The Dharma Bums: Hyperbole 1 key example

Ray precedes this quotation by describing how everyone in his hometown judges him for doing nothing except meditate in the woods all day—at least, that is, until one old man from the crossroads store, with "a little rueful envy in his voice," appears to understand Ray and says he would like to try meditation. Ray's hyperbolic response highlights that, for members of countercultural movements, even one person's belief or understanding can be hugely significant. While everybody might not actually know everything (and hence the sentence is an instance of hyperbole), at least one person understands, which is enough for Ray. 

While the hyperbole could be read as a sarcastic assertion that most people actually know nothing, it seems like Ray truly believes everyone does know that his way of living life is best, but they simply don't want to admit it to themselves. As he explains earlier, "they weren't fooling me either. I knew they secretly wanted to go sleep in the woods [...]" Ray—somewhat in alignment with classical Buddhist universalism—believes that everybody knows what is best deep down. Furthermore, from his perspective, if they know what is best, they know everything worth knowing. The hyperbole's repetition of "every" highlights that element of universalism, while once more reminding readers of the fundamental simplicity of Ray's Zen philosophy.