--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From a neighbour, I got a one-day-old…" description: "\"From a neighbour, I got a one-day-old duckling and found, to my intense joy, that it transferred its following response to my person. At the same time,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/konrad-lorenz-8538_expert_from-a-neighbour-i-got-a-one-day-old-duc_1087932.jpg" --- # From a neighbour, I got a one-day-old duckling and found… ![“From a neighbour, I got a one-day-old duckling and found, to my intense joy, that it transferred its following response to my person. At the same time, my interest became irreversibly fixated on water fowl, and I became an expert on their behaviour even as a child.” quote by Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/konrad-lorenz-8538_expert_from-a-neighbour-i-got-a-one-day-old-duc_1087932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/konrad-lorenz-8538_expert_from-a-neighbour-i-got-a-one-day-old-duc_1087932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c76/konrad-lorenz-8538_expert_from-a-neighbour-i-got-a-one-day-old-duc_1087932.jpg) > “From a neighbour, I got a one-day-old duckling and found, to my intense joy, that it transferred its following response to my person. At the same time, my interest became irreversibly fixated on water fowl, and I became an expert on their behaviour even as a child.” [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early exposure to an animal can spark lifelong fascination and expertise. **In simple terms:** A duckling sparked a lifelong interest in waterfowl. Key Takeaway Embrace unexpected encounters that reveal passions. Themes curiosity development expertise Mood wonderful inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - childhood pet - nature study - career choice - hobby development Key Concepts imprinting behavioral learning Questions to Reflect On - What small encounter could ignite a lasting interest? - How can you nurture a newfound curiosity? A Different Perspective Passion may fade without continued engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behaviour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviour/) [Expert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expert/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [If birds of a feather flock together, then what happens to the Ugly Duckling?…and I don't mean the one that turns into a swan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-grey/if-birds-of-a-feather-flock-together-then-what-happens-to-the-ugly/) [Alex Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-grey/) > [I was always the ugly duckling; I never got attention from girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-cudi/i-was-always-the-ugly-duckling-i-never-got-attention-from-girls/) [Kid Cudi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-cudi/) > [I was the ugly duckling until I reached puberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-roberts/i-was-the-ugly-duckling-until-i-reached-puberty/) [Tanya Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-roberts/) > [There are no makeovers in my books. The ugly duckling does not become a beautiful swan. She becomes a confident duck able to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/there-are-no-makeovers-in-my-books-the-ugly-duckling-does-not-become/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [The ugly duckling is a misunderstood universal myth. It's not about turning into a blonde Barbie doll or becoming what you dream of being;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baz-luhrmann/the-ugly-duckling-is-a-misunderstood-universal-myth-it-s-not-about/) [Baz Luhrmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baz-luhrmann/) > [I was considered an ugly duckling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-was-considered-an-ugly-duckling/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) > [In the story of Ugly Duckling, when did the Ugly Duckling stop feeling Ugly? When he realized that he was a Swan. Each of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/in-the-story-of-ugly-duckling-when-did-the-ugly-duckling-stop-feeling/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [I grew up on a small holding, it was a great way to grow up and incredibly idyllic. We had a donkey and Barney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-backshall/i-grew-up-on-a-small-holding-it-was-a-great-way-to-grow-up-and/) [Steve Backshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-backshall/) > [I never dreamed of so much happiness when I was the Ugly Duckling!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-andersen/i-never-dreamed-of-so-much-happiness-when-i-was-the-ugly-duckling/) [Hans Christian Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-andersen/) > [“The Ugly Duckling The classic story by Hans Christian”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-andersen/the-ugly-duckling-the-classic-story-by-hans-christian/) [Hans Christian Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-andersen/) > [I am not beautiful. My mother once called me an ugly duckling. But,listed separately, I have a few good features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/i-am-not-beautiful-my-mother-once-called-me-an-ugly-duckling-but/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [“Don't count your chickens just yet, lad. This little duckling has more than just luck on her side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-nicks/don-t-count-your-chickens-just-yet-lad-this-little-duckling-has-more/) [Louise Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-nicks/) > [“I never dreamed of such happiness as this, while I was an ugly duckling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-andersen/i-never-dreamed-of-such-happiness-as-this-while-i-was-an-ugly-duckling/) [Hans Christian Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-andersen/) > [All living beings have received their weapons through the same process of evolution that moulded their impulses and inhibitions; for the structural plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/all-living-beings-have-received-their-weapons-through-the-same/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [As actors, you become an expert at starting over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupita-nyong-o/as-actors-you-become-an-expert-at-starting-over/) [Lupita Nyong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupita-nyong-o/) ## More by Konrad Lorenz > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [I owe undying gratitude to my patient parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-owe-undying-gratitude-to-my-patient-parents/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It keeps him young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/it-is-a-good-morning-exercise-for-a-research-scientist-to-discard-a/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > ['I don't need brains,' says the billionaire contemptuously. 