--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I suppose if I'd got a brilliant first…" description: "\"I suppose if I'd got a brilliant first and done research I might still be a don today, but I hope not. People become dons because they are incapable of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/a-n-wilson-9011_brilliant_i-suppose-if-i-d-got-a-brilliant-first-a_1561166.png" --- # I suppose if I'd got a brilliant first and done research I… ![“I suppose if I'd got a brilliant first and done research I might still be a don today, but I hope not. People become dons because they are incapable of doing anything else in life.” quote by A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/a-n-wilson-9011_brilliant_i-suppose-if-i-d-got-a-brilliant-first-a_1561166.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/a-n-wilson-9011_brilliant_i-suppose-if-i-d-got-a-brilliant-first-a_1561166.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/a-n-wilson-9011_brilliant_i-suppose-if-i-d-got-a-brilliant-first-a_1561166.png) > “I suppose if I'd got a brilliant first and done research I might still be a don today, but I hope not. People become dons because they are incapable of doing anything else in life.” [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Academic titles can be both a badge of achievement and a sign of limited alternatives. **In simple terms:** Being a don may reflect lack of other options. Key Takeaway Question the value of titles versus actual contribution. Themes career ego academic culture Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - university life - career counseling - personal development - public discourse - mentorship Key Concepts elitism career stagnation identity self‑perception Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you beyond titles? - Can you find fulfillment without formal accolades? A Different Perspective Not all scholars are trapped; many choose the path freely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [People become dons because they are incapable of doing anything else in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/people-become-dons-because-they-are-incapable-of-doing-anything-else/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [ How do you gag the voice in your head that says, 'You don't have to \[do it\] today. There's always tomorrow.'? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs-2/how-do-you-gag-the-voice-in-your-head-that-says-you-don-t-have-to-do/) [A. J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs-2/) > [“The DON of dons Triad is where the top three dons of the world meet to discuss both important and non-important things. Mostly with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-santo/the-don-of-dons-triad-is-where-the-top-three-dons-of-the-world-meet/) [DON SANTO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-santo/) > [“Wow, when you research, you really research, don't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/wow-when-you-research-you-really-research-don-t-you/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [You have to do the research. If you don't know about something, then you ask the right people who do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/you-have-to-do-the-research-if-you-don-t-know-about-something-then/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [The best research is the research that you don't know that you are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-best-research-is-the-research-that-you-don-t-know-that-you-are/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [That's the nature of research you don't know what in hell you're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-eugene-edgerton/that-s-the-nature-of-research-you-don-t-know-what-in-hell-you-re-doing/) [Harold Eugene Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-eugene-edgerton/) > [There are certain early plays of mine that I really don't like, but I can't imagine going back and fixing them. I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/there-are-certain-early-plays-of-mine-that-i-really-don-t-like-but-i/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [“LORD GORING: (after a long pause) Nobody is incapable of doing a foolish thing. Nobody is incapable of doing a wrong thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/lord-goring-after-a-long-pause-nobody-is-incapable-of-doing-a-foolish/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I'm endlessly amazed by what people are capable of, and incapable of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-m-endlessly-amazed-by-what-people-are-capable-of-and-incapable-of/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [Marxism is like a classical building that followed the Renaissance; beautiful in its way, but incapable of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-macmillan/marxism-is-like-a-classical-building-that-followed-the-renaissance/) [Harold MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-macmillan/) > [Even when I can play Europe's most precious keyboard, to have to listen to people who don't understand, or do not want to understand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/even-when-i-can-play-europe-s-most-precious-keyboard-to-have-to/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [“Phillip, who is congenitally incapable of moderation,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/phillip-who-is-congenitally-incapable-of-moderation/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) ## More by A. N. Wilson > [I think one of the very frightening things about the regime of the National Socialists is that it made people happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/i-think-one-of-the-very-frightening-things-about-the-regime-of-the/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > ['In Memoriam' has been my companion for all my grownup life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/in-memoriam-has-been-my-companion-for-all-my-grownup-life/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [I've got nothing very original to say myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/i-ve-got-nothing-very-original-to-say-myself/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [I wanted passionately to be a priest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/i-wanted-passionately-to-be-a-priest/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [Watching a whole