--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That was what university was: thinking…" description: "\"“That was what university was: thinking you were going to open yourself up to a universe, and meeting nobody.”\" — Amélie Nothomb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/amelie-nothomb-1581_quote_that-was-what-university-was-thinking-yo_1478309.jpg" --- # That was what university was: thinking you were going to… ![“That was what university was: thinking you were going to open yourself up to a universe, and meeting nobody.” quote by Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/amelie-nothomb-1581_quote_that-was-what-university-was-thinking-yo_1478309.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/amelie-nothomb-1581_quote_that-was-what-university-was-thinking-yo_1478309.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/amelie-nothomb-1581_quote_that-was-what-university-was-thinking-yo_1478309.jpg) > ““That was what university was: thinking you were going to open yourself up to a universe, and meeting nobody.”” [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. University promises openness but often leaves one isolated. **In simple terms:** University can feel isolating despite expectations. Key Takeaway Seek genuine connections beyond expectations. Themes education isolation expectation Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - college life - networking events - personal growth workshops Key Concepts Existential loneliness social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel isolated in learning spaces? - How can you create meaningful connections? A Different Perspective Not all universities foster community. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Open Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-universe-999801/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Meeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-meeting-5381730/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-thinking-5381729/) ## Related quotes > [For God's sake,' the dog is saying, 'open the universe a little more!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-god-s-sake-the-dog-is-saying-open-the-universe-a-little-more/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I am always in quest of being open to what the universe will bring me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-bolte-taylor/i-am-always-in-quest-of-being-open-to-what-the-universe-will-bring-me/) [Jill Bolte Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-bolte-taylor/) > [I'm open to whatever the universe wants to bring me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-dewan/i-m-open-to-whatever-the-universe-wants-to-bring-me/) [Jenna Dewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-dewan/) > [God, the Great Giver, can open the whole universe to our gaze in the narrow space of a single land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/god-the-great-giver-can-open-the-whole-universe-to-our-gaze-in-the/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [I always try to be open to whatever the universe wants from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/i-always-try-to-be-open-to-whatever-the-universe-wants-from-me/) [Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/) > [The universe is a great university.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/the-universe-is-a-great-university/) [Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/when-i-was-a-sophomore-at-usc-i-was-a-socialist-pretty-much-to-the/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Columbia University, where I went to study in 1993, insisted its undergraduates learn a foreign language, so I discovered French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/columbia-university-where-i-went-to-study-in-1993-insisted-its/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) ## More by Amélie Nothomb > [God isn't chocolate, he's the encounter between chocolate and the palate capable of appreciating it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/god-isn-t-chocolate-he-s-the-encounter-between-chocolate-and-the/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“The nature of the epistolary genre was revealed to me: a form of writing devoted to another person. Novels, poems, and so on, were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/the-nature-of-the-epistolary-genre-was-revealed-to-me-a-form-of/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“I glanced at the contents of what I was photocopying. They were the rules of the golf club of which Mister Saito was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/i-glanced-at-the-contents-of-what-i-was-photocopying-they-were-the/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“Principio según el cual una persona que me había enseñado a atarme los cordones de los zapatos no podía decir cualquier cosa”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/principio-seg-n-el-cual-una-persona-que-me-hab-a-ense-ado-a-atarme/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“As she went on with her labour, she became aware that she had Schubert's Erl-King going around in her head. It wasn't the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/as-she-went-on-with-her-labour-she-became-aware-that-she-had-schubert/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [It's while writing that suddenly a point of view appears: 'So, that's what I really thought about this thing'. Then it feels part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/it-s-while-writing-that-suddenly-a-point-of-view-appears-so-that-s/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“I have a Ph.D. in masturbation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/i-have-a-ph-d-in-masturbation/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [ “If I knew what I was thinking \[...\] I would never have become a writer.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/if-i-knew-what-i-was-thinking-i-would-never-have-become-a-writer/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [The purpose of the photograph is to reveal the love that is felt in a single image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/the-purpose-of-the-photograph-is-to-reveal-the-love-that-is-felt-in-a/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [Of course you have memories, and these memories are convincing. But it's really at the moment when I write them down - when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/of-course-you-have-memories-and-these-memories-are-convincing-but-it/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [When you have a lot of success you don't need vanity any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/when-you-have-a-lot-of-success-you-don-t-need-vanity-any-more/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [It’s true that someone will always say that good and evil don’t exist: that is a person who has never had any dealings with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/it-s-true-that-someone-will-always-say-that-good-and-evil-don-t-exist/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“War reveals people's deeper nature.' 'I don't like that idea. It would suggest that we need to be put to the test. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/war-reveals-people-s-deeper-nature-i-don-t-like-that-idea-it-would/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [“Society conspires against her from early infancy. Her brain is steadily filled with plaster until it sets: ‘If you’re not married by the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/society-conspires-against-her-from-early-infancy-her-brain-is/) [Amélie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) > [If you admire yourself in the mirror, let it be in fear and not delight, because the only thing that beauty will bring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/if-you-admire-yourself-in-the-mirror-let-it-be-in-fear-and-not/) [Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) [Explore all 75 Amélie Nothomb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/) ## More Universe quotes > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [The number of ways you can live in one lifetime is limitless. So why limit yourself? The sky is not the limit. Beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-number-of-ways-you-can-live-in-one-lifetime-is-limitless-so-why/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [“The universe is not punishing you or blessing you. The universe is simply responding to the vibrational attitude that you are emitting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-hicks/the-universe-is-not-punishing-you-or-blessing-you-the-universe-is/) [Abraham Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-hicks/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Leaving North Korea is not like leaving any other country. It is more like leaving another universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/leaving-north-korea-is-not-like-leaving-any-other-country-it-is-more/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [The creator of the universe works in mysterious ways. But he uses a base ten counting system and likes round numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-creator-of-the-universe-works-in-mysterious-ways-but-he-uses-a/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [The most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-fundamental-question-we-can-ever-ask-ourselves-is-whether-or/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I always loved as a kid reading 'Spider-Man,' and the 'Fantastic Four' would show up... it was all about that larger universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-reed/i-always-loved-as-a-kid-reading-spider-man-and-the-fantastic-four/) [Peyton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-reed/) > [Like many other scientists who hold the Catholic faith, I see the Creator's plan and purpose fulfilled in our universe. 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Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [The time has come for us to understand that the Eternal Feminine is the greatest power in this Universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/the-time-has-come-for-us-to-understand-that-the-eternal-feminine-is/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) [Browse all 10,694 Universe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That was what university was: thinking you were going to open yourself up to a universe, and meeting nobody.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amélie Nothomb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/that-was-what-university-was-thinking-you-were-going-to-open-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Universe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/that-was-what-university-was-thinking-you-were-going-to-open-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/amelie-nothomb-1581_quote_that-was-what-university-was-thinking-yo_1478309.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/amelie-nothomb-1581_quote_that-was-what-university-was-thinking-yo_1478309.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/773/amelie-nothomb-1581_quote_that-was-what-university-was-thinking-yo_1478309.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That was what university was: thinking you were going to open yourself up to a universe, and meeting nobody.” — Amélie Nothomb", "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": "Amélie Nothomb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That was what university was: thinking...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/that-was-what-university-was-thinking-you-were-going-to-open-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/that-was-what-university-was-thinking-you-were-going-to-open-yourself/#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 } } ] } ```