everything-short-of-an-explanation-of-the-world-as-a-whole-is/) [Susan Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-neiman/) > [As an explanation of the world materialism has a sort of insane simplicity. It has the quality of a madman's arguments; we have at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/as-an-explanation-of-the-world-materialism-has-a-sort-of-insane/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is love, and not German philosophy, that is the true explanation of the world, whatever may be the explanation of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-love-and-not-german-philosophy-that-is-the-true-explanation-of/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Rationally, factory farming is so obviously wrong, in so many ways. In all of my reading and conversations, I’ve yet to find a credible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/rationally-factory-farming-is-so-obviously-wrong-in-so-many-ways-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. I want to do the stuff that I became a writer to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-want-to-write-novels-i-want-to-write-stories-i-want-to-do-the-stuff/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If you want to be a serious writer, then you have to write what there is to write about. If you're going to pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-you-want-to-be-a-serious-writer-then-you-have-to-write-what-there/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Después de exigir mi marcha, ya no posees jurisdicción en lo concerniente a mi salud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/despu-s-de-exigir-mi-marcha-ya-no-posees-jurisdicci-n-en-lo/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [If there is a choice between absolute safety and freedom, then freedom must always prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-there-is-a-choice-between-absolute-safety-and-freedom-then-freedom/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm not a prophet, but I always thought it was natural for dictatorships to fall. I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? My answer: I am the sum total of everything that went before me, of all I have been seen done,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/who-what-am-i-my-answer-i-am-the-sum-total-of-everything-that-went/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [A little bit of one story joins onto an idea from another, and hey presto, . . . not old tales but new ones.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/a-little-bit-of-one-story-joins-onto-an-idea-from-another-and-hey/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'm a novelist. Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Envy quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I don't envy "busy." Busy means having a schedule, not living life. What I really covet is leisure and peace of mind. Those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-don-t-envy-busy-busy-means-having-a-schedule-not-living-life-what-i/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [There is no sweeter sound than the crumbling of one's fellow man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/there-is-no-sweeter-sound-than-the-crumbling-of-one-s-fellow-man/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Is it not strange that the more someone has, the less he feels he has? Envy can never be sated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-wheeler/is-it-not-strange-that-the-more-someone-has-the-less-he-feels-he-has/) [Jeff Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-wheeler/) > [I avoid envy at all costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-winkleman/i-avoid-envy-at-all-costs/) [Claudia Winkleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-winkleman/) > [Sometimes I envy painters, it is wonderful to remain in front of a bouquet of flowers a whole morning, or even longer. A photographer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/sometimes-i-envy-painters-it-is-wonderful-to-remain-in-front-of-a/) [Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/) > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“You don’t see someone flying and you begin to bite yourself for not being able to do that. You do what you can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-don-t-see-someone-flying-and-you-begin-to-bite-yourself-for-not/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sin to know, Can it be death? And do they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/knowledge-forbidden-suspicious-reasonless-why-should-their-lord-envy/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“Who would have thought you had so many supporters?" she whispered. "Not mine, my love. Yours. I had not a one till you started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-sinclair/who-would-have-thought-you-had-so-many-supporters-she-whispered-not/) [Michele Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-sinclair/) > [“Treachery is always a hairy caterpillar bred of a small butterfly called envy, no matter how lofty the principles involved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fazil-iskander/treachery-is-always-a-hairy-caterpillar-bred-of-a-small-butterfly/) Fazil Iskander > [Yes, Clay Matthews has a long, golden, Fabio-esque flowing mane that most women would chick-slap someone for. And yes, the shiny, beautiful, dark locks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-foudy/yes-clay-matthews-has-a-long-golden-fabio-esque-flowing-mane-that/) [Julie Foudy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-foudy/) > [“I have known many true connoisseurs, with excellent tastes that range across the humanities and the culinary arts--and they never fail to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-have-known-many-true-connoisseurs-with-excellent-tastes-that-range/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) [Browse all 2,111 Envy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do not envy people who think they have a complete explanation of the world, for the simple reason that they are obviously wrong.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Salman Rushdie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have-a-complete-explanation-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Envy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have-a-complete-explanation-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/salman-rushdie-153_envy_i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have_2410427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/salman-rushdie-153_envy_i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have_2410427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/salman-rushdie-153_envy_i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have_2410427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do not envy people who think they have a complete explanation of the world, for the simple reason that…” — Salman Rushdie", "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": "Salman Rushdie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do not envy people who...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have-a-complete-explanation-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-do-not-envy-people-who-think-they-have-a-complete-explanation-of/#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 } } ] } ```