--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I went to university, I was a…" description: "\"When I went to university, I was a philosophy major, but because I'm not very bright I chose to study philosophy at a performing arts school, maybe bec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/moby-549_art_when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philos_2894952.png" --- # When I went to university, I was a philosophy major, but… ![“When I went to university, I was a philosophy major, but because I'm not very bright I chose to study philosophy at a performing arts school, maybe because the philosophy program there wasn't too rigorous or challenging.” quote by Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/moby-549_art_when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philos_2894952.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/moby-549_art_when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philos_2894952.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/moby-549_art_when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philos_2894952.png) > “When I went to university, I was a philosophy major, but because I'm not very bright I chose to study philosophy at a performing arts school, maybe because the philosophy program there wasn't too rigorous or challenging.” [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker admits choosing a less demanding philosophy program due to self‑perceived lack of brightness, highlighting self‑assessment and compromise. **In simple terms:** He picked an easier philosophy path because he doubted his intellect. Key Takeaway Accept your limits but seek growth. Themes self‑assessment education confidence compromise Mood reflective thoughtful Type personal educational When to use this quote - college major selection - career planning - personal development - academic advising Key Concepts self‑efficacy intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - What would you study if confidence wasn't a factor? - How can you challenge yourself within a comfortable environment? A Different Perspective May limit potential growth and reinforce low confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Performing arts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performing-arts/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [I still believe that the voice as well as the body express a song together - that's my philosophy of performing a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neeti-mohan/i-still-believe-that-the-voice-as-well-as-the-body-express-a-song/) [Neeti Mohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neeti-mohan/) > [I dropped out of my Ph.D. philosophy program at Northwestern in the summer of 2015, in my mid-20s. I kind of had the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/contrapoints/i-dropped-out-of-my-ph-d-philosophy-program-at-northwestern-in-the/) ContraPoints > [“University philosophy is, as a rule, mere juggling. Its real aim is to impart to the students, in the deepest ground of their thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/schopenhauer-arthur/university-philosophy-is-as-a-rule-mere-juggling-its-real-aim-is-to/) [Schopenhauer Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/schopenhauer-arthur/) > [Philosophy - reduced, as we have seen, to philosophical discourse - develops from this point on in a different atmosphere and environment from that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-hadot/philosophy-reduced-as-we-have-seen-to-philosophical-discourse/) [Pierre Hadot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-hadot/) > [“In his Meditations on First Philosophy in 1641, he described a powerful, clever and deceitful personification “who has directed his entire effort to misleading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harris-crenshaw/in-his-meditations-on-first-philosophy-in-1641-he-described-a/) [Harris Crenshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harris-crenshaw/) > [I'm in love with a philosophy major, and she doesn't even know I exist. And what's worse, she can prove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arj-barker/i-m-in-love-with-a-philosophy-major-and-she-doesn-t-even-know-i-exist/) [Arj Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arj-barker/) > [By the time I had got to college, I had begun to read and had decided that most of what Christians believed could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/by-the-time-i-had-got-to-college-i-had-begun-to-read-and-had-decided/) [Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/) > [But when, at the end of my sophomore year, I became a philosophy major and started doing my first seriously pretentious thinking, I became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/but-when-at-the-end-of-my-sophomore-year-i-became-a-philosophy-major/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That's something I learned as a philosophy major: The philosophy ethos is, always question, never rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/that-s-something-i-learned-as-a-philosophy-major-the-philosophy-ethos/) [Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/) > [I was a philosophy major as an undergraduate, and I'm just an arrogant little thing. It's hard for me to admit that I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/i-was-a-philosophy-major-as-an-undergraduate-and-i-m-just-an-arrogant/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [I'm not the one going for a biology degree. I'm just a philosophy major who eats people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/i-m-not-the-one-going-for-a-biology-degree-i-m-just-a-philosophy/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [I'm a philosophy major. That means I can think deep thoughts about being unemployed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/i-m-a-philosophy-major-that-means-i-can-think-deep-thoughts-about/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [My ex-wife was a philosophy major at NYU. Yeah, she and I used to have deep philosophical discussions where she would prove that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/my-ex-wife-was-a-philosophy-major-at-nyu-yeah-she-and-i-used-to-have/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [When you make it to eighty-four, then you're ready to sit back and think universal and systematic. I was a philosophy major a long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-meltzer/when-you-make-it-to-eighty-four-then-you-re-ready-to-sit-back-and/) [Richard Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-meltzer/) > [In college, I was dead set on being a philosophy major, because I wanted to figure out the meaning of life. Four years later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/in-college-i-was-dead-set-on-being-a-philosophy-major-because-i/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) ## More by Moby > [If Nirvana had remained a small, underground punk rock band, Kurt Cobain would still be alive. And he'd probably be living in Seattle, getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/if-nirvana-had-remained-a-small-underground-punk-rock-band-kurt/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [A great song is a great song, whether it's on vinyl or CD or cassette or reel to reel or mp3. Then again, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/a-great-song-is-a-great-song-whether-it-s-on-vinyl-or-cd-or-cassette/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [When I dj at big venues I try to play tracks that I would want to hear if I were e'd up in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-i-dj-at-big-venues-i-try-to-play-tracks-that-i-would-want-to/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [The good thing about not being drop-dead gorgeous is that as time passes, I don't have much to worry about. I have friends who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/the-good-thing-about-not-being-drop-dead-gorgeous-is-that-as-time/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [When you look at the consequences of climate change, at rainforest deforestation, at antibiotic resistance, these are not necessarily political issues, but rather issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-you-look-at-the-consequences-of-climate-change-at-rainforest/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Factory-farm lobbyists are so powerful and so well funded and they do everything in their power to hide the truth about farming. They keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/factory-farm-lobbyists-are-so-powerful-and-so-well-funded-and-they-do/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [What makes me feel old is having no hair on the top of my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-makes-me-feel-old-is-having-no-hair-on-the-top-of-my-head/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Up until I started working with him, I had thought that music was a nice thing that I enjoyed and liked making, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/up-until-i-started-working-with-him-i-had-thought-that-music-was-a/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [I'm obsessed with politics, and I talk about it any chance I can get. I have strong opinions about how the world should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-m-obsessed-with-politics-and-i-talk-about-it-any-chance-i-can-get-i/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As I wake its kaleidoscopic mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/as-i-wake-its-kaleidoscopic-mind/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Even love is goin' 'round. You can't ignore what is goin' 'round](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/even-love-is-goin-round-you-can-t-ignore-what-is-goin-round/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [“I had an epiphany a few years ago when I was out at a celebrity party and it suddenly dawned on me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-had-an-epiphany-a-few-years-ago-when-i-was-out-at-a-celebrity-party/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [I see 'Ahab's Wife' as offering an alternative vision to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-see-ahab-s-wife-as-offering-an-alternative-vision-to/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [I think that, for a lot of us, the closer we get to showing people who we really are, that's where we feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-think-that-for-a-lot-of-us-the-closer-we-get-to-showing-people-who/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) [Explore all 483 Moby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I went to university, I was a philosophy major, but because I'm not very bright I chose to study philosophy at a performing arts school, maybe because the philosophy program there wasn't too rigorous or challenging.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Moby" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philosophy-major-but-because-i-m/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philosophy-major-but-because-i-m/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/moby-549_art_when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philos_2894952.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/moby-549_art_when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philos_2894952.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/moby-549_art_when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philos_2894952.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I went to university, I was a philosophy major, but because I'm not very bright I chose to study…” — Moby", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Moby", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I went to university, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philosophy-major-but-because-i-m/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/when-i-went-to-university-i-was-a-philosophy-major-but-because-i-m/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```