--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will never be a brain surgeon, and I…" description: "\"“I will never be a brain surgeon, and I will never play the piano like Glenn Gould. But what keeps me up late at night, and constantly gives me reason ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ce/debbie-millman-13877_defining-moment_i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-wi_1668544.jpg" --- # I will never be a brain surgeon, and I will never play the… ![“I will never be a brain surgeon, and I will never play the piano like Glenn Gould. But what keeps me up late at night, and constantly gives me reason to fret, is this: I don’t know what I don’t know. There are universes of things out there — ideas, philosophies, songs, subtleties, facts, emotions…” quote by Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ce/debbie-millman-13877_defining-moment_i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-wi_1668544.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ce/debbie-millman-13877_defining-moment_i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-wi_1668544.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ce/debbie-millman-13877_defining-moment_i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-wi_1668544.jpg) > ““I will never be a brain surgeon, and I will never play the piano like Glenn Gould. But what keeps me up late at night, and constantly gives me reason to fret, is this: I don’t know what I don’t know. There are universes of things out there — ideas, philosophies, songs, subtleties, facts, emotions — that exist but of which I am totally and thoroughly unaware. This makes me very uncomfortable. I find that the only way to find out the fuller extent of what I don’t know is for someone to tell me, teach me or show me, and then open my eyes to this bit of information, knowledge, or life experience that I, sadly, never before considered. Afterward, I find something odd happens. I find what I have just learned is suddenly everywhere: on billboards or in the newspaper or SMACK: Right in front of me, and I can’t help but shake my head and speculate how and why I never saw or knew this particular thing before. And I begin to wonder if I could be any different, smarter, or more interesting had I discovered it when everyone else in the world found out about this particular obvious thing. I have been thinking a lot about these first discoveries and also those chance encounters: those elusive happenstances that often lead to defining moments in our lives. \[…\] I once read that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I fundamentally disagree with this idea. I think that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of hope. We might keep making mistakes but the struggle gives us a sense of empathy and connectivity that we would not experience otherwise. I believe this empathy improves our ability to see the unseen and better know the unknown. Lives are shaped by chance encounters and by discovering things that we don’t know that we don’t know. The arc of a life is a circuitous one. … In the grand scheme of things, everything we do is an experiment, the outcome of which is unknown. You never know when a typical life will be anything but, and you won’t know if you are rewriting history, or rewriting the future, until the writing is complete. This, just this, I am comfortable not knowing.”” [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Uncertainty about unknown unknowns drives curiosity; learning from others expands awareness and creates serendipitous insights. **In simple terms:** Learning reveals hidden opportunities. Key Takeaway Seek new perspectives. Themes growth curiosity learning Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - networking events - reading - travel - skill workshops Key Concepts unknown unknowns serendipity empathy Questions to Reflect On - What unknowns could you explore? - How can you balance self‑learning and external input? A Different Perspective Too much reliance on others may limit personal discovery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defining moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining-moment/) [Defining moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining-moments/) [Definition of insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/definition-of-insanity/) [Different Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-results/) [Expecting Different Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expecting-different-results/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-experience/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Rewriting history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewriting-history/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Surely we cannot take an open question like the supernatural and shut it with a bang, turning the key of the madhouse on all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/surely-we-cannot-take-an-open-question-like-the-supernatural-and-shut/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A wise man once said that the best definition of insanity was performing the same action over and over again, expecting different results." Father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-wiersema/a-wise-man-once-said-that-the-best-definition-of-insanity-was/) [Robert J. Wiersema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-wiersema/) > [“Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is continuing to try the same approach to solve a problem but expecting different results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-david-miller/albert-einstein-said-that-the-definition-of-insanity-is-continuing-to/) Aaron David Miller > [Seriously, I was the wrong fit at ESPN. Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/seriously-i-was-the-wrong-fit-at-espn-definition-of-insanity-is-doing/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [“Do you know what Albert Einstein's definition of insanity was?" "No." "Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cantrell/do-you-know-what-albert-einstein-s-definition-of-insanity-was-no/) [Christian Cantrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cantrell/) > [If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, then liberalism is a form of insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/if-the-definition-of-insanity-is-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [“I checked my phone again one more time before crawling into bed, fully aware that Einstein's definition of insanity was repeating the same action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-verdi/i-checked-my-phone-again-one-more-time-before-crawling-into-bed-fully/) [Jessica Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-verdi/) > [One definition of insanity is to do the same thing, day-after-day, expecting different results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-silber/one-definition-of-insanity-is-to-do-the-same-thing-day-after-day/) Mark Silber > [There's the old saying that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-g-hornberger/there-s-the-old-saying-that-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again/) [Jacob G. Hornberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-g-hornberger/) > [“There's an old, frequently-used definition of insanity, which is "performing the same action over and over, expecting different results."