--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only worry about what you absolutely know…" description: "\"“Only worry about what you absolutely know about,' Mr. Worthington said to me, putting my mind back where it belonged. 'That's the key. Worrying about ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/sarah-kate-lynch-23331_emotion_only-worry-about-what-you-absolutely-kno_779323.jpg" --- # Only worry about what you absolutely know about,' Mr… ![“Only worry about what you absolutely know about,' Mr. Worthington said to me, putting my mind back where it belonged. 'That's the key. Worrying about anything else is just a waste of time and emotion. I know that seems obvious but honestly, the more information you have, the less your imagination…” quote by Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/sarah-kate-lynch-23331_emotion_only-worry-about-what-you-absolutely-kno_779323.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/sarah-kate-lynch-23331_emotion_only-worry-about-what-you-absolutely-kno_779323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/sarah-kate-lynch-23331_emotion_only-worry-about-what-you-absolutely-kno_779323.jpg) > ““Only worry about what you absolutely know about,' Mr. Worthington said to me, putting my mind back where it belonged. 'That's the key. Worrying about anything else is just a waste of time and emotion. I know that seems obvious but honestly, the more information you have, the less your imagination can run away with you so the secret is to find out as much as you can about what your particular problem is…and you'll be amazed at how this simplifies things. You no longer have to worry about the what ifs.”” [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on concrete knowledge reduces anxiety and clarifies action; excess information fuels imagination and distraction. **In simple terms:** Know what you know, ignore the rest. Key Takeaway Prioritize facts, limit speculation. Themes focus anxiety clarity decision‑making Mood calm determined Type advice motivational When to use this quote - project planning - personal stress - research - strategic thinking Key Concepts cognitive load information filtering problem solving Questions to Reflect On - What facts are you overlooking? - How can uncertainty be useful? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on known facts can blind you to novel possibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Waste of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste-of-time/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [“When you no longer worry about the future, and no longer have regrets about the past, you exist purely in the moment. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wilson/when-you-no-longer-worry-about-the-future-and-no-longer-have-regrets/) Paul Wilson > [I'm tired of worrying about everything, I'm just tired of life sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-tired-of-worrying-about-everything-i-m-just-tired-of-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Worrying is just a prayer for the worst possible scenario.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-oz/worrying-is-just-a-prayer-for-the-worst-possible-scenario/) [Daphne Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-oz/) > [Worrying is just part of being a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-nolan/worrying-is-just-part-of-being-a-parent/) [Coleen Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleen-nolan/) > [You get nowhere by worrying, it just makes you feel worse. God has everything under control. Focus on His light when you're in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-get-nowhere-by-worrying-it-just-makes-you-feel-worse-god-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But there was only so much worrying you could do before you just had to accept what life throws at you and move on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-bennett/but-there-was-only-so-much-worrying-you-could-do-before-you-just-had/) [Jenn Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-bennett/) > [I know that sometimes when you are really worried about something, it ends up not being nearly as bad as you think it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moriarty/i-know-that-sometimes-when-you-are-really-worried-about-something-it/) [Laura Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moriarty/) > [Worrying about the things is only waste of time. As it doesn't change anything instead it occupies our mind n make the things worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/worrying-about-the-things-is-only-waste-of-time-as-it-doesn-t-change/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“It's a waste of time worrying about something that worry won't fix. It's about as useful as trying to feed your pet rock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/it-s-a-waste-of-time-worrying-about-something-that-worry-won-t-fix-it/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Worrying is a waste of time. It doesnt change anything. It messes with your mind and steals your happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/worrying-is-a-waste-of-time-it-doesnt-change-anything-it-messes-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why Worry? It's a total waste of time and it doesn't change anything. All it does is steal your joy and keeps you busy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/why-worry-it-s-a-total-waste-of-time-and-it-doesn-t-change-anything/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“It was only in South Africa that I got over this shyness, though I never completely overcame it. It was impossible for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/it-was-only-in-south-africa-that-i-got-over-this-shyness-though-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Trying to find this industry's tendency to celebrate the physical is a waste of time. So I'm happy to play the game. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/trying-to-find-this-industry-s-tendency-to-celebrate-the-physical-is/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The pursuit of perfection is frustrating and a waste of time, because nothing is ever perfect. The pursuit of excellence is commendable and worthwhile.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kulwicki/the-pursuit-of-perfection-is-frustrating-and-a-waste-of-time-because/) [Alan Kulwicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kulwicki/) ## More by Sarah-Kate Lynch > [“Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Manners aren't anything but a polite person being nice, no matter what everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-done-unto-you-manners-aren-t/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“Sugar and the man in the Hawaiian shirt stepped forward and pulled him up. But as they stepped away again, the backs of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/sugar-and-the-man-in-the-hawaiian-shirt-stepped-forward-and-pulled/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“Sugar had grown up in Charleston, South Carolina: possibly the most luscious of the world's garden cities. Behind every wrought-iron gate or exposed-brick wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/sugar-had-grown-up-in-charleston-south-carolina-possibly-the-most/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“Perched up on salvaged bricks, the half-pipes made perfect planters with an industrial edge that oddly complemented Sugar's pretty favorites: pansies, lantana, verbena and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/perched-up-on-salvaged-bricks-the-half-pipes-made-perfect-planters/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“Theo and Sugar dated, just like normal people only slower. 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That takes guts." For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/i-ve-envied-you-over-the-years-carving-out-a-different-life-for/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“In the past I think I had corralled rotten things into groups of three because at some level it gave me the impression I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/in-the-past-i-think-i-had-corralled-rotten-things-into-groups-of/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“She was a great wife...and a wonderful mother, a good daughter, a devoted sister and a truly nice person, which doesn't sound like much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/she-was-a-great-wife-and-a-wonderful-mother-a-good-daughter-a-devoted/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“In Santa Fe her whole yard had been crowded with different-sized terra-cotta pots, out of which she grew everything from rosemary and lavender to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/in-santa-fe-her-whole-yard-had-been-crowded-with-different-sized/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“If there’s one thing I have learned it’s that if you carry on as though nothing strange is happening, it usually stops being strange”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/if-there-s-one-thing-i-have-learned-it-s-that-if-you-carry-on-as/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“This is the thing no one prepares you for where disaster are concerned. There is no ominous black cloud, no spooky chill, no neon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/this-is-the-thing-no-one-prepares-you-for-where-disaster-are/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“It was true. Sugar did treat her bees like next of kin but then again, they were. Along with her manners, the accent she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/it-was-true-sugar-did-treat-her-bees-like-next-of-kin-but-then-again/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) > [“If we are all going to have tragedies, if none of us can escape them, then surely we have to learn from them, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kate-lynch/if-we-are-all-going-to-have-tragedies-if-none-of-us-can-escape-them/) [Sarah-Kate Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) [Explore all 26 Sarah-Kate Lynch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kate-lynch/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Only worry about what you absolutely know about,' Mr. Worthington said to me, putting my mind back where it belonged. 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