---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The students always, always surprise me."
description: "\"The students always, always surprise me.\" — Dorianne Laux"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/dorianne-laux-12252_students_the-students-always-always-surprise-me-1_1544803.png"
---

#  The students always, always surprise me.

![“The students always, always surprise me.” quote by Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/dorianne-laux-12252_students_the-students-always-always-surprise-me-1_1544803.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/dorianne-laux-12252_students_the-students-always-always-surprise-me-1_1544803.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/dorianne-laux-12252_students_the-students-always-always-surprise-me-1_1544803.png)

> “The students always, always surprise me.”

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Students often exceed expectations, surprising educators with their insight and creativity.

**In simple terms:** Students regularly surprise teachers.

Key Takeaway

Expect the unexpected.

Themes

education surprise learning creativity expectations

Mood

hopeful inspired

Type

reflective motivational

When to use this quote

- classroom dynamics
- curriculum development
- mentoring

Key Concepts

student agency teacher expectations

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions do you hold about learners?
- How can you foster surprise in teaching?

A Different Perspective

Not all students will surprise you.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/)

## Related quotes

> [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

> [Lord, catch me off guard today. Surprise me with some moment of beauty or pain so that at least for the moment, I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/lord-catch-me-off-guard-today-surprise-me-with-some-moment-of-beauty/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [I love anyone who surprises me and makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-love-anyone-who-surprises-me-and-makes-me-laugh/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [There are no rules when it comes to love. I just try to let love surprise me because you never know who you’re going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/there-are-no-rules-when-it-comes-to-love-i-just-try-to-let-love-2/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [A lot interests me - but nothing surprises me particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/a-lot-interests-me-but-nothing-surprises-me-particularly/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

> [I don't think the government is out to get me or help someone else get me but it wouldn't surprise me if they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-don-t-think-the-government-is-out-to-get-me-or-help-someone-else/)

[Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/)

> [If I've learned anything in twenty-nine years, it's that every human being you see in the course of a day has a problem that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/if-i-ve-learned-anything-in-twenty-nine-years-it-s-that-every-human/)

[Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/)

> [It surprises me how often we hold ourselves back until we have no choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/po-bronson/it-surprises-me-how-often-we-hold-ourselves-back-until-we-have-no/)

[Po Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/po-bronson/)

> [I find no change of consequence in grown people, I do not miss the dead. It does not surprise me to hear that this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-find-no-change-of-consequence-in-grown-people-i-do-not-miss-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There are no rules when it comes to love. I just try to let love surprise me because you never know who you’re going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/there-are-no-rules-when-it-comes-to-love-i-just-try-to-let-love/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [I love the sea's sounds and the way it reflects the sky. The colours that shimmer across its surface are unbelievable. This, combined with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer/i-love-the-sea-s-sounds-and-the-way-it-reflects-the-sky-the-colours/)

[John Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer/)

> [What surprises me is when people give me their mobile number. The other day, someone on a bus asked if I swear. I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-parker/what-surprises-me-is-when-people-give-me-their-mobile-number-the/)

[Christopher Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-parker/)

> [What surprises me most in architecture, as in other techniques, is that a project has one life in its built state but another in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-rossi/what-surprises-me-most-in-architecture-as-in-other-techniques-is-that/)

Aldo Rossi

> [GOOD AS NEW was born out of the idea of writing a play where the stakes were high and the collisions were of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/good-as-new-was-born-out-of-the-idea-of-writing-a-play-where-the/)

[Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/)

> [It doesn't surprise me that aspect of the black nationalist movement, the cultural side, has triumphed because that is the aspect of the movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/it-doesn-t-surprise-me-that-aspect-of-the-black-nationalist-movement/)

[Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/)

