--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Importance of the random: keep brushing…" description: "\"“Importance of the random: keep brushing up against people, books, experiences we don't yet know what to do with.”\" — Alain de Botton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/alain-de-botton-221_books_importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-u_2128564.jpg" --- # Importance of the random: keep brushing up against people… ![“Importance of the random: keep brushing up against people, books, experiences we don't yet know what to do with.” quote by Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/alain-de-botton-221_books_importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-u_2128564.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/alain-de-botton-221_books_importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-u_2128564.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/alain-de-botton-221_books_importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-u_2128564.jpg) > ““Importance of the random: keep brushing up against people, books, experiences we don't yet know what to do with.”” [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Engaging with unknown people, books, and experiences expands understanding and opens new possibilities. **In simple terms:** Explore unknown people and ideas to grow. Key Takeaway Seek out unfamiliar perspectives regularly. Themes learning curiosity growth exploration Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - travel - reading - network events Key Concepts philosophy psychology networking Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance curiosity with focus? - What methods help integrate new experiences without confusion? A Different Perspective Overwhelm can arise from too much unfamiliar information. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Importance Random](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance-random-4376084/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [People Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-books-313541/) [Random](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/random/) [Random Brushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/random-brushing-4376085/) [Randomness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/randomness/) ## Related quotes > [Random numbers should not be generated with a method chosen at random](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/random-numbers-should-not-be-generated-with-a-method-chosen-at-random/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [“We may be fascinated by the temptations of random encounters. 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The mature person knows that no one owns anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/to-be-mature-is-we-re-told-to-move-beyond-possessiveness-jealousy-is/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“He feared that by leaving her he would ruin her life - so he stayed, and did just that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/he-feared-that-by-leaving-her-he-would-ruin-her-life-so-he-stayed-and/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [You have to be quite heavily invested in someone to do them the honour of telling them you're annoyed with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/you-have-to-be-quite-heavily-invested-in-someone-to-do-them-the/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“The Anxiety of Sunday afternoon: your unlived lives and infinite possibility pressing upon the constraints of reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-anxiety-of-sunday-afternoon-your-unlived-lives-and-infinite/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Those who divorce aren't necessarily the most unhappy, just those neatly able to believe their misery is caused by one other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/those-who-divorce-aren-t-necessarily-the-most-unhappy-just-those/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Insofar as we appreciate order, it is when we perceive it as being accompanied by complexity, when we feel that a variety of elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/insofar-as-we-appreciate-order-it-is-when-we-perceive-it-as-being/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [I like the values associated with a medical family - common sense, being practical but also thoughtful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/i-like-the-values-associated-with-a-medical-family-common-sense-being/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Anyone who urgently needs us deserves, in the true book of love, to be our friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/anyone-who-urgently-needs-us-deserves-in-the-true-book-of-love-to-be/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“We can then recognize that we invented religions to serve two central needs which continue to this day and which secular society has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-can-then-recognize-that-we-invented-religions-to-serve-two-central/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Half the ingratitude and complacency in the world down to how slowly and imperceptibly most good and bad things unfold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/half-the-ingratitude-and-complacency-in-the-world-down-to-how-slowly/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [It is perhaps when our lives are at their most problematic that we are likely to be most receptive to beautiful things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/it-is-perhaps-when-our-lives-are-at-their-most-problematic-that-we/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Does what is praised becomes better? Does an emerald become worse if it isn't praised? 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And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Importance of the random: keep brushing up against people, books, experiences we don't yet know what to do with.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alain de Botton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-up-against-people-books/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-up-against-people-books/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/alain-de-botton-221_books_importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-u_2128564.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/alain-de-botton-221_books_importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-u_2128564.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/alain-de-botton-221_books_importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-u_2128564.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Importance of the random: keep brushing up against people, books, experiences we don't yet know what to do…” — Alain de Botton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alain de Botton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Importance of the random: keep brushing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-up-against-people-books/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/importance-of-the-random-keep-brushing-up-against-people-books/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```