--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But people have always been dimly aware…" description: "\"“But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder aloud how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-people-have-always-been-dimly-aware_911686.jpg" --- # But people have always been dimly aware of the problem… ![“But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder aloud how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the spelling of the words. Yet there is the constant desire to find some point in the twisting, knotting, ravelling…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-people-have-always-been-dimly-aware_911686.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-people-have-always-been-dimly-aware_911686.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/terry-pratchett-19_quote_but-people-have-always-been-dimly-aware_911686.jpg) > ““But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder aloud how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the spelling of the words. Yet there is the constant desire to find some point in the twisting, knotting, ravelling nets of space-time on which a metaphorical finger can be put to indicate that here, here, is the point where it all began . . .”” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans constantly seek origins, yet the universe’s complexity defies simple pinpointing. **In simple terms:** We chase beginnings but reality is tangled. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty about origins. Themes philosophy science curiosity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - academic research - personal introspection - creative writing Key Concepts metaphor complexity origin seeking Questions to Reflect On - Why do we need a single starting point? - How does embracing complexity help? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on finding a single origin can limit understanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Metaphorical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphorical/) [Metaphorical Finger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphorical-finger-1340401/) [Point Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-began-1340403/) [Start Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start-things-1340404/) [Time Metaphorical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-metaphorical-1340402/) ## Related quotes > [Everything starts somewhere, though many physicists disagree. But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/everything-starts-somewhere-though-many-physicists-disagree-but/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Oh, a very useful philosophical animal, your average tortoise. Outrunning metaphorical arrows, beating hares in races... very handy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/oh-a-very-useful-philosophical-animal-your-average-tortoise/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The reason we start things is rarely the reason we continue them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/the-reason-we-start-things-is-rarely-the-reason-we-continue-them/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [People try to start things with me because of who I am, and I know that means I have to stay away. 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It's one of those things you only have so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cullen-jenkins/in-a-perfect-world-you-can-finish-out-your-career-where-you-start-it/) [Cullen Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cullen-jenkins/) > [“If you start to do things that nobody does, you will get things that nobody gets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-start-to-do-things-that-nobody-does-you-will-get-things-that/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [I love to start things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-popper/i-love-to-start-things/) [John Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-popper/) > [“To be a truly creative company, you must start things that might fail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/to-be-a-truly-creative-company-you-must-start-things-that-might-fail/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [“I want to be remembered as a person who wasn't afraid to start things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-guillebeau/i-want-to-be-remembered-as-a-person-who-wasn-t-afraid-to-start-things/) [Chris Guillebeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-guillebeau/) > [Those that start things have an advantage over those that follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-burton/those-that-start-things-have-an-advantage-over-those-that-follow/) [Cliff Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-burton/) > [The dawn of a new day will allow you to start all things new...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-washington/the-dawn-of-a-new-day-will-allow-you-to-start-all-things-new/) [Sonja Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-washington/) > [When dams were erected on the Columbia, salmon battered themselves against the concrete, trying to return home. 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If young writers would find those writers who can give them metaphors by the bushel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/i-ve-grown-up-on-a-diet-of-metaphors-if-young-writers-would-find/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Browse all 145 Metaphorical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphorical/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder aloud how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the spelling of the words. 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