## More by Dorianne Laux

> [We aren't suggesting that mental instability or unhappiness makes one a better poet, or a poet at all; and contrary to the romantic notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/we-aren-t-suggesting-that-mental-instability-or-unhappiness-makes-one/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [“How many losses does it take to stop a heart, to lay waste to the vocabularies of desire?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/how-many-losses-does-it-take-to-stop-a-heart-to-lay-waste-to-the/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [And I saw it didn't matter who had loved me or who I loved. I was alone. The black oily asphalt, the slick beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/and-i-saw-it-didn-t-matter-who-had-loved-me-or-who-i-loved-i-was/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [The reason I started writing was because I was a little kid in San Diego who was getting beaten up by her dad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/the-reason-i-started-writing-was-because-i-was-a-little-kid-in-san/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [I would say my life experiences are my poetry, whether I'm writing about those actual, factual experiences or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/i-would-say-my-life-experiences-are-my-poetry-whether-i-m-writing/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [Good writing works from a simple premise: your experience is not yours alone, but in some sense a metaphor for everyone's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/good-writing-works-from-a-simple-premise-your-experience-is-not-yours/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [Every poem I write falls short in some important way. But I go on trying to write the one that won’t.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/every-poem-i-write-falls-short-in-some-important-way-but-i-go-on/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [We're all writing out of a wound, and that's where our song comes from. The wound is singing. We're singing back to those who've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/we-re-all-writing-out-of-a-wound-and-that-s-where-our-song-comes-from/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [You are not your poetry. Your self-esteem shouldn't depend on whether you publish, or whether some editor or writer you admire thinks you're any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/you-are-not-your-poetry-your-self-esteem-shouldn-t-depend-on-whether/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [Someone spoke to me last night, told me the truth. Just a few words, but I recognized it. I knew I should make myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/someone-spoke-to-me-last-night-told-me-the-truth-just-a-few-words-but/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [ It's difficult to talk about \[W.S.\] Merwin's poems, as it's hard to talk about a feeling or a smell. It is what it is,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/it-s-difficult-to-talk-about-w-s-merwin-s-poems-as-it-s-hard-to-talk/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [We continue to speak, if only in whispers, to something inside us that longs to be named.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/we-continue-to-speak-if-only-in-whispers-to-something-inside-us-that/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [W.S Merwin says "after three days of rain" and I write "After Twelve Days of Rain." I like his quietude. I admire his ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/w-s-merwin-says-after-three-days-of-rain-and-i-write-after-twelve/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [If you want to be a writer in the world you really have to sit down and say, 'Why do I want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-in-the-world-you-really-have-to-sit-down/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

> [Who you are contributes to your poetry in a number of important ways, but you shouldn't identify with your poems so closely that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/who-you-are-contributes-to-your-poetry-in-a-number-of-important-ways/)

[Dorianne Laux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

[Explore all 55 Dorianne Laux quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/)

## More Students quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [I became a bit of a teacher's pet, and it became known in the school by both faculty and students that I really excelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-smith/i-became-a-bit-of-a-teacher-s-pet-and-it-became-known-in-the-school/)

[Paul Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-smith/)

> [When I see students now, I just don't think they are prepared to work so hard. It comes too easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-jacobs/when-i-see-students-now-i-just-don-t-think-they-are-prepared-to-work/)

[Marc Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-jacobs/)

> [Be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the worst Spanish student in the history of the language.” I laughed. “No problemo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/be-careful-i-wouldn-t-want-anything-to-happen-to-the-worst-spanish/)

[Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/)

> [The teacher is of course an artist, but being an artist does not mean that he or she can make the profile, can shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-teacher-is-of-course-an-artist-but-being-an-artist-does-not-mean/)

[Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/)

[Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [Today, at Harvard, any student with the currently fashionable color of skin is given rights denied to students of the currently unfashionable color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-capp/today-at-harvard-any-student-with-the-currently-fashionable-color-of/)

[Al Capp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-capp/)

> [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/)

[Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/)

> [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/)

[Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/)

> [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/)

[Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/)

[Browse all 4,776 Students quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The students always, always surprise me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dorianne Laux"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/the-students-always-always-surprise-me/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Students"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/the-students-always-always-surprise-me/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/dorianne-laux-12252_students_the-students-always-always-surprise-me-1_1544803.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/dorianne-laux-12252_students_the-students-always-always-surprise-me-1_1544803.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e21/dorianne-laux-12252_students_the-students-always-always-surprise-me-1_1544803.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The students always, always surprise me.” — Dorianne Laux",
                "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": "Dorianne Laux",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorianne-laux/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The students always, always surprise me.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/the-students-always-always-surprise-me/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorianne-laux/the-students-always-always-surprise-me/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
