--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ideas are like wandering sons. They show…" description: "\"Ideas are like wandering sons. They show up when you least expect them.\" — Bernard Williams" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/bernard-williams-15194_ideas_ideas-are-like-wandering-sons-they-show_2113040.png" --- # Ideas are like wandering sons. They show up when you least… ![“Ideas are like wandering sons. They show up when you least expect them.” quote by Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/bernard-williams-15194_ideas_ideas-are-like-wandering-sons-they-show_2113040.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/bernard-williams-15194_ideas_ideas-are-like-wandering-sons-they-show_2113040.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b09/bernard-williams-15194_ideas_ideas-are-like-wandering-sons-they-show_2113040.png) > “Ideas are like wandering sons. They show up when you least expect them.” [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas appear unexpectedly, like wandering children, when least anticipated. **In simple terms:** Ideas come unexpectedly at surprising times. Key Takeaway Stay open to unexpected inspiration. Themes creativity serendipity thought Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - brainstorming sessions - creative writing - problem solving Key Concepts philosophy of mind cognitive science inspiration Questions to Reflect On - How do you capture sudden ideas? - What habits help you notice unexpected thoughts? A Different Perspective Relying on random inspiration can be unreliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ideas Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas-like/) [Inspiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiration/) [Like Wandering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-wandering-1289251/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son/) [Wander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wander/) [Wandering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wandering/) [Wandering Sons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wandering-sons-3304064/) ## Related quotes > […for no matter how lost and soiled and worn-out wandering sons may be, mothers can forgive and forget every thing as they fold them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/for-no-matter-how-lost-and-soiled-and-worn-out-wandering-sons-may-be/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [The cities, the roads, the countryside, the people I meet - they all begin to blur. I tell myself I am searching for something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-cities-the-roads-the-countryside-the-people-i-meet-they-all-begin/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Thus, in a middle course between these heights and depths, they drifted through life rather than lived, the prey of aimless days and sterile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thus-in-a-middle-course-between-these-heights-and-depths-they-drifted/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/to-live-in-the-world-without-becoming-aware-of-the-meaning-of-the-2/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I feel like I was wandering around like a lost chicken for the first two years of my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-campbell/i-feel-like-i-was-wandering-around-like-a-lost-chicken-for-the-first/) [Luke Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-campbell/) > [“I tell myself I am searching for something. But more and more, it feels like I am wandering, waiting for something to happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-tell-myself-i-am-searching-for-something-but-more-and-more-it-feels/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I enjoy controlled loneliness. I like wandering around the city alone. I’m not afraid of coming back to an empty flat and lying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-enjoy-controlled-loneliness-i-like-wandering-around-the-city-alone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In Caracas I sleep under a bridge. A youth hostel in Brussels. Sometimes I splurge and rent a room in a nice hotel, take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/in-caracas-i-sleep-under-a-bridge-a-youth-hostel-in-brussels/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Vice repeated is like the wandering wind, blows dust in others' eyes to spread itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/vice-repeated-is-like-the-wandering-wind-blows-dust-in-others-eyes-to/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“It was like wandering her house, except that everything was bright and blinking and pixelated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/it-was-like-wandering-her-house-except-that-everything-was-bright-and/) [Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/) > [I'm absolutely removed from the world at such times...The hours go by without my knowing it. Sitting there I'm wandering in countries I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/i-m-absolutely-removed-from-the-world-at-such-times-the-hours-go-by/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [Wandering, (is) considered as a state of detachment form every given point in space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-simmel/wandering-is-considered-as-a-state-of-detachment-form-every-given/) [Georg Simmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-simmel/) > [He who has attained the freedom of reason to any extent cannot, for a long time, regard himself otherwise than as a wanderer on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-has-attained-the-freedom-of-reason-to-any-extent-cannot-for-a/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Ô, Wanderess, Wanderess When did you feel your most euphoric kiss? Was I the source of your greatest bliss?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/wanderess-wanderess-when-did-you-feel-your-most-euphoric-kiss-was-i/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [About myself - no. I'm unimportant, an observer, a wandering animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/about-myself-no-i-m-unimportant-an-observer-a-wandering-animal/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) ## More by Bernard Williams > [People have been predicting the death of philosophy since the 17th century. When I was a student, people were saying, 'We're in the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/people-have-been-predicting-the-death-of-philosophy-since-the-17th/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [A friend is a lot of things, but a critic isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/a-friend-is-a-lot-of-things-but-a-critic-isn-t/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [This is the end of the day, but soon there will be a new day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/this-is-the-end-of-the-day-but-soon-there-will-be-a-new-day/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [Tranquility is like quicksilver. The harder you grab for it, the less likely you will grasp it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/tranquility-is-like-quicksilver-the-harder-you-grab-for-it-the-less/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [If there's one theme in all my work, it's about authenticity and self-expression. It's the idea that some things are, in some real sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/if-there-s-one-theme-in-all-my-work-it-s-about-authenticity-and-self/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [“That an action would be cowardly is not often found by an agent to be a consideration in its favor, but it could be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/that-an-action-would-be-cowardly-is-not-often-found-by-an-agent-to-be/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [We must escape our illusions of correctness to understand the actions and beliefs of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/we-must-escape-our-illusions-of-correctness-to-understand-the-actions/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [You are mature when you know what is foolhardy and what is courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/you-are-mature-when-you-know-what-is-foolhardy-and-what-is-courage/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [The majority of philosophers are totally humorless. That's part of their trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/the-majority-of-philosophers-are-totally-humorless-that-s-part-of/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [Few things move as quietly as the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/few-things-move-as-quietly-as-the-future/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [People who say, 'Let the chips fall where they may,' usually figure they will not be hit by a chip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/people-who-say-let-the-chips-fall-where-they-may-usually-figure-they/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [Virtually the only subject in which one could ever get a scholarship to Oxford or Cambridge was classics. So I went to Oxford to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/virtually-the-only-subject-in-which-one-could-ever-get-a-scholarship/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [The average man will bristle if you say his father was dishonest, but he will brag a little if he discovers that his great-grandfather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/the-average-man-will-bristle-if-you-say-his-father-was-dishonest-but/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [No symphony orchestra ever played music like a two-year-old girl laughing with a puppy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/no-symphony-orchestra-ever-played-music-like-a-two-year-old-girl/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) > [We may pass violets looking for roses. We may pass contentment looking for victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-williams/we-may-pass-violets-looking-for-roses-we-may-pass-contentment-looking/) [Bernard Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) [Explore all 44 Bernard Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-williams/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [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/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ideas are like wandering sons. 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