--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All I asked was that I be spared…" description: "\"All I asked was that I be spared surprises, although, in this world of six billion souls, all acting with free will and too many with audacity, surpris..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/dean-koontz-118_acting_all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surpris_719539.jpg" --- # All I asked was that I be spared surprises, although, in… ![“All I asked was that I be spared surprises, although, in this world of six billion souls, all acting with free will and too many with audacity, surprises are inevitable, too few of them are the kind that make you smile and that lift your heart.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/dean-koontz-118_acting_all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surpris_719539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/dean-koontz-118_acting_all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surpris_719539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/dean-koontz-118_acting_all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surpris_719539.jpg) > “All I asked was that I be spared surprises, although, in this world of six billion souls, all acting with free will and too many with audacity, surprises are inevitable, too few of them are the kind that make you smile and that lift your heart.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In a massive world, unexpected events happen, but only rare ones truly uplift us. **In simple terms:** Surprises happen; few lift us. Key Takeaway Seek moments that bring joy. Themes hope joy humanity unexpectedness Mood optimistic reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - daily life - relationships - travel - creative projects Key Concepts Free will audacity serendipity Questions to Reflect On - What surprise recently made you smile? - How can you create more uplifting moments? A Different Perspective Not all surprises are positive; some can be painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) [Audacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audacity/) [Free will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-will/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Surprises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprises/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“To those familiar with the rhythm of living there are few surprises in this world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/to-those-familiar-with-the-rhythm-of-living-there-are-few-surprises/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [Smile well and often, it makes people wonder what you've been up to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satchel-paige/smile-well-and-often-it-makes-people-wonder-what-you-ve-been-up-to/) [Satchel Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satchel-paige/) > [I will hate the man you choose because he isn't me, and love him if he makes you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/i-will-hate-the-man-you-choose-because-he-isn-t-me-and-love-him-if-he/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Vision lifts you up. It makes you smile a secret smile because you know that you have something very special to share. What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/vision-lifts-you-up-it-makes-you-smile-a-secret-smile-because-you/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams. And I know if I can make you smile by jumping over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/you-dance-love-and-you-dance-joy-and-you-dance-dreams-and-i-know-if-i/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [It was one of those fine little love stories that can make you smile in your sleep at night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/it-was-one-of-those-fine-little-love-stories-that-can-make-you-smile/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Even on the road to hell, flowers can make you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-on-the-road-to-hell-flowers-can-make-you-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm only being cute here. I don't really mean it. I just wanted to make you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/i-m-only-being-cute-here-i-don-t-really-mean-it-i-just-wanted-to-make/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [When one is pretending, the entire body revolts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/when-one-is-pretending-the-entire-body-revolts/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-sunshine-is-to-flowers-smiles-are-to-humanity/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [So what’s it like to live without emotions? (Geary) It’s hard. Imagine a world without taste. A world where you can see the colors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/so-what-s-it-like-to-live-without-emotions-geary-it-s-hard-imagine-a/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [she may not be the most popular or prettiest but if you love her and she makes you smile.. what else matters?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-may-not-be-the-most-popular-or-prettiest-but-if-you-love-her-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your wrinkles either show that you're nasty, cranky, and senile, or that you're always smiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-santana/your-wrinkles-either-show-that-you-re-nasty-cranky-and-senile-or-that/) [Carlos Santana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-santana/) > [Let a smile be your umbrella, and you'll end up with a face full of rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/let-a-smile-be-your-umbrella-and-you-ll-end-up-with-a-face-full-of/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [When you find someone who makes you smile and laugh, when you find someone who makes you feel safe…you shouldn’t let that person go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hart/when-you-find-someone-who-makes-you-smile-and-laugh-when-you-find/) [Megan Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hart/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Acting quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [Acting is a grind, just like music is a grind. Sometimes it takes longer than what you can give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/acting-is-a-grind-just-like-music-is-a-grind-sometimes-it-takes/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [It was only when I started making short films in college and I was looking for girls to play the me-ish parts that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-was-only-when-i-started-making-short-films-in-college-and-i-was/) [Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/) > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) [Browse all 12,062 Acting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All I asked was that I be spared surprises, although, in this world of six billion souls, all acting with free will and too many with audacity, surprises are inevitable, too few of them are the kind that make you smile and that lift your heart.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dean Koontz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surprises-although-in-this-world-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surprises-although-in-this-world-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/dean-koontz-118_acting_all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surpris_719539.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/dean-koontz-118_acting_all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surpris_719539.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/dean-koontz-118_acting_all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surpris_719539.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All I asked was that I be spared surprises, although, in this world of six billion souls, all acting with…” — Dean Koontz", "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": "Dean Koontz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "All I asked was that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surprises-although-in-this-world-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/all-i-asked-was-that-i-be-spared-surprises-although-in-this-world-of/#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 } } ] } ```