--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Serendipity is when you find things you…" description: "\"Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult.\" — Erin McKean" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/erin-mckean-13646_difficult_serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you_783723.png" --- # Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking… ![“Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult.” quote by Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/erin-mckean-13646_difficult_serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you_783723.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/erin-mckean-13646_difficult_serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you_783723.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/erin-mckean-13646_difficult_serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you_783723.png) > “Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult.” [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected discoveries happen when you stop searching for a specific answer and explore broadly. **In simple terms:** Finding the unexpected comes from open exploration. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity over narrow focus. Themes serendipity creativity exploration Mood playful thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - writing - product design - learning new skills Key Concepts cognitive bias problem solving innovation Questions to Reflect On - What might you miss by focusing too narrowly? - How can you create space for accidental insights? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on goals can blind you to useful side‑results. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Serendipity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serendipity/) ## Related quotes > [“You could always count on serendipity to keep things interesting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emory-sharplin/you-could-always-count-on-serendipity-to-keep-things-interesting/) [Emory Sharplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emory-sharplin/) > [Along the way, a lot of filmmakers get rid of things that are messy or don't fit in some ways. To me, I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/along-the-way-a-lot-of-filmmakers-get-rid-of-things-that-are-messy-or/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“The blessing of Google is its uncanny skill in finding what you're looking for; the curse is that it so rarely finds any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-jacobs/the-blessing-of-google-is-its-uncanny-skill-in-finding-what-you-re/) [Alan Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-jacobs/) > [I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-p-adams/i-find-that-a-great-part-of-the-information-i-have-was-acquired-by/) [Franklin P. Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-p-adams/) > [Finding out something about someone, and never looking at them the same way again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finding-out-something-about-someone-and-never-looking-at-them-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'd had enough surprises in the last few months to know that you don't always find the answers you're looking for without finding about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kessler/i-d-had-enough-surprises-in-the-last-few-months-to-know-that-you-don/) [Liz Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kessler/) > [Destiny is what I was seeking till I found it. Now that I have found it... I am looking at it.. Finding a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jatin-kundra/destiny-is-what-i-was-seeking-till-i-found-it-now-that-i-have-found/) Jatin Kundra > [The true secret to seeking the unknown is in the looking, not the finding. The journey is what matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gates/the-true-secret-to-seeking-the-unknown-is-in-the-looking-not-the/) [Josh Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gates/) > [Looking and not finding is certainly one of the most frustrating ways to spend time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/looking-and-not-finding-is-certainly-one-of-the-most-frustrating-ways/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [The only way we can ever get through to the truth is by finding out what we are not. We do that by looking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-long/the-only-way-we-can-ever-get-through-to-the-truth-is-by-finding-out/) [Barry Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-long/) > [Beware of finding what you're looking for. A favorite aphorism he often used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hamming/beware-of-finding-what-you-re-looking-for-a-favorite-aphorism-he/) [Richard Hamming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hamming/) > [“Why is it that the look of another person looking at you is different from everything else in the Cosmos? That is to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/why-is-it-that-the-look-of-another-person-looking-at-you-is-different/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [“We usually end up finding what we are looking for, but we only look for what we already know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-junger/we-usually-end-up-finding-what-we-are-looking-for-but-we-only-look/) [Alejandro Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-junger/) > [In all my life I'd never been approached this way, the car pulling up, the Where you going? It was something I wish had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/in-all-my-life-i-d-never-been-approached-this-way-the-car-pulling-up/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [I've never looked through a keyhole without finding someone was looking back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-garland/i-ve-never-looked-through-a-keyhole-without-finding-someone-was/) [Judy Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-garland/) ## More by Erin McKean > [People say to me, ‘How do I know if a word is real?’ You know, anybody who’s read a children’s book knows that love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/people-say-to-me-how-do-i-know-if-a-word-is-real-you-know-anybody-who/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [“This isn’t a thrift store… We’re not selling them something less expensive, we’re selling them something more special. We have to tell them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/this-isn-t-a-thrift-store-we-re-not-selling-them-something-less/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/you-don-t-owe-prettiness-to-anyone-not-to-your-boyfriend-spouse/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [Almost any word can be drafted to serve as a verb, even words we think of as eternal and unchanging, stuck in their more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/almost-any-word-can-be-drafted-to-serve-as-a-verb-even-words-we-think/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [I think we would all like to believe that every new event demands a new word. But we're environmentally conscious with our words. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/i-think-we-would-all-like-to-believe-that-every-new-event-demands-a/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [There are hundreds of thousands of words that aren't in any print dictionary today... because there's no space for all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/there-are-hundreds-of-thousands-of-words-that-aren-t-in-any-print/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [Uniforms are intended to make the wearer look as strong as possible. Soldiers could fight in leotards, but that's never going to happen because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/uniforms-are-intended-to-make-the-wearer-look-as-strong-as-possible/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [It's difficult to choose a Word of the Year in the year that you're in. It's one of those things that hindsight makes more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/it-s-difficult-to-choose-a-word-of-the-year-in-the-year-that-you-re/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [Words are so lovable. How could you not love words?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/words-are-so-lovable-how-could-you-not-love-words/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > ['Aging' has been bad ever since we figured out it led to dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/aging-has-been-bad-ever-since-we-figured-out-it-led-to-dying/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [And I don't like people who eat powdered doughnuts. I don't car how careful you are, they're just plain messy. I can't believe they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/and-i-don-t-like-people-who-eat-powdered-doughnuts-i-don-t-car-how/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [If words are doing their job, then their novelty will not be the most noticeable thing about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/if-words-are-doing-their-job-then-their-novelty-will-not-be-the-most/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [There are very few good ways to get publicity for a dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/there-are-very-few-good-ways-to-get-publicity-for-a-dictionary/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [Lexicographers are language reporters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/lexicographers-are-language-reporters/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [“The rule is, don't speak of the dead, not don't speak ill of the dead's terrible relatives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/the-rule-is-don-t-speak-of-the-dead-not-don-t-speak-ill-of-the-dead-s/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) [Explore all 49 Erin McKean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so damned difficult.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erin McKean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you-weren-t-looking-for-because/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Difficult" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you-weren-t-looking-for-because/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/erin-mckean-13646_difficult_serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you_783723.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/erin-mckean-13646_difficult_serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you_783723.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca0/erin-mckean-13646_difficult_serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you_783723.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Serendipity is when you find things you weren't looking for because finding what you are looking for is so…” — Erin McKean", "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": "Erin McKean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Serendipity is when you find things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you-weren-t-looking-for-because/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/serendipity-is-when-you-find-things-you-weren-t-looking-for-because/#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 } } ] } ```