Quotes About Comprehension

L'uomo è in grado di apprendere poche cose la volta; vediamo soltanto ciò che accade dinanzi a noi, qui e ora; non siamo capaci di figurarci una serie di processi che avvengono simultaneamente, per quanto siano legati o complementari gli uni agli altri. Questo vale anche per fenomeni relativamente semplici. La sorte di un uomo è significativa, quella di cento si può appena afferrare; ma la storia di mille, di un milione, propriamente parlando, non ci dice niente.

From a chemical analysis of the ink with which a letter is written to us, we will never deduce the intellectual attributes of the writer.

In this way the ocean not only in a certain sense knew the Einstein-Boeve hypothesis, but (unlike us humans) was even able to make use of its consequences.

The human mind is only capable of absorbing a few things at a time. We see what is taking place in front of us int he here and now, and cannot envisage simultaneously a succession of processes, no matter how integrated and complementary. Our faculties of perception are consequently limited even as regards fairly simple phenomena.

Given that our civilization is unable to assimilate well even those concepts that originate in human heads when they appear outside its main current, although the creators of those concepts are, after all, children of the same age—how could we have assumed that we would be capable of understanding a civilization totally unlike ours, if it addressed us across the cosmic gulf?

El ser humano no es capaz de formular todos los conocimientos que debe a sus experiencias personales.

How many extraordinary phenomena like this, so foreign to human comprehension, might lie concealed in space? Do we need to travel everywhere bringing destructive power on our ships, so as to smash anything that runs counter to our understanding?

according to Lem's Law, 'No one reads; if someone does read, he doesn't understand; if he understands, he immediately forgets' -- owing to general lack of time, the oversupply of books, and the perfection of advertising.

If you can't take both sides, it means you can only play yourself.

Flora sighed. It was curious that persons who lived what the novelists called a rich emotional life always seemed to be a bit slow on the uptake.

Interaction works as a kind of glue for understanding. It takes all the pieces of an understanding problem—representations in the world, the tools we work with, the space around us, and the computations in our head—and weaves them together.

Information is cheap; understanding is expensive.

The details to be left as an exercise to the student.

They just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend.

And she looked at me like she couldn't believe I knew she loved Anne Rice. I guess he didn't know how much she talked or how much I listened.

When I was done reading the poem, everyone was quiet. A very sad quiet. But the amazing thing was that it wasn't a bad sad at all. It was just something that made everyone look around at each other and know that they were there. Sam and Patrick looked at me. And I looked at them. And I think they knew. Not anything specific really. They just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend.

What's the point of using words nobody knows or can say comfortably?

I guess she didn't know how much she talked or how much I listened.

And I think they knew. Not anything specific really. They just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend.

For the first time in my life, I understood the end of that poem. And I never wanted to. You have to believe me.

I almost didn't get an A in math, but then Mr. Carlo told me to stop asking why? all the time and just follow the formulas. So, I did. Now, I get perfect scores on all my tests. I just wish I knew what the formulas did. I honestly have no idea.

She kept saying it was an "articulate" film. So "articulate." And I guess it was. The thing is, I didn't know what it said even if it said it very well.

The teacher has assigned us a few chapters at a time, but I do not like to read books like

Sam and Patrick looked at me, and I looked at them, and I think they knew. Not anything specific, really, they just knew. And I think that's all you can ever ask from a friend.