--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never ask people. Not about your work…" description: "\"Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?\" — Ayn Rand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/ayn-rand-59_inspirational_never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don_2165393.jpg" --- # Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what… ![“Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/ayn-rand-59_inspirational_never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don_2165393.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/ayn-rand-59_inspirational_never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don_2165393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/ayn-rand-59_inspirational_never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don_2165393.jpg) > “Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?” [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often avoid asking personal questions about others' work because they fear confronting their own uncertainties and desires. **In simple terms:** Avoid probing others' work to evade self‑doubt. Key Takeaway Recognize and address your own questions. Themes self‑awareness personal growth communication Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career counseling - relationship building - self‑reflection - team meetings Key Concepts existentialism individualism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What are you truly uncertain about? - How does curiosity affect your decisions? A Different Perspective Avoiding may limit insight and connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/if-you-don-t-know-what-you-want-you-will-probably-never-get-it/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [Sometimes you don't even know what you want until you find out you can't have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/sometimes-you-don-t-even-know-what-you-want-until-you-find-out-you/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“If you want my advice, Peter, you've made a mistake already. By asking me. By asking anyone. Never ask people. Not about your work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-you-want-my-advice-peter-you-ve-made-a-mistake-already-by-asking/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Never ask people about your work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/never-ask-people-about-your-work/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [You can only bite off so much, so you gotta know what you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-gore/you-can-only-bite-off-so-much-so-you-gotta-know-what-you-want-to-do/) [Lesley Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-gore/) > [One of the principal reasons why so many fail to get what they want is because they do not definitely know what they want,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-d-larson/one-of-the-principal-reasons-why-so-many-fail-to-get-what-they-want/) [Christian D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-d-larson/) > [I think the hardest thing is to know what you want, ask for it, and then to stop talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-think-the-hardest-thing-is-to-know-what-you-want-ask-for-it-and/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [You must believe that you have received. You must know that what you want is your the moment you ask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-must-believe-that-you-have-received-you-must-know-that-what-you/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [She did not know what it was about him that had always made her want to see him broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-did-not-know-what-it-was-about-him-that-had-always-made-her-want/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Win or lose, people know what you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/win-or-lose-people-know-what-you-want-to-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [If you know what you want, you will recognize it when you see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/if-you-know-what-you-want-you-will-recognize-it-when-you-see-it/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Don't settle. Know what you want and reach for it. And if you don't know what you want, be patient. The answers will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/don-t-settle-know-what-you-want-and-reach-for-it-and-if-you-don-t/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [It is not enough to know what you want, you must also know why you want it, and what you will do once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-mcgowan/it-is-not-enough-to-know-what-you-want-you-must-also-know-why-you/) [Kathleen McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-mcgowan/) > [If you really know... what you want and how to get there, then everything else really falls into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlen-esparza/if-you-really-know-what-you-want-and-how-to-get-there-then-everything/) [Marlen Esparza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlen-esparza/) ## More by Ayn Rand > [There are no white lies, there is only the blackest of destruction, and a white lie is the blackest of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-are-no-white-lies-there-is-only-the-blackest-of-destruction-and/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“This was reality, she thought, this sense of clear outlines, of purpose, of lightness, of hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-was-reality-she-thought-this-sense-of-clear-outlines-of-purpose/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [A “collective” mind does not exist. It is merely the sum of endless numbers of individual minds. If we have an endless number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/a-collective-mind-does-not-exist-it-is-merely-the-sum-of-endless/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Lobbying' is the activity of attempting to influence legislation by privately influencing the legislators. It is the result and creation of a mixed economy-of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/lobbying-is-the-activity-of-attempting-to-influence-legislation-by/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She moved her hand and let it rest against his. He did not withdraw his fingers and he did not pretend indifference. She bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-moved-her-hand-and-let-it-rest-against-his-he-did-not-withdraw/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/this-miracle-of-me-is-mine-to-own-and-keep-and-mine-to-guard-and-mine/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“There was still one response, the greatest, that she had missed. She thought: To find a feeling that would hold, as their sum, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/there-was-still-one-response-the-greatest-that-she-had-missed-she/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Inflation is not caused by the actions of private citizens, but by the government: by an artificial expansion of the money supply required to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/inflation-is-not-caused-by-the-actions-of-private-citizens-but-by-the/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-was-fifteen-when-it-occurred-to-her-for-the-first-time-that-women/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Fransisco, you're some kind of very high nobility, aren't you?" He answered, "Not yet. The reason my family has lasted for such a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/fransisco-you-re-some-kind-of-very-high-nobility-aren-t-you-he/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Have you felt it too? Have you seen how your best friends love everything about you- except the things that count? And your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-felt-it-too-have-you-seen-how-your-best-friends-love/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Every coercive monopoly was created by government intervention into the economy: by special privileges, such as franchises or subsidies, which closed the entry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/every-coercive-monopoly-was-created-by-government-intervention-into/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [We are all brothers under the skin - and I, for one, would be willing to skin humanity to prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-all-brothers-under-the-skin-and-i-for-one-would-be-willing-to/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) [Explore all 1,777 Ayn Rand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) ## More Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayn Rand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don-t-you-know-what-you-want-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don-t-you-know-what-you-want-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/ayn-rand-59_inspirational_never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don_2165393.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/ayn-rand-59_inspirational_never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don_2165393.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/ayn-rand-59_inspirational_never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don_2165393.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Never ask people. Not about your work. Don't you know what you want? How can you stand it, not to know?” — Ayn Rand", "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": "Ayn Rand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Never ask people. Not about your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don-t-you-know-what-you-want-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/never-ask-people-not-about-your-work-don-t-you-know-what-you-want-how/#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 } } ] } ```