--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most lexicographers had no clue that such…" description: "\"“Most lexicographers had no clue that such a career path existed until they were smack in the middle of it. Neil Serven, an editor at Merriam-Webster, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/kory-stamper-11455_career-path_most-lexicographers-had-no-clue-that-suc_2069219.jpg" --- # Most lexicographers had no clue that such a career path… ![“Most lexicographers had no clue that such a career path existed until they were smack in the middle of it. Neil Serven, an editor at Merriam-Webster, is an outlier. He sums up his brief musings on how dictionaries came to be thusly: "I imagined dark halls and angry people.” quote by kory stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/kory-stamper-11455_career-path_most-lexicographers-had-no-clue-that-suc_2069219.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/kory-stamper-11455_career-path_most-lexicographers-had-no-clue-that-suc_2069219.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/kory-stamper-11455_career-path_most-lexicographers-had-no-clue-that-suc_2069219.jpg) > ““Most lexicographers had no clue that such a career path existed until they were smack in the middle of it. Neil Serven, an editor at Merriam-Webster, is an outlier. He sums up his brief musings on how dictionaries came to be thusly: "I imagined dark halls and angry people.”” [kory stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lexicographers often discover career possibilities only after immersion; rare individuals like Neil Serven recognize this early. **In simple terms:** People realize career paths after experience. Key Takeaway Explore fields early to spot hidden paths. Themes career discovery lexicography self-awareness Mood curious reflective Type observational insightful When to use this quote - editing - dictionary work - career planning - professional development Key Concepts vocational insight industry awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can mentors expose hidden career routes? - What signs indicate an emerging field? A Different Perspective Not all fields reveal paths early; some may remain obscure without mentorship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Angry People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry-people/) [Career path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-path/) [Dictionaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictionaries/) [Dictionaries Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dictionaries-came-3987618/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Lexicographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lexicographers-704648/) [Lexicographers Clue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lexicographers-clue-3987619/) [Musings Dictionaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musings-dictionaries-3987620/) ## Related quotes > [Lexicographers may be nerds who don't like human contact, but we're still people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/lexicographers-may-be-nerds-who-don-t-like-human-contact-but-we-re/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [By the time the traditionally male lexicographers become interested in looking at fashion words, their origins are lost in the mists of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/by-the-time-the-traditionally-male-lexicographers-become-interested/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [The one thing - apart from assumptions about German - that I have to challenge frequently is people assuming that lexicographers are fierce protectors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/the-one-thing-apart-from-assumptions-about-german-that-i-have-to/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [“But the male lexicographers had somehow neglected to coin a word for the dislike of men. They were almost entirely men themselves, she thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/but-the-male-lexicographers-had-somehow-neglected-to-coin-a-word-for/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Lexicographers are language reporters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mckean/lexicographers-are-language-reporters/) [Erin McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mckean/) > [“In this case, consulting the dictionary would simply mean discovering what one already knew, Dictionaries only provide information that is likely to be useful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/in-this-case-consulting-the-dictionary-would-simply-mean-discovering/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [My desk is like a 'U,' so I have my computer and lots of dictionaries because I write in Spanish and I live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/my-desk-is-like-a-u-so-i-have-my-computer-and-lots-of-dictionaries/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Dictionaries are like vitamins and floss; we buy them and then never use them. Even I, an English teacher, a lover of words, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-baranick/dictionaries-are-like-vitamins-and-floss-we-buy-them-and-then-never/) [Jenny Baranick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-baranick/) > [“Tugs used to think that everyone's name was in the dictionary, and when she had realized it was only hers, both Tugs and Button,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ylvisaker/tugs-used-to-think-that-everyone-s-name-was-in-the-dictionary-and/) [Anne Ylvisaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ylvisaker/) > [Lexicographer: a writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge, that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/lexicographer-a-writer-of-dictionaries-a-harmless-drudge-that-busies/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Dictionaries stop where the heart starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foenkinos/dictionaries-stop-where-the-heart-starts/) [David Foenkinos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foenkinos/) > [“Wake up to think of words… want to walk through pages of meanings, the links in assonance, alliteration, or just simple sense that moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/wake-up-to-think-of-words-want-to-walk-through-pages-of-meanings-the/) [Initially NO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/initially-no/) > [I am not learning definitions as established in even the latest dictionaries. I am not a dictionary-maker. I am a person a dictionary-maker has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-am-not-learning-definitions-as-established-in-even-the-latest/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [Alphabetical order had to be invented to help people organize the first dictionaries. On the other hand, we may have reached a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/alphabetical-order-had-to-be-invented-to-help-people-organize-the/) [James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/) > [“Every dictionary contains a world. I open a book of thieves’ slang from Queen Anne’s reign and they have a hundred words for swords,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-forsyth/every-dictionary-contains-a-world-i-open-a-book-of-thieves-slang-from/) [Mark Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-forsyth/) ## More by kory stamper > [“Under ordinary circumstances, we learn to speak before we learn to read, and anyone who has tried to learn a foreign language knows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/under-ordinary-circumstances-we-learn-to-speak-before-we-learn-to/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“Then Eric talked for half an hour about the Albanian word for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/then-eric-talked-for-half-an-hour-about-the-albanian-word-for/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“Like many things that are claimed as Western inventions, grammar was first practiced in the East. According to scholars, there is a rich tradition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/like-many-things-that-are-claimed-as-western-inventions-grammar-was/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [Whenever you try and simplify how people speak, it's just hard to squish them into a simple rule. Language doesn't work