Anxiety Quote by Scarlett Thomas
“Everything I know I imagine everyone else knows as well. And then everything that everyone else knows I imagine they know on top of what I know, so I'm constantly anxious about what everyone else knows.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: The End of the World Is Bigger Than Love by Scarlett Thomas, 2008
The speaker feels anxiety because they assume others share their knowledge and that others' knowledge builds on theirs, creating a pressure to keep up.
In simple terms: Assuming others know what you know and more causes anxiety.
Key Takeaway
Recognize limits of others' knowledge.
Themes
anxiety
knowledge
social comparison
Mood
uneasy
reflective
Type
personal
psychological
When to use this quote
- academic settings
- social media
- team projects
- learning environments
Key Concepts
epistemic humility
self-awareness
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this assumption affect your confidence?
- What evidence supports or refutes it?
A Different Perspective
Assumption may be inaccurate; people often have different knowledge bases.
![“They really do have nothing in common on paper, these people and him. But yet there are so many common reference points; even some unexpected ones. . . .they all want to be cool. And they're all scared but no good at showing it. . . . [t]hey all know how to act cool. after all, life's pretty scary…” quote by Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b7/scarlett-thomas-8232_danger_they-really-do-have-nothing-in-common-on_335741.jpg)
