---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think anybody ever really knows…"
description: "\"“I don't think anybody ever really knows what's going to happen,\" he said. \"We're all just out here hoping for the best.”\" — Sarah Dessen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a88/sarah-dessen-110_future_i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows_444915.png"
---

#  I don't think anybody ever really knows what's going to…

![“I don't think anybody ever really knows what's going to happen,&quot; he said. &quot;We're all just out here hoping for the best.” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a88/sarah-dessen-110_future_i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows_444915.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a88/sarah-dessen-110_future_i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows_444915.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a88/sarah-dessen-110_future_i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows_444915.png)

> ““I don't think anybody ever really knows what's going to happen," he said. "We're all just out here hoping for the best.””

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

## About This Quote

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

Life is uncertain; we must accept that we cannot predict the future and instead maintain hopeful optimism.

**In simple terms:** We can't know the future, so stay hopeful.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty with optimism.

Themes

uncertainty hope acceptance

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- planning
- career decisions
- relationships
- health goals

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance hope with concrete planning?
- What risks do you take when you hope for the best?

A Different Perspective

Hope alone may not solve practical problems; action is also needed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hoping for the best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoping-for-the-best/)

## Related quotes

> [Hoping for the best just hoping nothing happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taking-back-sunday/hoping-for-the-best-just-hoping-nothing-happens/)

[Taking Back Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taking-back-sunday/)

> [Hoping for the best just hoping nothing happens, a thousand clever lines unread on clever napkins, I will never ask if you don't ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keys/hoping-for-the-best-just-hoping-nothing-happens-a-thousand-clever/)

[Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keys/)

> [“Nay point in hoping for the best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-kelman/nay-point-in-hoping-for-the-best/)

[James Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-kelman/)

> [Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forever-young/hoping-for-the-best-but-expecting-the-worst/)

Forever Young

> [While hoping for the best, be prepared for the worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olanike-olajobi/while-hoping-for-the-best-be-prepared-for-the-worse/)

Olanike Olajobi

> [While you are hoping for the best, be prepared for the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/while-you-are-hoping-for-the-best-be-prepared-for-the-worst/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/hoping-for-the-best-prepared-for-the-worst-and-unsurprised-by/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I really believe in hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrystia-freeland/i-really-believe-in-hoping-for-the-best-and-preparing-for-the-worst/)

[Chrystia Freeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrystia-freeland/)

> [“Hoping for the best is hoping nothing happens”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taking-back-sunday/hoping-for-the-best-is-hoping-nothing-happens/)

[Taking Back Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taking-back-sunday/)

> [Am always hoping for the best the world can offer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sudhir/am-always-hoping-for-the-best-the-world-can-offer/)

David Sudhir

> [We're hoping for the best, but we need to prepare for the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-re-hoping-for-the-best-but-we-need-to-prepare-for-the-worst/)

[Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/)

> [To be truthful, being that the game has changed so much, you come hoping for the best and expecting the worst. To my surprise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/to-be-truthful-being-that-the-game-has-changed-so-much-you-come/)

[Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/)

> [It means you never know what's going to happen,' I said. 'You do your best, then take your chances. Everything else is beyond our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-van-dyke/it-means-you-never-know-what-s-going-to-happen-i-said-you-do-your/)

[Dick Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-van-dyke/)

> [The heart is something else. Nobody knows what's going to happen,' I said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/the-heart-is-something-else-nobody-knows-what-s-going-to-happen-i-said/)

[Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/)

> [“Some people make choices hoping for the best; Korsak had made a choice simply to avoid the worst.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/some-people-make-choices-hoping-for-the-best-korsak-had-made-a-choice/)

[Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/)

## More by Sarah Dessen

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“if i were a book i would be so open”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-i-were-a-book-i-would-be-so-open/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-you-had-to-do-something-you-had-to-do-it-and-eventually-if-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [the truth about forever is that it is happening right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-truth-about-forever-is-that-it-is-happening-right-now/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I jammed my hand in my jacket pocket, bracing myself fo the next hit, and fel something. Something grainy and samll, sticking to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-jammed-my-hand-in-my-jacket-pocket-bracing-myself-fo-the-next-hit/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“For me, however, it was a mix of the two, this constant push and pull. I loved it here. But I'd been in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-me-however-it-was-a-mix-of-the-two-this-constant-push-and-pull-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

[Explore all 1,251 Sarah Dessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

## More Future quotes

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/)

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

> [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/)

[Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/)

[Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/)

> [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/)

[Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/)

> [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/)

[William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/)

> [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/)

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

> [Football is my passion, and who knows where I will play in the future - you cannot foresee that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edinson-cavani/football-is-my-passion-and-who-knows-where-i-will-play-in-the-future/)

[Edinson Cavani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edinson-cavani/)

> [When I was 17, I broke up with my future wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/when-i-was-17-i-broke-up-with-my-future-wife/)

[Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/)

> [I think everybody in the future has stopped talking to each other and we all just use emojis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/i-think-everybody-in-the-future-has-stopped-talking-to-each-other-and/)

[Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/)

> [When you continue to dwell on the past, there's no chance for a future. History repeats itself, thus, it's ok to LOOK back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-continue-to-dwell-on-the-past-there-s-no-chance-for-a-future/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am no different from a lot of people. I am concerned for the future of my children and concerned for the future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/i-am-no-different-from-a-lot-of-people-i-am-concerned-for-the-future/)

[John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/)

> [Starting a new job can be nerve-racking , but it's also exciting. You're embarking on a new future, positioning yourself to write a fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adena-friedman/starting-a-new-job-can-be-nerve-racking-but-it-s-also-exciting-you-re/)

[Adena Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adena-friedman/)

[Browse all 12,349 Future quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I don't think anybody ever really knows what's going to happen,\" he said. \"We're all just out here hoping for the best.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Dessen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows-what-s-going-to-happen-he/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Future"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows-what-s-going-to-happen-he/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a88/sarah-dessen-110_future_i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows_444915.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a88/sarah-dessen-110_future_i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows_444915.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a88/sarah-dessen-110_future_i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows_444915.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't think anybody ever really knows what's going to happen,\" he said. \"We're all just out here hoping…” — Sarah Dessen",
                "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": "Sarah Dessen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I don't think anybody ever really...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows-what-s-going-to-happen-he/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-don-t-think-anybody-ever-really-knows-what-s-going-to-happen-he/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
