“To know all, is to understand all.” That’s a Zanny-ism. A Zanny-ism is an original quote by me. They may not be brilliant, but they will be practical and applicable to most people. So, one thing I know for sure is: when you know all the pieces of information, everything else makes sense. It all fits together. As a Family Therapist, I see the dynamic over and over again. Often what a client tells me doesn’t quite all fit together. I sense something is missing – but even after repeated questioning, the client may sit across from me and shake their head in denial that they’ve provided every piece of information. Now, the client may not always be aware or have conscious memory of certain events. I am here to validate repressed memory in clients is very, very real. The human capacity for such superior cognitive sophistication blows my mind away! As a therapist, it’s a trip to witness. Not every client intentionally withholds. But some do for various motives and when the truth is eventually divulged, it’s an “ah-ha” moment for me.
How can you apply this knowledge? When you try to figure someone or some situation out – but keep hitting a dead end – it’s almost always because you do not have all of the information. Even when someone swears they are telling you everything. Because, when you have all of the information, then the rest of the puzzle makes sense. It finally all fits together in a very logical way. When something does not add up, ask yourself what the mostly likely piece of the scenario could be missing. Even if it it is unlikely and sounds far fetched – you’re probably close to the truth.
To know all, is to understand all
That is a quote by Evelyn Waugh
(Brideshead Revisited)
wow… godsent!
Im just in the process of finding out that i am an “know-it-all” personality. As painfull it was to see this, I can also see the reliefe in conforming myself with others and reaxing more. And this truly helped me figure out that part of my denial even better (because deep down im an very insecure person, but I didnt know I was that)
wow! your great! thanks for sharing!
Actually the Evelyn Waugh quote from Brideshead Revisited is “To know all is to forgive all.” However, I have heard the quote “To know all is to forgive all” before, and I don’t think Zanny was the first to say this. Just google it and you can find a bunch of different people quoting this prior to Zanny.
I meant to say “To know all is to understand all” is the quote that Zanny is claiming credit for, and which should be googled to see how commonly it was in use B.Z. (Before Zanny)