--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What men have seen they know; But what…" description: "\"What men have seen they know; But what shall come hereafter No man before the event can see, Nor what end waits for him.\" — Sophocles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/sophocles-370_ends_what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-sh_367926.png" --- # What men have seen they know; But what shall come… ![“What men have seen they know; But what shall come hereafter No man before the event can see, Nor what end waits for him.” quote by Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/sophocles-370_ends_what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-sh_367926.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/sophocles-370_ends_what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-sh_367926.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/sophocles-370_ends_what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-sh_367926.png) > “What men have seen they know; But what shall come hereafter No man before the event can see, Nor what end waits for him.” [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The lines reflect on human knowledge of past events versus the uncertainty of future outcomes. **In simple terms:** We know what has happened, not what will happen. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty about the future. Themes knowledge uncertainty fate human experience philosophy Mood thoughtful philosophical reflective Type existential educational literary When to use this quote - decision making - planning - risk assessment - historical analysis - personal reflection Key Concepts epistemology determinism temporal awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do we prepare for unknown futures? - What role does past experience play in shaping expectations? A Different Perspective Predicting the future is impossible, which can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Hereafter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hereafter/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Wait for him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wait-for-him/) ## Related quotes > [What men have seen they know. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/what-men-have-seen-they-know/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [I've been through so much in my life. I've seen so much. I know how fast things can change. I know someone can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-marie-presley/i-ve-been-through-so-much-in-my-life-i-ve-seen-so-much-i-know-how/) [Lisa Marie Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-marie-presley/) > [Where I'm from, if you ever seen what I seen You know it can't get no better for me No it can't get no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-coleeee/where-i-m-from-if-you-ever-seen-what-i-seen-you-know-it-can-t-get-no/) J Coleeee > [Those people have seen 'something'. What it is I do not know and I can not care to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/those-people-have-seen-something-what-it-is-i-do-not-know-and-i-can/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“I've seen enough now, to know that beautiful things don't always stay that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/good-charlotte/i-ve-seen-enough-now-to-know-that-beautiful-things-don-t-always-stay/) [Good Charlotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/good-charlotte/) > [The first time you see something that you have never seen before, you almost always know right away if you should eat it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-first-time-you-see-something-that-you-have-never-seen-before-you/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“You feel you’ve seen a hundred of me. You know how my tiny mind works. But maybe it goes both ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/you-feel-you-ve-seen-a-hundred-of-me-you-know-how-my-tiny-mind-works/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“But I've seen enough to know that we all carry a measure of guilt and innocence among us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-carr/but-i-ve-seen-enough-to-know-that-we-all-carry-a-measure-of-guilt-and/) [David Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-carr/) > [HOW SAD WOULD IT BE IF WE HAD SEEN , DONE AND KNOW EVERYTHING ALREADY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-paul-rose/how-sad-would-it-be-if-we-had-seen-done-and-know-everything-already/) [LEONARD PAUL ROSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-paul-rose/) > [Flying saucers are real. Too many good men have seen them, that don't have hallucinations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/flying-saucers-are-real-too-many-good-men-have-seen-them-that-don-t/) [Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/) > [“In days when men were men (And you should have seen us then)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/in-days-when-men-were-men-and-you-should-have-seen-us-then/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“They say that men who have seen the world, thereby become quite at ease in manner, quite self-possessed in company.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/they-say-that-men-who-have-seen-the-world-thereby-become-quite-at/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [How many worthy men have we seen survive their own reputation!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/how-many-worthy-men-have-we-seen-survive-their-own-reputation/) [Michel De Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“Manny has swung with many men, but many men never seen Manny's blissful swing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/manny-has-swung-with-many-men-but-many-men-never-seen-manny-s/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“‎"The men whom I have seen succeed best in life have always been cheerful and hopeful men, who went about their business with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/the-men-whom-i-have-seen-succeed-best-in-life-have-always-been/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) ## More by Sophocles > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fool-cannot-be-an-actor-though-an-actor-may-act-a-fool-s-part/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/man-s-worst-ill-is-stubbornness-of-heart/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A lie never lives to be old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-lie-never-lives-to-be-old/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How dangerous can false reasoning prove!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dangerous-can-false-reasoning-prove/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/why-should-man-fear-since-chance-is-all-in-all-for-him-and-he-can/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“But life takes sudden twists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/but-life-takes-sudden-twists/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-god-hates-utterly-the-bray-of-bragging-tongues/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-have-nothing-but-contempt-for-the-kind-of-governor-who-is-afraid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“Not from Hades' black and universal lake can you lift him. Not by groaning, not by prayers. Yet you run yourself out in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/not-from-hades-black-and-universal-lake-can-you-lift-him-not-by/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fearful man is always hearing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fearful-man-is-always-hearing-things/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [There is a point at which even justice does injury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/there-is-a-point-at-which-even-justice-does-injury/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Explore all 621 Sophocles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## More Ends quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [it is the brevity of life which makes it tolerable; its experiences have value because they have an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/it-is-the-brevity-of-life-which-makes-it-tolerable-its-experiences/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. 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With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) Browse all 20,790 Ends quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What men have seen they know; But what shall come hereafter No man before the event can see, Nor what end waits for him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sophocles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-shall-come-hereafter-no-man/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ends" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-shall-come-hereafter-no-man/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/sophocles-370_ends_what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-sh_367926.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/sophocles-370_ends_what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-sh_367926.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/558/sophocles-370_ends_what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-sh_367926.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What men have seen they know; But what shall come hereafter No man before the event can see, Nor what end…” — Sophocles", "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": "Sophocles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What men have seen they know;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-shall-come-hereafter-no-man/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/what-men-have-seen-they-know-but-what-shall-come-hereafter-no-man/#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 } } ] } ```