--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Surprising people is the key to career…" description: "\"Surprising people is the key to career longevity for someone like me.\" — John C. Reilly" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/john-c-reilly-3317_career_surprising-people-is-the-key-to-career-l_2610169.png" --- # Surprising people is the key to career longevity for… ![“Surprising people is the key to career longevity for someone like me.” quote by John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/john-c-reilly-3317_career_surprising-people-is-the-key-to-career-l_2610169.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/john-c-reilly-3317_career_surprising-people-is-the-key-to-career-l_2610169.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/john-c-reilly-3317_career_surprising-people-is-the-key-to-career-l_2610169.png) > “Surprising people is the key to career longevity for someone like me.” [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Surprising people keeps work fresh and extends a career by challenging expectations. **In simple terms:** Unexpected interactions boost career longevity. Key Takeaway Embrace novelty to stay relevant. Themes career creativity surprise longevity adaptation Mood playful strategic Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career planning - team building - creative projects - mentorship Key Concepts psychology networking innovation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance surprise with consistency? - What risks arise from constantly seeking novelty? A Different Perspective Overreliance on surprise can be perceived as gimmick. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Longevity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longevity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I just like surprising people. I never want to get to a place where people see that I am in a movie and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/i-just-like-surprising-people-i-never-want-to-get-to-a-place-where/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [I wasn't about one season, but career and longevity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-reed/i-wasn-t-about-one-season-but-career-and-longevity/) [Ed Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-reed/) > [Would it have been so fun to look like a supermodel? Sure. But what do I want in my career? Longevity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-grossman/would-it-have-been-so-fun-to-look-like-a-supermodel-sure-but-what-do/) [Leslie Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-grossman/) > [I try to get hit as little as possible because I think that is the best way to go about it as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-tavares/i-try-to-get-hit-as-little-as-possible-because-i-think-that-is-the/) [Brad Tavares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-tavares/) > [From the moment I turned 39, 40, I really turned a corner and became a person who really enjoys working out. When I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cress-williams/from-the-moment-i-turned-39-40-i-really-turned-a-corner-and-became-a/) [Cress Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cress-williams/) > [The thing that really breeds career longevity in this profession is doing good work. You can make $20 million a movie, but does that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-hawke/the-thing-that-really-breeds-career-longevity-in-this-profession-is/) [Ethan Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-hawke/) > [So I try not to do press and if you can keep the balance of keeping a certain degree of anonymity and do interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunnam/so-i-try-not-to-do-press-and-if-you-can-keep-the-balance-of-keeping-a/) [Charlie Hunnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunnam/) > [The good thing about radio is that it's the kind of career that really is a career with longevity. It's something you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-yee/the-good-thing-about-radio-is-that-it-s-the-kind-of-career-that/) [Angela Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-yee/) > [One can get very fond of the people one meets in bars. The trouble is they then appear sort of different in the daylight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-thomas-ellis/one-can-get-very-fond-of-the-people-one-meets-in-bars-the-trouble-is/) [Alice Thomas Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-thomas-ellis/) > [What I do find surprising is that other people do not think in the same way. I find it hard to imagine a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tammet/what-i-do-find-surprising-is-that-other-people-do-not-think-in-the/) [Daniel Tammet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tammet/) > [It's all about surprising people, and you're not surprising people if you're making them laugh every five seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/it-s-all-about-surprising-people-and-you-re-not-surprising-people-if/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) > [I played Big Band jazz music. I wasn't into rock and roll. I was just there because it was a living. I surprised everyone.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-vinton/i-played-big-band-jazz-music-i-wasn-t-into-rock-and-roll-i-was-just/) [Bobby Vinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-vinton/) > [I always want to keep growing and keep surprising people, and showing them different parts of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-plaza/i-always-want-to-keep-growing-and-keep-surprising-people-and-showing/) [Aubrey Plaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-plaza/) > [I'm not a good gift-giver, other than the fact that I like surprising people. I usually give what people ask for but I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trea-turner/i-m-not-a-good-gift-giver-other-than-the-fact-that-i-like-surprising/) [Trea Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trea-turner/) > [I want to constantly be surprising people with different roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-roberts/i-want-to-constantly-be-surprising-people-with-different-roles/) [Emma Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-roberts/) ## More by John C. Reilly > [One of the unique things is that whether we were out at sea or in the middle of the water tank, a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/one-of-the-unique-things-is-that-whether-we-were-out-at-sea-or-in-the/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [A script is like a theory of a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/a-script-is-like-a-theory-of-a-movie/) [John C. 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You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [There are so many things you can do with your life, you can go to school and study toward your career, you can become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/there-are-so-many-things-you-can-do-with-your-life-you-can-go-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I am a very big fan of Brian Eno, of his work as an artist and making his music, and as a producer. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rostam-batmanglij/i-am-a-very-big-fan-of-brian-eno-of-his-work-as-an-artist-and-making/) [Rostam Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rostam-batmanglij/) > [If I can beat a proven champion like Canelo, that will take my career to a different level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/if-i-can-beat-a-proven-champion-like-canelo-that-will-take-my-career/) [Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [“The vocation of a man lies in his vision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-vocation-of-a-man-lies-in-his-vision/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/) [John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. 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