--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How strange it (the earthquake) must all…" description: "\"“How strange it (the earthquake) must all have seemed to them, here where they lived so safely always! They thought such a dreadful thing could happen ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/william-dean-howells-10621_disaster_how-strange-it-the-earthquake-must-all-h_165205.jpg" --- # How strange it (the earthquake) must all have seemed to… ![“How strange it (the earthquake) must all have seemed to them, here where they lived so safely always! They thought such a dreadful thing could happen to others, but not to them. That is the way!” quote by William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/william-dean-howells-10621_disaster_how-strange-it-the-earthquake-must-all-h_165205.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/william-dean-howells-10621_disaster_how-strange-it-the-earthquake-must-all-h_165205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/william-dean-howells-10621_disaster_how-strange-it-the-earthquake-must-all-h_165205.jpg) > ““How strange it (the earthquake) must all have seemed to them, here where they lived so safely always! They thought such a dreadful thing could happen to others, but not to them. That is the way!”” [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often feel invulnerable until a disaster hits close to home, revealing their false sense of safety. **In simple terms:** We think danger happens to others, not us. Key Takeaway Recognize personal vulnerability and prepare. Themes risk perception human psychology disaster awareness Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - urban living - emergency planning - insurance decisions - community drills Key Concepts cognitive bias optimism bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you assess your own safety? - What steps can you take to mitigate unexpected threats? A Different Perspective People may underestimate personal risk despite warnings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Earthquake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthquake/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) ## Related quotes > [Go safely. Go safely, she thought to him. what a silly, empty thing it was to say to anyone, anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/go-safely-go-safely-she-thought-to-him-what-a-silly-empty-thing-it/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [We still carry this old caveman-imprint idea that we're small, nature's big, and it's everything we can manage to hang on and survive. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-balog/we-still-carry-this-old-caveman-imprint-idea-that-we-re-small-nature/) [James Balog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-balog/) > [“Wanasayansi wanaamini kuwa Yesu atarudi tarehe 29 Julai 2016. Tarehe hiyo kitu kikubwa sana kitatokea katika dunia yetu kitakachosababisha tetemeko kubwa la ardhi, litakalosababishwa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/wanasayansi-wanaamini-kuwa-yesu-atarudi-tarehe-29-julai-2016-tarehe/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [After the earthquake and the fire comes the still, small voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-thompson/after-the-earthquake-and-the-fire-comes-the-still-small-voice/) [Dorothy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-thompson/) > [Each year, at the typical nuclear reactor in the U.S., there's a 1 in 74,176 chance of an earthquake strong enough to cause damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-dedman/each-year-at-the-typical-nuclear-reactor-in-the-u-s-there-s-a-1-in-74/) [Bill Dedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-dedman/) > [One widow left her house for a day, came back and found her brother-in-law had taken over her home after the earthquake, so she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ursel/one-widow-left-her-house-for-a-day-came-back-and-found-her-brother-in/) Keith Ursel > [“I am the earthquake of love. How you feel is my fault.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-am-the-earthquake-of-love-how-you-feel-is-my-fault/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When the earthquake hit Christchurch in 2011, the factory that produces Marmite was closed for two years. The supermarket shelves were empty and people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-galetti/when-the-earthquake-hit-christchurch-in-2011-the-factory-that/) [Monica Galetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-galetti/) > [When you are submitted and committed to the Lord, you will look forward to Jesus coming back, and not even an earthquake or Hurricane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-johnson/when-you-are-submitted-and-committed-to-the-lord-you-will-look/) [Monica Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-johnson/) > [The earthquake, however, must be to every one a most impressive event: the earth, considered from our earliest childhood as the type of solidity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-earthquake-however-must-be-to-every-one-a-most-impressive-event/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [War is the easiest photography in the business. Just get close, be lucky, know how your camera works. There are subjects everywhere. Everyplace you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-douglas-duncan/war-is-the-easiest-photography-in-the-business-just-get-close-be/) [David Douglas Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-douglas-duncan/) > [Whenever there is an international crisis - an earthquake, a flood, a war - Americans provide more assistance than the people of any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-moore/whenever-there-is-an-international-crisis-an-earthquake-a-flood-a-war/) [Stephen Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-moore/) > [“… about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God…. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/about-midnight-as-paul-and-silas-were-praying-and-singing-hymns-of/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Every morning when I pick up the newspaper and read about an earthquake in Japan or problems in European financial institutions, the first question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-schapiro/every-morning-when-i-pick-up-the-newspaper-and-read-about-an/) [Mary Schapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-schapiro/) > [“Do you see those dull stars?" She outlined the formation with her finger. "A pentagram," whispered Scott. "Yes, but not just any pentagram. Take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mattie/do-you-see-those-dull-stars-she-outlined-the-formation-with-her/) [Katie Mattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mattie/) ## More by William Dean Howells > [It is the still, small voice that the soul heeds, not the deafening blasts of doom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/it-is-the-still-small-voice-that-the-soul-heeds-not-the-deafening/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [n artistic atmosphere does not create artists a literary atmosphere does not create literators; poets and painters spring up where there was never a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/n-artistic-atmosphere-does-not-create-artists-a-literary-atmosphere/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [Preach the blessings of our deeply incorporated civilization by the mouths of our eight-inch guns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/preach-the-blessings-of-our-deeply-incorporated-civilization-by-the/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [If we like a man's dream, we call him a reformer; if we don't like his dream, we call him a crank.