---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is only one thing about which I am…"
description: "\"There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain\" — W. Somerset Maugham"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/w-somerset-maugham-237_certain_there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am_2866351.jpg"
---

#  There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this…

![“There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain” quote by W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/w-somerset-maugham-237_certain_there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am_2866351.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/w-somerset-maugham-237_certain_there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am_2866351.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/w-somerset-maugham-237_certain_there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am_2866351.jpg)

> “There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain”

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker acknowledges certainty only in the existence of uncertainty, highlighting the limits of knowledge.

**In simple terms:** We can only be sure of uncertainty.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humility about what we know.

Themes

philosophy uncertainty knowledge

Mood

contemplative skeptical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- scientific research
- decision making
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

epistemology skepticism

Questions to Reflect On

- What can you be certain about?
- How does uncertainty shape your choices?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on doubt may hinder action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Decision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/)

## Related quotes

> [There's certain little sounds that I just like to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-baby/there-s-certain-little-sounds-that-i-just-like-to-hear/)

[Lil Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-baby/)

> [I may be permitted, like the doctors, to cure a greater evil by a less, for I shall not fall seriously in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/i-may-be-permitted-like-the-doctors-to-cure-a-greater-evil-by-a-less/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [I'm still a little certain I'm a wizard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-mendes/i-m-still-a-little-certain-i-m-a-wizard/)

[Shawn Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-mendes/)

> [Joel Little and I have this certain chemistry we have when we work together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalid/joel-little-and-i-have-this-certain-chemistry-we-have-when-we-work/)

[Khalid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalid/)

> [“You cannot know" he said simply. "Very little is certain in this life, my lady.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-maxwell/you-cannot-know-he-said-simply-very-little-is-certain-in-this-life-my/)

[Robin Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-maxwell/)

> [One thing is certain: We can't go back. The musical will never be the same as it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/one-thing-is-certain-we-can-t-go-back-the-musical-will-never-be-the/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [“Maybe that had been his plan all along, or maybe not. But one thing's for certain- now that I had said it, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/maybe-that-had-been-his-plan-all-along-or-maybe-not-but-one-thing-s/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Apart from death and taxes, the one thing that's certain in this life is that I'll never be a fashion icon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-dickinson/apart-from-death-and-taxes-the-one-thing-that-s-certain-in-this-life/)

[Bruce Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-dickinson/)

> [I love being certain. I mean I really love being certain.The only thing certain in life is uncertainty. Yet, I was taught not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/i-love-being-certain-i-mean-i-really-love-being-certain-the-only/)

[Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/)

> [In this world of doubt, one thing is certain for me; that I will go on writing songs up to and - I hope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-hitchcock/in-this-world-of-doubt-one-thing-is-certain-for-me-that-i-will-go-on/)

[Robyn Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-hitchcock/)

> [I'm a big fan of lyrics - lyrics are the thing that move me in certain ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cole/i-m-a-big-fan-of-lyrics-lyrics-are-the-thing-that-move-me-in-certain/)

[Joe Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cole/)

> [“One thing’s certain, life with you is never gonna be boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/one-thing-s-certain-life-with-you-is-never-gonna-be-boring/)

[Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/)

> [One thing is certain in business, you and everyone around you will make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/one-thing-is-certain-in-business-you-and-everyone-around-you-will/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [\*\*No matter how much we like and care for a person if we are uncertain of our position, there will be a point when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uknown/no-matter-how-much-we-like-and-care-for-a-person-if-we-are-uncertain/)

UKNOWN

> [It's one thing to be certain, but you can be certain and you can be wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-one-thing-to-be-certain-but-you-can-be-certain-and-you-can-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by W. Somerset Maugham

> [“A man thinks it quite natural that he should fall out of love with a woman, but it never strikes him for a moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-thinks-it-quite-natural-that-he-should-fall-out-of-love-with-a/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-s-work-reveals-him-in-social-intercourse-he-gives-you-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/love-is-only-a-dirty-trick-played-on-us-to-achieve-continuation-of/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-world-is-hard-and-cruel-we-are-here-none-knows-why-and-we-go-none/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“There is no more merit in having read a thousand books than in having ploughed a thousand fields.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-no-more-merit-in-having-read-a-thousand-books-than-in-having/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“I wanted to live again and again. I was willing to accept every sort of life, no matter what its pain and sorrow; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-wanted-to-live-again-and-again-i-was-willing-to-accept-every-sort/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/in-hollywood-the-women-are-all-peaches-it-makes-one-long-for-an-apple/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Follow your inclinations with due regard to the policeman round the corner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/follow-your-inclinations-with-due-regard-to-the-policeman-round-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“His love became a prison from which he longed to escape, but he had not the strength merely to open the door-that was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/his-love-became-a-prison-from-which-he-longed-to-escape-but-he-had/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [I did not believe him capable of love. That is an emotion in which tenderness is an essential part, but Strickland had no tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/i-did-not-believe-him-capable-of-love-that-is-an-emotion-in-which/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [If only the good were a little less heavy-footed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/if-only-the-good-were-a-little-less-heavy-footed/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/perfection-has-one-grave-defect-it-is-apt-to-be-dull/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-god-that-can-be-understood-is-no-god-who-can-explain-the-infinite/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“My dear, you used to be quite a dish; now you're quite a tureen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/my-dear-you-used-to-be-quite-a-dish-now-you-re-quite-a-tureen/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [“When people say they do not care what others thing of them, for the most part they deceive themselves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/when-people-say-they-do-not-care-what-others-thing-of-them-for-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

[Explore all 840 W. Somerset Maugham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

## More Certain quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

Riffat Hassan

> [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/)

[Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/)

T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/)

[Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "W. Somerset Maugham"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am-certain-and-this-is-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Certain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am-certain-and-this-is-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/w-somerset-maugham-237_certain_there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am_2866351.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/w-somerset-maugham-237_certain_there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am_2866351.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36f/w-somerset-maugham-237_certain_there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am_2866351.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can…” — W. Somerset Maugham",
                "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": "W. Somerset Maugham",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is only one thing about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am-certain-and-this-is-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-is-only-one-thing-about-which-i-am-certain-and-this-is-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