... Now, I'm no doctor, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/there-s-an-old-frequently-used-definition-of-insanity-which-is/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“A man once said the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I was his test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-theia/a-man-once-said-the-definition-of-insanity-was-doing-the-same-thing/) [V. Theia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-theia/) > [“Stay unknown until you know what you want to be known for. #StokesNotes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stokes/stay-unknown-until-you-know-what-you-want-to-be-known-for-stokesnotes/) Craig Stokes > [Fear comes from the unknown. Once you know, then, whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-huyghe/fear-comes-from-the-unknown-once-you-know-then-whatever/) [Pierre Huyghe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-huyghe/) > [“Some things are best left...unknown, you know? People search for answers and they don’t always like what they get. Sometimes the truth is worse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/some-things-are-best-left-unknown-you-know-people-search-for-answers/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [Take a leap into the unknown and know that where you land, is where you are meant to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-leap-into-the-unknown-and-know-that-where-you-land-is-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Debbie Millman > [The thing that I like about magazines, paper magazines, and papers in any kind of tangible format is the surprise factor of turning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/the-thing-that-i-like-about-magazines-paper-magazines-and-papers-in/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [I found that the only thing I felt passionate about drawing were words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-found-that-the-only-thing-i-felt-passionate-about-drawing-were-words/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [I find working on brands some of the most interesting work you can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-find-working-on-brands-some-of-the-most-interesting-work-you-can-do/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [People do not read first. First and foremost, they see color. Then they see numbers, then shape, and then, if you still have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/people-do-not-read-first-first-and-foremost-they-see-color-then-they/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Never give up if it is something that you really want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/never-give-up-if-it-is-something-that-you-really-want/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Visual storytelling combines the narrative text of a story with creative elements to augment and enhance the traditional storytelling process. By design, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/visual-storytelling-combines-the-narrative-text-of-a-story-with/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Branding is deliberate differentiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/branding-is-deliberate-differentiation/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [“I recommend the following course of action for those who are just beginning their careers or for those like me, who may be reconfiguring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-recommend-the-following-course-of-action-for-those-who-are-just/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Even though brands are created by people, they belong to the corporations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/even-though-brands-are-created-by-people-they-belong-to-the/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [“Real education is a radical process. It thumps you on the head until everything you know makes no sense anymore. Then you run around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/real-education-is-a-radical-process-it-thumps-you-on-the-head-until/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [I tell all my students, 'Learn how to code.' It's sort of like learning Spanish in third grade. When you're still young and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-tell-all-my-students-learn-how-to-code-it-s-sort-of-like-learning/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Everything in our world is branded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/everything-in-our-world-is-branded/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [In design-led organizations, design permeates every initiative and expression. It's embedded in the culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/in-design-led-organizations-design-permeates-every-initiative-and/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Many brands have lost their way in the process of evolving from a small company to a much bigger corporation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/many-brands-have-lost-their-way-in-the-process-of-evolving-from-a/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [Design and branding are inextricably linked to the way in which society, culture, the environment, and business interact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/design-and-branding-are-inextricably-linked-to-the-way-in-which/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) [Explore all 49 Debbie Millman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) ## More Defining moment quotes > [“There are no defining moments. There are only your moments to define.