cluster of friends, and my own mother, die over quite a short space of time convinced me that purely materialist 'explanations'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/watching-a-whole-cluster-of-friends-and-my-own-mother-die-over-quite/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [Fear of death has never played a large part in my consciousness - perhaps unimaginative of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/fear-of-death-has-never-played-a-large-part-in-my-consciousness/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [I very much dislike the intolerance and moralism of many Christians, and feel more sympathy with Honest Doubters than with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/i-very-much-dislike-the-intolerance-and-moralism-of-many-christians/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [I might be deceiving myself but I do not think that I do have an inordinate fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/i-might-be-deceiving-myself-but-i-do-not-think-that-i-do-have-an/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [On the rare occasions when I spend a night in Oxford, the keeping of the hours by the clock towers in New College, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/on-the-rare-occasions-when-i-spend-a-night-in-oxford-the-keeping-of/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [Iris Murdoch did influence my early novels very much, and influence is never entirely good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/iris-murdoch-did-influence-my-early-novels-very-much-and-influence-is/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [In universities and intellectual circles, academics can guarantee themselves popularity -- or, which is just as satisfying, unpopularity -- by being opinionated rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/in-universities-and-intellectual-circles-academics-can-guarantee/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [It is hard to think of anything which more tragically and clearly exemplifies the phenomenon of good political intentions achieving the precise opposite of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/it-is-hard-to-think-of-anything-which-more-tragically-and-clearly/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [This book has been a catalogue of mistakes by politicians, moral and practical disasters which led to wars, enslavement and wretchedness on a scale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/this-book-has-been-a-catalogue-of-mistakes-by-politicians-moral-and/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [There is no doubt that, since 1977 and the launch of Apple II - the first computer it produced for the mass market -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/there-is-no-doubt-that-since-1977-and-the-launch-of-apple-ii-the/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) > [The latest research has revealed that women have a higher IQ than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-n-wilson/the-latest-research-has-revealed-that-women-have-a-higher-iq-than-men/) [A. N. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) [Explore all 76 A. N. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-n-wilson/) ## More Brilliant quotes > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/) [Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/) [Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/) > [No matter how brilliant an actor is, there's always a point where they let you down, but that's all part of their journey. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hale/no-matter-how-brilliant-an-actor-is-there-s-always-a-point-where-they/) [Amanda Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hale/) > [I enjoy working with Deborah Ann, I think she's brilliant. It's been a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutina-wesley/i-enjoy-working-with-deborah-ann-i-think-she-s-brilliant-it-s-been-a/) [Rutina Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutina-wesley/) > [Gravity Falls' didn't just appear overnight - every spooky cave and moss covered tree was created by a team of brilliant artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/gravity-falls-didn-t-just-appear-overnight-every-spooky-cave-and-moss/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [I like men who are very cool but who are also so brilliant that they are almost insane. Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Bob Dylan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolene-blalock/i-like-men-who-are-very-cool-but-who-are-also-so-brilliant-that-they/) [Jolene Blalock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolene-blalock/) > [Without a trace of irony I can say I have been blessed with brilliant enemies. I owe them a great debt, because they redoubled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/without-a-trace-of-irony-i-can-say-i-have-been-blessed-with-brilliant/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' is a movie that I just find flawless. Jack Nicholson... I just saw 'The Shining' again the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-biehn/one-flew-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest-is-a-movie-that-i-just-find-flawless/) [Michael Biehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-biehn/) > [“You deicde, and you make our night what you want. Brilliant and ours. Stupid and theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-phillips/you-deicde-and-you-make-our-night-what-you-want-brilliant-and-ours/) [Arthur Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-phillips/) > [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Tom Stafford was an odd character, you know - a brilliant guy. He looked weird and I think he took a really defensive attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-fritts/tom-stafford-was-an-odd-character-you-know-a-brilliant-guy-he-looked/) [Donnie Fritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-fritts/) [Browse all 2,403 Brilliant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brilliant/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I suppose if I'd got a brilliant first and done research I might still be a don today, but I hope not. People become dons because they are incapable of doing anything else in life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A. N. 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