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/if-we-like-a-man-s-dream-we-call-him-a-reformer-if-we-don-t-like-his/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [The action is best that secures the greatest happiness for the greatest number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/the-action-is-best-that-secures-the-greatest-happiness-for-the/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [“If he was not commonplace, it was through nothing remarkable in his mind, which was simply clear and practical, but through some combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/if-he-was-not-commonplace-it-was-through-nothing-remarkable-in-his/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [Is it worth while to observe that there are no Venetian blinds in Venice?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/is-it-worth-while-to-observe-that-there-are-no-venetian-blinds-in/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [The swelling and towering omnibuses, the huge trucks and wagons and carriages, the impetuous hansoms and the more sobered four-wheelers, the pony-carts, donkey-carts, hand-carts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/the-swelling-and-towering-omnibuses-the-huge-trucks-and-wagons-and/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [“Our theory of disaster, of sorrow, of affliction, borrowed from the poets and novelist, is that it is incessant; but every passage in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/our-theory-of-disaster-of-sorrow-of-affliction-borrowed-from-the/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [Christ and the life of Christ is at this moment inspiring the literature of the world as never before, and raising it up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/christ-and-the-life-of-christ-is-at-this-moment-inspiring-the/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [Inequality is as dear to the American heart as liberty itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/inequality-is-as-dear-to-the-american-heart-as-liberty-itself/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [“It's easy enough to be sensible for other people. But when it comes to myself, there I am! Especially, when I want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/it-s-easy-enough-to-be-sensible-for-other-people-but-when-it-comes-to/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [If ever the public was betrayed by its press, it's ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/if-ever-the-public-was-betrayed-by-its-press-it-s-ours/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [He who sleeps in continual noise is wakened by silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/he-who-sleeps-in-continual-noise-is-wakened-by-silence/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) > [Do not trouble yourselves about standards or ideals; but try to be faithful and natural: remember that there is no greatness, no beauty, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dean-howells/do-not-trouble-yourselves-about-standards-or-ideals-but-try-to-be/) [William Dean Howells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) [Explore all 64 William Dean Howells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dean-howells/) ## More Disaster quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [One of the undervalued contributors to Trump's stunning 2016 victory was the masterful performance Pence had in his debate against Hillary Clinton running mate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-hemingway/one-of-the-undervalued-contributors-to-trump-s-stunning-2016-victory/) [Mollie Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-hemingway/) > [You know, we can't beat ISIS. We can't do anything. We can't take care of our vets. We can't have good health care. "Obama…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-know-we-can-t-beat-isis-we-can-t-do-anything-we-can-t-take-care/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“She was—of course—perfectly normal— quiet and polite and reasonably intelligent and...normal and self destructive and lonely and terrified of every thing And she loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tah-the-trickster/she-was-of-course-perfectly-normal-quiet-and-polite-and-reasonably/) Tah the Trickster > [Obviously, it's my goal to be the top scorer in the Bundesliga, but it wouldn't be a disaster if I didn't achieve that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-gomez/obviously-it-s-my-goal-to-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-bundesliga-but-it/) [Mario Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-gomez/) > [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [Even disasters -- there are always disasters when you travel -- can be turned into adventures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/even-disasters-there-are-always-disasters-when-you-travel-can-be/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [We are always just one successful terrorist attack away from a nuclear disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-thompson/we-are-always-just-one-successful-terrorist-attack-away-from-a/) [Fred Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-thompson/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Architects mostly work for privileged people, people who have money and power, Power and money are invisible, so people hire us to visualize their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-ban/architects-mostly-work-for-privileged-people-people-who-have-money/) [Shigeru Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-ban/) > [The only aspect of our travels that is interesting to others is disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellmanmartha-gellman/the-only-aspect-of-our-travels-that-is-interesting-to-others-is/) Martha GellmanMartha Gellman [Browse all 2,239 Disaster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How strange it (the earthquake) must all have seemed to them, here where they lived so safely always! 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