that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/whenever-you-try-and-simplify-how-people-speak-it-s-just-hard-to/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“We think of English as a fortress to be defended, but a better analogy is to think of English as a child. We love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/we-think-of-english-as-a-fortress-to-be-defended-but-a-better-analogy/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“It is best, in fact, to assume that every verbal illustration you write will offend someone, somewhere, at some point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/it-is-best-in-fact-to-assume-that-every-verbal-illustration-you-write/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“It wasn’t story (good or bad) that pulled me in; it was English itself, the way it felt in my braces-caged mouth and rattled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/it-wasn-t-story-good-or-bad-that-pulled-me-in-it-was-english-itself/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“Removing racial slurs from the dictionary will not eliminate racism; removing “injustice” from the dictionary will not bring about justice. If it were really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/removing-racial-slurs-from-the-dictionary-will-not-eliminate-racism/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [What makes autocorrect really interesting for a lexicographer is we read in a very weird way. A lot of times we'll catch things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/what-makes-autocorrect-really-interesting-for-a-lexicographer-is-we/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [I make the case in the book that Standard English, that language we all aspire to live and move and have our being within,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/i-make-the-case-in-the-book-that-standard-english-that-language-we/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“bor·bo·ryg·mus \\ˌbȯr-bə-ˈrig-məs\\ n, pl bor·bo·ryg·mi \\-ˌmī\\ : intestinal rumbling caused by moving gas (MWC11)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/bor-bo-ryg-mus-bo-r-b-rig-m-s-n-pl-bor-bo-ryg-mi-m-intestinal/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“Person, Place, Thing (Noun); Describes Action (Verb); Modifies Nouns (Adjective); Answers the W Questions (Adverb); Joins Words Together (Conjunction); Things We Say When We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/person-place-thing-noun-describes-action-verb-modifies-nouns/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [A lot of people thought oh, we caught the dictionary in racism, or all it takes is a whole bunch of people saying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/a-lot-of-people-thought-oh-we-caught-the-dictionary-in-racism-or-all/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [Words have always been political, and that means that, in many people's minds, dictionaries are political. Because that's what dictionaries do: they do words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/words-have-always-been-political-and-that-means-that-in-many-people-s/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) > [“It’s not all “molly” and “asshat.” The etymologies of some words are, for the lexicographer and average joe alike, boring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/it-s-not-all-molly-and-asshat-the-etymologies-of-some-words-are-for/) [Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) [Explore all 60 kory stamper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/) ## More Career path quotes > [Going to university is, and should be, so much more than a mechanical process of grinding out a degree qualification for a pre-determined career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcdonnell/going-to-university-is-and-should-be-so-much-more-than-a-mechanical/) [John McDonnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcdonnell/) > [“Actually, the books were never a planned career path. Jamie Lee Curtis”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/actually-the-books-were-never-a-planned-career-path-jamie-lee-curtis/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's the environment that rules, whether you like it or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-toops/it-s-the-environment-that-rules-whether-you-like-it-or-not/) [Emma Toops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-toops/) > [Instead of going into politics, I decided to go into comedy, which is the second most daunting career path for a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/instead-of-going-into-politics-i-decided-to-go-into-comedy-which-is/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [“My career path, if it were printed out like an EKG reading, would look like someone having a coronary seizure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinzi-lavin/my-career-path-if-it-were-printed-out-like-an-ekg-reading-would-look/) [Cinzi Lavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinzi-lavin/) > [For so many generations, a woman's only career path was to marry well and to marry up. Those days have changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/for-so-many-generations-a-woman-s-only-career-path-was-to-marry-well/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [I never thought in terms of a "breakthrough" film. I wasn't looking for fame or a career path into Hollywood. I was doing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-zwigoff/i-never-thought-in-terms-of-a-breakthrough-film-i-wasn-t-looking-for/) [Terry Zwigoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-zwigoff/) > [Too often when people think of their journey into leadership, they envision a career path. What they should be thinking about is their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/too-often-when-people-think-of-their-journey-into-leadership-they/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“Your education is important because with only a few words you can show an employer the depth of your potential.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-t-cross/your-education-is-important-because-with-only-a-few-words-you-can/) [Matthew T. Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-t-cross/) > [If you've ever been a person who is running a successful brand or business and with someone who is doing the same, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/if-you-ve-ever-been-a-person-who-is-running-a-successful-brand-or/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [Our career path has tended to be the most perverse and contrary approach to the entertainment industry imaginable, while at the same time doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-garrett/our-career-path-has-tended-to-be-the-most-perverse-and-contrary/) [Peter Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-garrett/) > [If you look at my career path, I was a human rights and refugees officer for the United Nations. I helped research a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-simone/if-you-look-at-my-career-path-i-was-a-human-rights-and-refugees/) [Hannah Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-simone/) > [“Revitalized and healthy, I started dreaming new dreams. I saw ways that I could make a significant contribution by sharing what I’ve learned. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-johnson/revitalized-and-healthy-i-started-dreaming-new-dreams-i-saw-ways-that/) [Whitney Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-johnson/) > [When I was in college, I wanted to be editor of 'Reason' when I grew up. It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [I think we live in an era without a predictable career path. Everybody's doing more, doing more at the same time, doing more faster.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-timbers/i-think-we-live-in-an-era-without-a-predictable-career-path-everybody/) [Alex Timbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-timbers/) [Browse all 174 Career path quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career-path/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Most lexicographers had no clue that such a career path existed until they were smack in the middle of it. Neil Serven, an editor at Merriam-Webster, is an outlier. 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