--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I became a cognitive psychologist because…" description: "\"I became a cognitive psychologist because I met a bunch of teachers I really liked.\" — Daniel Levitin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/daniel-levitin-2988_because_i-became-a-cognitive-psychologist-becaus_1409179.png" --- # I became a cognitive psychologist because I met a bunch of… ![“I became a cognitive psychologist because I met a bunch of teachers I really liked.” quote by Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/daniel-levitin-2988_because_i-became-a-cognitive-psychologist-becaus_1409179.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/daniel-levitin-2988_because_i-became-a-cognitive-psychologist-becaus_1409179.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2d/daniel-levitin-2988_because_i-became-a-cognitive-psychologist-becaus_1409179.png) > “I became a cognitive psychologist because I met a bunch of teachers I really liked.” [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He chose cognitive psychology after being inspired by admired teachers, highlighting personal connections shaping career paths. **In simple terms:** He entered the field because he liked his teachers. Key Takeaway Seek mentors you admire. Themes career choice inspiration education Mood reflective motivational Type advice personal narrative When to use this quote - college major decisions - career changes - academic mentorship Key Concepts psychology mentor influence Questions to Reflect On - What qualities in mentors most influence your path? - How can you cultivate similar inspiration in others? A Different Perspective Passion alone may not sustain long‑term commitment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Psychologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychologist/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) ## Related quotes > [The reason I'm not a neurobiologist but a cognitive psychologist is that I think looking at brain tissue is often the wrong level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-reason-i-m-not-a-neurobiologist-but-a-cognitive-psychologist-is/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I had a friend who had been teaching music for a long time, and he knew a bunch of teachers, so I just put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flea/i-had-a-friend-who-had-been-teaching-music-for-a-long-time-and-he/) [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flea/) > [The one thing that I always got positive reinforcement for from teachers, who really changed my life, was the written word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/the-one-thing-that-i-always-got-positive-reinforcement-for-from/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [What I want to see in teacher training is more talk about character education and getting teachers to really think about it. We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-morgan/what-i-want-to-see-in-teacher-training-is-more-talk-about-character/) [Nicky Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-morgan/) > [“Our schools today are probably further away from self-management than most other types of organizations. We have turned schools, almost everywhere, into soulless factories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-laloux/our-schools-today-are-probably-further-away-from-self-management-than/) Frederic Laloux > [Teachers, who are really good create that environment where you can be very satisfied by the process of learning. If you do something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/teachers-who-are-really-good-create-that-environment-where-you-can-be/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [My mother and my father were teachers. My grandmother and my grandfather were teachers. This is something I really know about. Even when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-beatty/my-mother-and-my-father-were-teachers-my-grandmother-and-my/) [Warren Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-beatty/) > [I remember teachers who really singled me out for their discouragement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/i-remember-teachers-who-really-singled-me-out-for-their-discouragement/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [I studied with a number of different teachers. But really, I've never studied with teachers. To be honest, the only thing that's ever interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-studied-with-a-number-of-different-teachers-but-really-i-ve-never/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [And I was lucky enough to have teachers that really, really looked out for me and really encouraged all that. 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If there was no uncertainty, decisions would be easy! The uncertainty exists because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/decision-making-is-difficult-because-by-its-nature-it-involves/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Cognitive and character skills work together as dynamic complements; they are inseparable. Skills beget skills. More motivated children learn more. Those who are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-heckman/cognitive-and-character-skills-work-together-as-dynamic-complements/) [James Heckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-heckman/) > [The first principle of cognitive therapy is that all your moods are created by your 'cognitions,' or thoughts. A cognition refers to the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/the-first-principle-of-cognitive-therapy-is-that-all-your-moods-are/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) ## More by Daniel Levitin > [What music is better able to do than language is to represent the complexity of human emotional states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/what-music-is-better-able-to-do-than-language-is-to-represent-the/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Procrastination comes in two types. Some of us procrastinate in order to pursue restful activities - spending time in bed, watching TV - while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/procrastination-comes-in-two-types-some-of-us-procrastinate-in-order/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [In a country that was still racially segregated and prejudiced, music was among the first domains in which African-Americans thrived alongside whites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/in-a-country-that-was-still-racially-segregated-and-prejudiced-music/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Because our ancestors lived in social groups that changed slowly, because they encountered the same people throughout their lives, they could keep almost every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/because-our-ancestors-lived-in-social-groups-that-changed-slowly/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Because you've been exposed to Western tonal music, you know after a certain chord sequence what the next possibilities are. 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I trust that they exist because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/i-have-never-seen-a-proton-or-electron-spinning-around-it-i-have/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [If you're studying from a book and trying to listen in on a conversation at the same time, those are two separate projects, each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/if-you-re-studying-from-a-book-and-trying-to-listen-in-on-a/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [President Trump, when challenged on facts, says that many people feel the way he does. But feelings should not take the place of reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/president-trump-when-challenged-on-facts-says-that-many-people-feel/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [Our species uses music and dance to express various feelings: love, joy, comfort, ceremony, knowledge, and friendship. And each one is distinct and widely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/our-species-uses-music-and-dance-to-express-various-feelings-love-joy/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [The first forms of writing emerged not for art, literature, or love, not for spiritual or liturgical purposes, but for business--all literature could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/the-first-forms-of-writing-emerged-not-for-art-literature-or-love-not/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [When you're at work, be fully at work. And let your leisure time be what it's meant to be - restorative and fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/when-you-re-at-work-be-fully-at-work-and-let-your-leisure-time-be/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [The obvious rule of efficiency is you don't want to spend more time organizing than it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/the-obvious-rule-of-efficiency-is-you-don-t-want-to-spend-more-time/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [When it comes to snowing people, one effective technique is to get a whole bunch of verifiable facts right and then add one or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/when-it-comes-to-snowing-people-one-effective-technique-is-to-get-a/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [The human brain long ago evolved a mechanism for rewarding us when we encountered new information: a little shot of dopamine in the brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/the-human-brain-long-ago-evolved-a-mechanism-for-rewarding-us-when-we/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) [Explore all 143 Daniel Levitin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) ## More Because quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [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/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. 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I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. 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