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-dowd/there-are-no-defining-moments-there-are-only-your-moments-to-define/) Thomas B Dowd > [For me, that was a defining moment in my career, being at Chelsea, going through what has made me become a man in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-sturridge/for-me-that-was-a-defining-moment-in-my-career-being-at-chelsea-going/) [Daniel Sturridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-sturridge/) > [I think this is really a defining moment for the Arab world. The problem is, it is all going to be about blood, sweat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-this-is-really-a-defining-moment-for-the-arab-world-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My defining moment was when I finally went to Cannes and saw my name along with international filmmakers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikramaditya-motwane/my-defining-moment-was-when-i-finally-went-to-cannes-and-saw-my-name/) [Vikramaditya Motwane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikramaditya-motwane/) > [Watching boxer Dingko Singh's performance at the Asian Games, Bangkok, where he won gold, was the defining moment. I was 15 and enjoyed sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kom/watching-boxer-dingko-singh-s-performance-at-the-asian-games-bangkok/) [Mary Kom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kom/) > [“And then, as slowly as the light fades on a calm winter evening, something went out of our relationship. I say that selfishly. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-torday/and-then-as-slowly-as-the-light-fades-on-a-calm-winter-evening/) [Paul Torday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-torday/) > [Hold'em - like life itself - has its defining moment. It's the flop. When you see the flop, you're looking at 71 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-krieger/hold-em-like-life-itself-has-its-defining-moment-it-s-the-flop-when/) Lou Krieger > [ Grads need to remember that it's \[showcases\] just a jumping off point for their career, not the defining moment. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hoffman/grads-need-to-remember-that-it-s-showcases-just-a-jumping-off-point/) [Rachel Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hoffman/) > [“These are defining moments, while the pain maybe great, the joy maybe greater.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/these-are-defining-moments-while-the-pain-maybe-great-the-joy-maybe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our lives a series of defining moments, strung together by passing time. Surrender fully to this moment, because it is not the moment...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-lives-a-series-of-defining-moments-strung-together-by-passing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There must've been some part of me that wanted to make my mark. But there was never a defining moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/there-must-ve-been-some-part-of-me-that-wanted-to-make-my-mark-but/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [Failure should only serve as a learning point, not as a defining moment. If you are defined by your failures, than shame on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/failure-should-only-serve-as-a-learning-point-not-as-a-defining/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our lives will be full of defining moments, but those moments don't have to define us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-lives-will-be-full-of-defining-moments-but-those-moments-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Abraham is trying to obey God, but not to kill. I feel that moment is one of the defining moments of Jewish faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/abraham-is-trying-to-obey-god-but-not-to-kill-i-feel-that-moment-is/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Ultimately, I didn't look at 'The Biggest Loser' as being my defining moment. I wasn't there to compete and win the money. I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rulon-gardner/ultimately-i-didn-t-look-at-the-biggest-loser-as-being-my-defining/) [Rulon Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rulon-gardner/) [Browse all 146 Defining moment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining-moment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I will never be a brain surgeon, and I will never play the piano like Glenn Gould. But what keeps me up late at night, and constantly gives me reason to fret, is this: I don’t know what I don’t know. There are universes of things out there — ideas, philosophies, songs, subtleties, facts, emotions — that exist but of which I am totally and thoroughly unaware. This makes me very uncomfortable. I find that the only way to find out the fuller extent of what I don’t know is for someone to tell me, teach me or show me, and then open my eyes to this bit of information, knowledge, or life experience that I, sadly, never before considered. Afterward, I find something odd happens. I find what I have just learned is suddenly everywhere: on billboards or in the newspaper or SMACK: Right in front of me, and I can’t help but shake my head and speculate how and why I never saw or knew this particular thing before. And I begin to wonder if I could be any different, smarter, or more interesting had I discovered it when everyone else in the world found out about this particular obvious thing. I have been thinking a lot about these first discoveries and also those chance encounters: those elusive happenstances that often lead to defining moments in our lives. […] I once read that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I fundamentally disagree with this idea. I think that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of hope. We might keep making mistakes but the struggle gives us a sense of empathy and connectivity that we would not experience otherwise. I believe this empathy improves our ability to see the unseen and better know the unknown. Lives are shaped by chance encounters and by discovering things that we don’t know that we don’t know. The arc of a life is a circuitous one. … In the grand scheme of things, everything we do is an experiment, the outcome of which is unknown. You never know when a typical life will be anything but, and you won’t know if you are rewriting history, or rewriting the future, until the writing is complete. This, just this, I am comfortable not knowing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debbie Millman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-will-never-play-the-piano-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defining moment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-will-never-play-the-piano-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ce/debbie-millman-13877_defining-moment_i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-wi_1668544.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ce/debbie-millman-13877_defining-moment_i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-wi_1668544.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ce/debbie-millman-13877_defining-moment_i-will-never-be-a-brain-surgeon-and-i-wi_1668544.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I will never be a brain surgeon, and I will never play the piano like Glenn Gould. 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