--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But sometimes you can't figure everything…" description: "\"But sometimes you can't figure everything out because you can't ever really understand other people. You can't understand why they do what they do. You..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/william-landay-7878_accepting_but-sometimes-you-can-t-figure-everythin_1312384.png" --- # But sometimes you can't figure everything out because you… ![“But sometimes you can't figure everything out because you can't ever really understand other people. You can't understand why they do what they do. You just have to accept a little mystery, Ben. People are mysterious, the world is mysterious. You can't know everything. You're not supposed to. This…” quote by William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/william-landay-7878_accepting_but-sometimes-you-can-t-figure-everythin_1312384.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/william-landay-7878_accepting_but-sometimes-you-can-t-figure-everythin_1312384.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/william-landay-7878_accepting_but-sometimes-you-can-t-figure-everythin_1312384.png) > “But sometimes you can't figure everything out because you can't ever really understand other people. You can't understand why they do what they do. You just have to accept a little mystery, Ben. People are mysterious, the world is mysterious. You can't know everything. You're not supposed to. This isn't a history book. It's just the world. It's a messy place.” [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We cannot fully comprehend others or the world; accepting mystery is necessary. **In simple terms:** You can't know everything about people or life. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and focus on what you can control. Themes mystery human nature acceptance complexity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace dynamics - cross‑cultural interactions - decision making Key Concepts psychology existentialism epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle uncertainty in relationships? - What can you control when faced with the unknown? A Different Perspective Understanding others is limited by perspective and bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [People are mysterious, even to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lentricchia/people-are-mysterious-even-to-themselves/) [Frank Lentricchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lentricchia/) > [“He had a confused sense that she must have cost a great deal to make, that a great many dull and ugly people must,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/he-had-a-confused-sense-that-she-must-have-cost-a-great-deal-to-make/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [China was not at all what I expected it to be. I had an image of China as a very quaint and mysterious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/china-was-not-at-all-what-i-expected-it-to-be-i-had-an-image-of-china/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [I love to be with my son and my grandchildren, like normal people. I have no particular idea of what I represent to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-sharif/i-love-to-be-with-my-son-and-my-grandchildren-like-normal-people-i/) [Omar Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-sharif/) > [I guess in my own life, privacy, anonymity, and the mystery of being lost are important. I also feel that people are mysterious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-guess-in-my-own-life-privacy-anonymity-and-the-mystery-of-being/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Chekhov understood that people are mysterious and can't be reduced to what we nowadays call 'motivation.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/chekhov-understood-that-people-are-mysterious-and-can-t-be-reduced-to/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“People are not mysterious because they never shut up!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/people-are-not-mysterious-because-they-never-shut-up/) [Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/) > [“It never failed to astonish him, then or ever, how much of the world around him was mysterious and hidden from view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-never-failed-to-astonish-him-then-or-ever-how-much-of-the-world/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [The quantum world is still very mysterious, still seemingly very powerful, and I'm definitely attracted to the mysterious and the unknown and just the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-hunt/the-quantum-world-is-still-very-mysterious-still-seemingly-very/) [Van Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-hunt/) > [The world is so mysterious, and there's so many social interactions where I have no idea what I'm supposed to do - what's being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-holmes/the-world-is-so-mysterious-and-there-s-so-many-social-interactions/) [Pete Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-holmes/) > [The world is a mysterious place and the very limitation of our senses in exploring it means we are sometimes aware of there being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/the-world-is-a-mysterious-place-and-the-very-limitation-of-our-senses/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Dont everytime believe wha you see, world is mysterious, the truth may be even deeper .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/dont-everytime-believe-wha-you-see-world-is-mysterious-the-truth-may/) Senoraroy > [The best thing about the world is that it has a mysterious structure and the worst thing is that it has a grievous structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kedar-joshi/the-best-thing-about-the-world-is-that-it-has-a-mysterious-structure/) [Kedar Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kedar-joshi/) > [There is nothing in the world that is not mysterious, but the mystery is more evident in certain things than in others: in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-that-is-not-mysterious-but-the-mystery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“fearing nothing but the unknown in a world of mysterious wonder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fante/fearing-nothing-but-the-unknown-in-a-world-of-mysterious-wonder/) [John Fante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fante/) ## More by William Landay > [“no one worth knowing can be quite known, no one worth possessing can be quite possessed—but”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/no-one-worth-knowing-can-be-quite-known-no-one-worth-possessing-can/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“I do not believe in the court system, at least I do not think it is especially good at finding the truth. No lawyer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/i-do-not-believe-in-the-court-system-at-least-i-do-not-think-it-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/an-emotion-is-a-thought-yes-an-idea-but-it-is-also-a-sensation-an/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“You can’t do it alone, that’s the thing. You have to remember there are other people out there who have gone through it, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/you-can-t-do-it-alone-that-s-the-thing-you-have-to-remember-there-are/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“All they got locked up in this hole is my body. That's all they got, my body, not me. I'm everywhere, see? Everywhere you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/all-they-got-locked-up-in-this-hole-is-my-body-that-s-all-they-got-my/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“I rather doubt he had the sense to see the truth: that there are wounds worse than fatal, which the law's little binary distinctions-guilty/innocent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/i-rather-doubt-he-had-the-sense-to-see-the-truth-that-there-are/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“They were chosen for their perfect ignorance of these things. That is how the system works. In the end, the lawyers and judges happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/they-were-chosen-for-their-perfect-ignorance-of-these-things-that-is/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [Crime and legal stories, broadly speaking, are just where my interest happens to lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/crime-and-legal-stories-broadly-speaking-are-just-where-my-interest/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [When I was 30 or so - by that time I had become an assistant D.A. - I decided I would try to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/when-i-was-30-or-so-by-that-time-i-had-become-an-assistant-d-a-i/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“It was a limitation of human consciousness: We live only in the future and past, we cannot perceive now. Now occupies no space, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/it-was-a-limitation-of-human-consciousness-we-live-only-in-the-future/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“You're staring.' 'You're my wife. I'm allowed to stare.' 'Is that the rule?' 'Yes. Stare, leer, ogle, anything I want. Trust me. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/you-re-staring-you-re-my-wife-i-m-allowed-to-stare-is-that-the-rule/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“It is a common architectural strategy to build courtrooms without windows, to enhance the effect of a chamber isolated from the everyday world, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/it-is-a-common-architectural-strategy-to-build-courtrooms-without/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“but good friendships require complementary personalities, not identical ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/but-good-friendships-require-complementary-personalities-not/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“…I never expected to lose in court. In practice, I did lose, of course. Every lawyer loses, just as every baseball player makes an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/i-never-expected-to-lose-in-court-in-practice-i-did-lose-of-course/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [“Next to me was Jacob, this riddle Laurie and I had made. His size, his resemblance to me, the likelihood that he would fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/next-to-me-was-jacob-this-riddle-laurie-and-i-had-made-his-size-his/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) [Explore all 86 William Landay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But sometimes you can't figure everything out because you can't ever really understand other people. You can't understand why they do what they do. You just have to accept a little mystery, Ben. People are mysterious, the world is mysterious. You can't know everything. You're not supposed to. This isn't a history book. It's just the world. 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