--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At eighteen I thought I knew everything…" description: "\"“At eighteen I thought I knew everything, then at thirty, I realized that I knew nothing--and possibly never would, which depressed me until I noticed ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/shirley-conran-34000_quote_at-eighteen-i-thought-i-knew-everything_2253462.jpg" --- # At eighteen I thought I knew everything, then at thirty, I… ![“At eighteen I thought I knew everything, then at thirty, I realized that I knew nothing--and possibly never would, which depressed me until I noticed that no one else knew anything either.” quote by Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/shirley-conran-34000_quote_at-eighteen-i-thought-i-knew-everything_2253462.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/shirley-conran-34000_quote_at-eighteen-i-thought-i-knew-everything_2253462.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/shirley-conran-34000_quote_at-eighteen-i-thought-i-knew-everything_2253462.jpg) > ““At eighteen I thought I knew everything, then at thirty, I realized that I knew nothing--and possibly never would, which depressed me until I noticed that no one else knew anything either.”” [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing ignorance at different life stages reveals humility and the endless quest for knowledge. **In simple terms:** We never truly know everything. Key Takeaway Embrace lifelong learning and humility. Themes humility growth self-awareness Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career transitions - midlife reflection - education pursuits Key Concepts knowledge limits personal development existential doubt Questions to Reflect On - What does uncertainty teach you? - How can you turn doubt into curiosity? A Different Perspective Acknowledging ignorance may cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eighteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighteen/) [Eighteen Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eighteen-thought-3743554/) [Knew Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-thirty-2267768/) [Realized Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-knew-1468105/) [Thought Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-knew/) ## Related quotes > [“A philosopher has remarked that if a man knew that he had thirty years of life before him, it would not be an unwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-h-spurgeon/a-philosopher-has-remarked-that-if-a-man-knew-that-he-had-thirty/) [C.H. 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I never knew it before, or if I did I don’t remember!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-m-really-alive-he-thought-i-never-knew-it-before-or-if-i-did-i-don/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I think that probably the most important thing about our education was that it taught us to question even those things we thought we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/i-think-that-probably-the-most-important-thing-about-our-education/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-thought-i-knew-a-lot-about-music-then-you-start-digging-and-the/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) ## More by Shirley Conran > [Life is too short to stuff a mushroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-conran/life-is-too-short-to-stuff-a-mushroom/) [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) > [With color, for the price of a pot of paint, people can express their own style and individuality. But, as with style, a gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-conran/with-color-for-the-price-of-a-pot-of-paint-people-can-express-their/) [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) > [If you don't dare, you are doomed to dullness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-conran/if-you-don-t-dare-you-are-doomed-to-dullness/) [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) > [Self-confidence is the most important thing, and this comes from identifying your goals, knowing your limits and roping in all the help you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-conran/self-confidence-is-the-most-important-thing-and-this-comes-from/) [Shirley Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-conran/) > [I make no secret of the fact that I would rather lie on a sofa than sweep beneath it. 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I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/) [David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/) > [“Caleb frowns at him. "How old are you, anyway?" "Eighteen." "And you don't think you're too old to be with my little sister?" Tobias…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/caleb-frowns-at-him-how-old-are-you-anyway-eighteen-and-you-don-t/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“It was only as he put his hand on the door that he became aware of complete silence beyond it, a silence which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-only-as-he-put-his-hand-on-the-door-that-he-became-aware-of/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“She escaped from the schools when she turned eighteen. 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The rest of your life is nothing but a bunch of big beautiful tomorrows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-abrams/so-what-do-you-know-about-life-when-you-re-eighteen-the-rest-of-your/) [Lauren Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-abrams/) > [My first real acting job was 'Skins' at eighteen years old, and I just kind of grew into myself in those two years; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-pasqualino/my-first-real-acting-job-was-skins-at-eighteen-years-old-and-i-just/) [Luke Pasqualino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-pasqualino/) > [Eighteen months before I was born, my mother was in Auschwitz. She weighed 49 pounds. She always told me that God saved her so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/eighteen-months-before-i-was-born-my-mother-was-in-auschwitz-she/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [“Forever feels a long time when you're eighteen. 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Four weeks before Cannes, she turned eighteen. 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