Tara Oliver’s Reviews > How to Not Know: The Value of Uncertainty in a World that Demands Answers > Status Update

“This is what I believe right now based on what I know. Hold hypotheses lightly and stay open to new evidence.”

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.”

Approach uncertainty with curiosity. Rather than subscribe to the common assumption that “you should just know” about the relationship, the job, the move. Allow space for the not knowing.

“She could marinate in the not knowing. This is the step that, in our pursuit of comfort, we often bypass. Rather than allow ourselves to not know, we grasp for the relief of a clear next step. And Not every fork in the road represents a choice between utopia and damnation.”

“Tolerance is built when you experience pain, confront limitations and push through. When we confront uncertainty and the discomfort it may trigger, we get better at coping with it. When we resist the urge for certainty, we allow ourselves to see the world as it is rather than as we wish it to be. By not presuming what the pilgrimage will teach him, the student opens her mind to what will emerge.”