--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not what you think should be, but…" description: "\"It is not what you think should be, but what is, that is interesting. When you have the expectation that something should be such and such a way, you w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/charlotte-selver-43018_expectations_it-is-not-what-you-think-should-be-but-w_877267.jpg" --- # It is not what you think should be, but what is, that is… ![“It is not what you think should be, but what is, that is interesting. When you have the expectation that something should be such and such a way, you will never learn what your nature wants.” quote by Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/charlotte-selver-43018_expectations_it-is-not-what-you-think-should-be-but-w_877267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/charlotte-selver-43018_expectations_it-is-not-what-you-think-should-be-but-w_877267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/charlotte-selver-43018_expectations_it-is-not-what-you-think-should-be-but-w_877267.jpg) > “It is not what you think should be, but what is, that is interesting. When you have the expectation that something should be such and such a way, you will never learn what your nature wants.” [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expectations can blind us to reality; true interest lies in what actually is. **In simple terms:** Expectations block learning. Key Takeaway Question assumptions. Themes perception learning reality Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - education - therapy - decision making - creative work Key Concepts psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What expectations limit you? - How can you stay open to reality? A Different Perspective Expectations sometimes guide useful predictions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Nature wants us to enjoy life to the full and die without giving it a second thought; Christianity wants the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/nature-wants-us-to-enjoy-life-to-the-full-and-die-without-giving-it-a/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [“Needs are imposed by nature. Wants are sold by society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/needs-are-imposed-by-nature-wants-are-sold-by-society/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Anyone ever lost in the wild knows that nature wants you dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/anyone-ever-lost-in-the-wild-knows-that-nature-wants-you-dead/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [The body is ready to have babies. Nature wants it done then, when the body can handle it, not after 40, when the income…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/the-body-is-ready-to-have-babies-nature-wants-it-done-then-when-the/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [What nature wants, commodious gold bestows; 'Tis thus we cut the bread another sows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/what-nature-wants-commodious-gold-bestows-tis-thus-we-cut-the-bread/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Man by nature wants to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/man-by-nature-wants-to-know/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Let the children learn to see in nature an expression of the love and the wisdom of God; let the thought of Him be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/let-the-children-learn-to-see-in-nature-an-expression-of-the-love-and/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [Learn from nature and you will understand how to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/learn-from-nature-and-you-will-understand-how-to-live/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [A man had to learn, it was his nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-malamud/a-man-had-to-learn-it-was-his-nature/) [Bernard Malamud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-malamud/) > [I did physics because of my love of nature. As a young student of science, I was taught that physics was the way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/i-did-physics-because-of-my-love-of-nature-as-a-young-student-of/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [“The first and last lesson of the useful arts is that Nature tyrannizes over our works. They must be conformed to her law, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-first-and-last-lesson-of-the-useful-arts-is-that-nature/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Learn from nature. See how everything gets accomplished and how the miracle of life unfolds without dissatisfaction or unhappiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/learn-from-nature-see-how-everything-gets-accomplished-and-how-the/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Each and every object in Nature teaches us something. Renunciation and selflessness are the greatest lessons to learn from Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/each-and-every-object-in-nature-teaches-us-something-renunciation-and/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [What human beings seek to learn from nature is how to use it to dominate wholly both it and human beings. Nothing else counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/what-human-beings-seek-to-learn-from-nature-is-how-to-use-it-to/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) ## More by Charlotte Selver > [If you have these two things - the willingness to change, and the acceptance of everything as it comes, you will have all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/if-you-have-these-two-things-the-willingness-to-change-and-the/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) > [Actually, something is always happening. People who don't love the moment are always trying to achieve something, but when one is on the way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/actually-something-is-always-happening-people-who-don-t-love-the/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) > [Life cannot be mastered by a method but needs to be met with an attitude of openness and discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/life-cannot-be-mastered-by-a-method-but-needs-to-be-met-with-an/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) > [Are you open for this possibility of the energy source of breathing to go through you or are you collapsing? Are you open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/are-you-open-for-this-possibility-of-the-energy-source-of-breathing/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) > [The very basis of the work- the very core of the work, is that everything we do can come always new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/the-very-basis-of-the-work-the-very-core-of-the-work-is-that/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) > [There’s a certain relationship which we have to have with our inner functioning. That of respect and that of wonder. When we are quiet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/there-s-a-certain-relationship-which-we-have-to-have-with-our-inner/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) > [Through the most simple things which we do all the time, we can feel out to which degree we honor everything with our inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/through-the-most-simple-things-which-we-do-all-the-time-we-can-feel/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) > [Every moment is a moment. Every moment makes a certain request of us. The question is how we answer it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-selver/every-moment-is-a-moment-every-moment-makes-a-certain-request-of-us/) [Charlotte Selver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) [Explore all 9 Charlotte Selver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-selver/) ## More Expectation quotes > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [The night is saturated with inspiration¦ I cant imagine wasting a minute of it with my eyes or ears closed. I live dreams, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-timbre/the-night-is-saturated-with-inspiration-i-cant-imagine-wasting-a/) [Jamie Timbre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-timbre/) > [Representing the Selecao is a very great expectation, being able to play is even greater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/representing-the-selecao-is-a-very-great-expectation-being-able-to/) [Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/) > [Never depend on anyone else's strength but God's strength to help you through and nor expect from anyone except God to be with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/never-depend-on-anyone-else-s-strength-but-god-s-strength-to-help-you/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing, through the overtaking and possessing of a wish discovers the folly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-congreve/uncertainty-and-expectation-are-the-joys-of-life-security-is-an/) [William Congreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-congreve/) > [“Expectation and fact are two different things that people usually cannot differentiate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/expectation-and-fact-are-two-different-things-that-people-usually/) [Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/) > [Treat the people the way you expect them to treat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishchal-ningleku/treat-the-people-the-way-you-expect-them-to-treat-you/) [Nishchal Ningleku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishchal-ningleku/) > [“It felt civilised and modern. It felt refined and tantalising, all at once, like a polite collective pre-orgasm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-felt-civilised-and-modern-it-felt-refined-and-tantalising-all-at/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“I have every expectation that we will see the following become a recognized human disease in the future: Metal Sickness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-have-every-expectation-that-we-will-see-the-following-become-a/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Any reasonable ruler would have the expectation and the demand the other way round.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/any-reasonable-ruler-would-have-the-expectation-and-the-demand-the/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [People are disturbed not by things, but by the view they take of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them-2/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Never expect naything from any body because human brain changes when the status changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-expect-naything-from-any-body-because-human-brain-changes-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Aspiration and expectation are two eternal life devil mangrieving Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/aspiration-and-expectation-are-two-eternal-life-devil-mangrieving/) Mak\_786 > [We part more easily with what we possess, than with our expectations of what we wish for; because expectation always goes beyond enjoyment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-home-lord-kames/we-part-more-easily-with-what-we-possess-than-with-our-expectations/) [Henry Home, Lord Kames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-home-lord-kames/) > [“Clients don't pay you to try. Their least expectation is to at least get from you value for their money. However, your aim should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-amanyire/clients-don-t-pay-you-to-try-their-least-expectation-is-to-at-least/) Allan Amanyire Browse all 759 Expectation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not what you think should be, but what is, that is interesting. 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