Done Quote by John H. Lienhard
“To learn is to incur surprise-I mean really learning, not just refreshing our memory or adding a new fact. And to invent is to bestow surprise-I mean really inventing, not just innovating what others have done.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Physics of Everyday Things, John H. Lienhard, 2014
Learning should surprise you, not just recall facts; invention should create novelty, not merely improve existing ideas.
In simple terms: Learning and inventing require genuine surprise.
Key Takeaway
Seek true surprise in learning and creation.
Themes
education
creativity
innovation
Mood
curious
inspired
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- classroom teaching
- research projects
- product design
- artistic creation
Key Concepts
cognitive surprise
novelty generation
deep learning
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you design experiences that provoke real surprise?
- What habits help turn surprise into lasting insight?
A Different Perspective
Surprise can be fleeting; sustaining it demands continual curiosity.
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
