--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Curiosity is the most superficial of all…" description: "\"Curiosity is the most superficial of all the affections; it changes its object perpetually; it has an appetite which is very sharp, but very easily sat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/edmund-burke-400_affection_curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all_668652.jpg" --- # Curiosity is the most superficial of all the affections… ![“Curiosity is the most superficial of all the affections; it changes its object perpetually; it has an appetite which is very sharp, but very easily satisfied, and it has always an appearance of giddiness, restlessness and anxiety.” quote by Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/edmund-burke-400_affection_curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all_668652.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/edmund-burke-400_affection_curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all_668652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/edmund-burke-400_affection_curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all_668652.jpg) > “Curiosity is the most superficial of all the affections; it changes its object perpetually; it has an appetite which is very sharp, but very easily satisfied, and it has always an appearance of giddiness, restlessness and anxiety.” [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Curiosity constantly shifts focus, craving new stimuli, leading to fleeting excitement and unease. **In simple terms:** Curiosity jumps quickly, easily satisfied, causing restlessness. Key Takeaway Channel curiosity into purposeful inquiry. Themes curiosity mindset focus anxiety restlessness Mood inquisitive restless thoughtful Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - learning new skills - research projects - creative brainstorming - personal growth Key Concepts philosophy human nature psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn fleeting interest into lasting mastery? - What balances curiosity with depth? A Different Perspective May lead to shallow understanding if not deepened. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Curiosity Superficial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity-superficial-5313305/) [Giddiness Restlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giddiness-restlessness-5313307/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Restlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restlessness/) [Satisfied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfied/) [Superficial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superficial/) [Superficial Affections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superficial-affections-5313306/) ## Related quotes > [Men are qualified for civil liberty in exact proportion to their disposition to put moral chains upon their own appetites…in proportion as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/men-are-qualified-for-civil-liberty-in-exact-proportion-to-their-2/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [History consists, for the greater part, of the miseries brought upon the world by pride, ambition, avarice, revenge, lust, sedition, hypocrisy, ungoverned zeal, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/history-consists-for-the-greater-part-of-the-miseries-brought-upon/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The moving van is a symbol of more than our restlessness, it is the most conclusive evidence possible of our progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/the-moving-van-is-a-symbol-of-more-than-our-restlessness-it-is-the/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Never a ship sails out of bay but carries my heart as a stowaway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roselle-mercier-montgomery/never-a-ship-sails-out-of-bay-but-carries-my-heart-as-a-stowaway/) [Roselle Mercier Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roselle-mercier-montgomery/) > [“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-calm-and-modest-life-brings-more-happiness-than-the-pursuit-of/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“I’ve come across people who say that there is a sort of inborn restlessness in the human spirit and an urge to change one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/i-ve-come-across-people-who-say-that-there-is-a-sort-of-inborn/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [“I didn’t want the same things that they wanted, and they should know this. They should know my difference, they should sense my unfathomable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ling-ma/i-didn-t-want-the-same-things-that-they-wanted-and-they-should-know/) [Ling Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ling-ma/) > [There is so much restlessness and chaos in the society, and that's what music depicts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/there-is-so-much-restlessness-and-chaos-in-the-society-and-that-s/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) > [Not everyone can wait: neither the sated nor the satisfied nor those without respect can wait. The only ones who can wait are people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/not-everyone-can-wait-neither-the-sated-nor-the-satisfied-nor-those/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Feelings of guilt dominate our work as peacemakers we cannot last long. But when we have opened each other's eyes to the great human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/feelings-of-guilt-dominate-our-work-as-peacemakers-we-cannot-last/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [It is your restlessness that causes chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/it-is-your-restlessness-that-causes-chaos/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am a person who is unhappy with things as they stand. We cannot accept the world as it is. Each day we should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-claus/i-am-a-person-who-is-unhappy-with-things-as-they-stand-we-cannot/) [Hugo Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-claus/) ## More by Edmund Burke > [It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/it-is-the-interest-of-the-commercial-world-that-wealth-should-be/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“Many of the greatest tyrants on the records of history have begun their reigns in the fairest manner. But the truth is, this unnatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/many-of-the-greatest-tyrants-on-the-records-of-history-have-begun/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“Wise men will apply their remedies to vices, not to names; to the causes of evil which are permanent, not to the occasional organs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/wise-men-will-apply-their-remedies-to-vices-not-to-names-to-the/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [“A man full of warm, speculative benevolence may wish his society otherwise constituted than he finds it; but a good patriot, and a true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-man-full-of-warm-speculative-benevolence-may-wish-his-society/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [My vigour relents. 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To answer its real purposes, you must first possess the means of knowing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/what-is-it-we-all-seek-for-in-an-election-to-answer-its-real-purposes/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Society is indeed a contract. It is a partnership in all science; a partnership in all art; a partnership in every virtue, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/society-is-indeed-a-contract-it-is-a-partnership-in-all-science-a/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [You can never plan the future by the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/you-can-never-plan-the-future-by-the-past/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The great inlet by which a colour for oppression has entered into the world is by one man's pretending to determine concerning the happiness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/the-great-inlet-by-which-a-colour-for-oppression-has-entered-into-the/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [By the disposition of a stupendous wisdom, moulding together the great mysterious incorporation of the human race, the whole, at one time, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/by-the-disposition-of-a-stupendous-wisdom-moulding-together-the-great/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Religion, to have any force upon men's understandings,--indeed, to exist at all,--must be supposed paramount to law, and independent for its substance upon any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/religion-to-have-any-force-upon-men-s-understandings-indeed-to-exist/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) [Explore all 595 Edmund Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Curiosity is the most superficial of all the affections; it changes its object perpetually; it has an appetite which is very sharp, but very easily satisfied, and it has always an appearance of giddiness, restlessness and anxiety.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edmund Burke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all-the-affections-it-changes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all-the-affections-it-changes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/edmund-burke-400_affection_curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all_668652.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/edmund-burke-400_affection_curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all_668652.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab9/edmund-burke-400_affection_curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all_668652.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Curiosity is the most superficial of all the affections; it changes its object perpetually; it has an…” — Edmund Burke", "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": "Edmund Burke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Curiosity is the most superficial of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all-the-affections-it-changes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/curiosity-is-the-most-superficial-of-all-the-affections-it-changes/#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 } } ] } ```