'I'm brainy enough myself!' The broker cries out in desperation, 'What, in heaven's name, do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-don-t-need-brains-says-the-billionaire-contemptuously-i-m-brainy/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [I have found the missing link between the higher ape and civilized man; it is we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-have-found-the-missing-link-between-the-higher-ape-and-civilized/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/the-fidelity-of-a-dog-is-a-precious-gift/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Whenever we find, in two forms of life that are unrelated to each other, a similarity of form or of behaviour patterns which relates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/whenever-we-find-in-two-forms-of-life-that-are-unrelated-to-each/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [...he who has seen the intimate beauty of nature cannot tear himself away from it again. He must become either a poet or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/he-who-has-seen-the-intimate-beauty-of-nature-cannot-tear-himself/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [We had better dispense with the personification of evil, because it leads, all too easily, to the most dangerous kind of war: religious war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/we-had-better-dispense-with-the-personification-of-evil-because-it/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If you confine yourself to this Skinnerian technique, you study nothing but the learning apparatus and you leave out everything that is different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/if-you-confine-yourself-to-this-skinnerian-technique-you-study/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [All scientific knowledge to which man owes his role as master of the world arose from playful activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/all-scientific-knowledge-to-which-man-owes-his-role-as-master-of-the/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [All the advantages that man has gained from his ever-deepening understanding of the natural world that surrounds him, his technological, chemical and medical progress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/all-the-advantages-that-man-has-gained-from-his-ever-deepening/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the way to the next better one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/truth-in-science-can-be-defined-as-the-working-hypothesis-best-suited/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [“Every scientist should, after all, regard it as his duty to tell the public, in a generally intelligible way, about what he is doing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/every-scientist-should-after-all-regard-it-as-his-duty-to-tell-the/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [I consider early childhood events as most essential to a man's scientific and philosophical development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-consider-early-childhood-events-as-most-essential-to-a-man-s/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) [Explore all 78 Konrad Lorenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) ## More Behaviour quotes > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Do you keep pace with those around you, or do you decide yourself just how you will live your life? The truth is...only you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/do-you-keep-pace-with-those-around-you-or-do-you-decide-yourself-just/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“To live without any regret is to act right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/to-live-without-any-regret-is-to-act-right/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [High testosterone levels have been proven to make men more likely to commit crimes. The tendency in men toward risky behaviour keeps turning up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/high-testosterone-levels-have-been-proven-to-make-men-more-likely-to/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [No one likes to admit they are racist or bear prejudices. Nor do they even like to be open and honest when they witness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/no-one-likes-to-admit-they-are-racist-or-bear-prejudices-nor-do-they/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [I think it's a very central tenet to it yes, it is. I can't bear it, I can't bear inequality, I can't bear bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-suzman/i-think-it-s-a-very-central-tenet-to-it-yes-it-is-i-can-t-bear-it-i/) [Janet Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-suzman/) > [Look, I was only given a year or two to come up with tunes for this record, and when all but eight of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gorrie/look-i-was-only-given-a-year-or-two-to-come-up-with-tunes-for-this/) Alan Gorrie > [Behaviour is a mirror in which everyone shows his image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinesh/behaviour-is-a-mirror-in-which-everyone-shows-his-image/) [Vinesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinesh/) > [There's a wow factor associated with my name. It could be due to my work as well as my behaviour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prosenjit-chatterjee/there-s-a-wow-factor-associated-with-my-name-it-could-be-due-to-my/) [Prosenjit Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prosenjit-chatterjee/) > [The individualism of current economic theory is manifest in the purely self-interested behaviour it generally assumes. It has no real place for fairness, malevolence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-e-daly/the-individualism-of-current-economic-theory-is-manifest-in-the/) [Herman E. Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-e-daly/) > [“There's no difference between a madman and a professor...it should be clear to you in the way they dress, act and think.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-s-no-difference-between-a-madman-and-a-professor-it-should-be/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Modern man, seeking a middle position in the evaluation of sense impression and thought, can, following Plato , interpret the process of understanding nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-pauli/modern-man-seeking-a-middle-position-in-the-evaluation-of-sense/) [Wolfgang Pauli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-pauli/) > [“I think this is one bad side of a mirror; it helps us to see the reflection of the effects of our own actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/i-think-this-is-one-bad-side-of-a-mirror-it-helps-us-to-see-the/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [A lot of celebrities just want money, fame, power, fancy cars, houses all over the world and have people BOW DOWN to them. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-manson/a-lot-of-celebrities-just-want-money-fame-power-fancy-cars-houses-all/) [Shirley Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-manson/) [Browse all 696 Behaviour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviour/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "From a neighbour, I got a one-day-old duckling and found, to my intense joy, that it transferred its following response to my person. 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