--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm often asked: Did you get what you…" description: "\"I'm often asked: Did you get what you wanted? But how should I know what I wanted? A photo is an encounter, a surprise.\" — Marc Riboud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marc-riboud-38730_asked_i-m-often-asked-did-you-get-what-you-wan_550882.png" --- # I'm often asked: Did you get what you wanted? But how… ![“I'm often asked: Did you get what you wanted? But how should I know what I wanted? A photo is an encounter, a surprise.” quote by Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marc-riboud-38730_asked_i-m-often-asked-did-you-get-what-you-wan_550882.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marc-riboud-38730_asked_i-m-often-asked-did-you-get-what-you-wan_550882.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e84/marc-riboud-38730_asked_i-m-often-asked-did-you-get-what-you-wan_550882.png) > “I'm often asked: Did you get what you wanted? But how should I know what I wanted? A photo is an encounter, a surprise.” [Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The photographer questions whether desires are known, treating each image as a surprising encounter. **In simple terms:** We often don’t know what we truly want, and photos capture unexpected moments. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and stay open to surprise. Themes desire uncertainty photography Mood curious reflective Type artistic philosophical When to use this quote - creative projects - travel - personal growth - decision making Key Concepts existentialism visual art serendipity Questions to Reflect On - What surprise have you encountered today? - How do you define what you want? A Different Perspective Desires may be fluid, making goals unclear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked/) [Encounter Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter-surprise-4585700/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Photo Encounter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photo-encounter-4585699/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Should i](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should-i/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [Wanted Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-know/) [Wanted Photo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted-photo-1635920/) ## Related quotes > [I remember going to church at home on Christmas in 2016, and people wanted to take my photo. 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Maybe if you found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/i-did-not-care-what-it-was-all-about-all-i-wanted-to-know-was-how-to/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Girls like us are hardly ever wanted you know...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ml/girls-like-us-are-hardly-ever-wanted-you-know/) [ML](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ml/) > [“Have you ever been truly happy, Miss Harriet?” “Yes, once . . . a long time ago . . . but it didn’t last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cullinan/have-you-ever-been-truly-happy-miss-harriet-yes-once-a-long-time-ago/) [Thomas Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cullinan/) > [“What else do you want to know?” “I didn’t know I wanted to know. 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I wanted to know everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/of-course-i-wanted-to-know-i-was-a-writer-i-wanted-to-know-everything/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [I've always wanted to know how long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sk-chown-rocky/i-ve-always-wanted-to-know-how-long/) [Sk Chown Rocky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sk-chown-rocky/) > [Yeah, I wanted to know where they got it from, what it was all about, you know, and it seemed to strike something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/yeah-i-wanted-to-know-where-they-got-it-from-what-it-was-all-about/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it -- to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-always-hungry-for-love-just-once-i-wanted-to-know-what-it-was/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“She wanted to know about them, not to know them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-g-robinson/she-wanted-to-know-about-them-not-to-know-them/) [Joan G. Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-g-robinson/) > [My parents subscribed to both Time and Newsweek and in 1978, I remember the covers of both that December were of the bodies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-scheeres/my-parents-subscribed-to-both-time-and-newsweek-and-in-1978-i/) [Julia Scheeres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-scheeres/) > [Everything you wanted to know is already inside you¦ you just haven't remembered it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/everything-you-wanted-to-know-is-already-inside-you-you-just-haven-t/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) ## More by Marc Riboud > [The idea of photography as evidence is pure bullshit. A photo is no more proof of any reality than what you may hear being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-riboud/the-idea-of-photography-as-evidence-is-pure-bullshit-a-photo-is-no/) [Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/) > [Rather than a profession, photography has always been a passion for me, a passion closer to an obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-riboud/rather-than-a-profession-photography-has-always-been-a-passion-for-me/) [Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/) > [Choice or freedom of choice is just an existential concern. But for photographers, it's a lifetime's preoccupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-riboud/choice-or-freedom-of-choice-is-just-an-existential-concern-but-for/) [Marc Riboud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-riboud/) > [My first reaction at the very idea of this interview was to refuse to talk about photography. 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Why was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/who-tricked-me-into-this-whole-thing-and-leaves-me-standing-here-who/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [“The best questions are ones never asked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cory-molloy/the-best-questions-are-ones-never-asked/) [Robert Cory Molloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cory-molloy/) > [A lot of people think I'm snotty. So what? They never asked me out when I was serving cheeseburgers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-moriarty/a-lot-of-people-think-i-m-snotty-so-what-they-never-asked-me-out-when/) [Cathy Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-moriarty/) > [I've been so lucky with the people I've worked with, but I'm such a fan girl. 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I paused for a moment, thought about this. 'Both,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-sales/which-to-you-have-mel-asked-blocking-the-entry-with-his-body-talent/) [Leila Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-sales/) > [“Did you find someone who makes you feel all those things?” she asked, not wanting to think of her own failed union. He locked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-rossi/did-you-find-someone-who-makes-you-feel-all-those-things-she-asked/) [Mila Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-rossi/) > [Hang on, did you just call me Angel?” I asked. “If I did?” “I don’t like it.” He grinned. “It stays. Angel.” He leaned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/hang-on-did-you-just-call-me-angel-i-asked-if-i-did-i-don-t-like-it/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [At first, I asked, Why me? Then I thought, Why not me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/at-first-i-asked-why-me-then-i-thought-why-not-me/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Browse all 2,259 Asked quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm often asked: Did you get what you wanted? But how should I know what I wanted? 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