--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What you need, above all else, is a love…" description: "\"What you need, above all else, is a love for your subject, whatever it is. You've got to be so deeply in love with your subject that when curve balls a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_above_what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-f_1029918.png" --- # What you need, above all else, is a love for your subject… ![“What you need, above all else, is a love for your subject, whatever it is. You've got to be so deeply in love with your subject that when curve balls are thrown, when hurdles are put in place, you've got the energy to overcome them.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_above_what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-f_1029918.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_above_what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-f_1029918.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_above_what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-f_1029918.png) > “What you need, above all else, is a love for your subject, whatever it is. You've got to be so deeply in love with your subject that when curve balls are thrown, when hurdles are put in place, you've got the energy to overcome them.” [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Passion for your field fuels resilience against obstacles and setbacks. **In simple terms:** Love for your subject gives you strength. Key Takeaway Cultivate deep enthusiasm for your work. Themes passion resilience learning Mood inspirational determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - entrepreneurship - creative projects - personal challenges Key Concepts motivation intrinsic drive psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn love into competence? - What obstacles test your enthusiasm? A Different Perspective Passion alone may not guarantee skill mastery. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deeply in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply-in-love/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Hurdles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurdles/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [A Briton even in love should be A subject, not a slave!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/a-briton-even-in-love-should-be-a-subject-not-a-slave/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [''Distance is no object when love is the subject''.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/general-joe-joe-otabor/distance-is-no-object-when-love-is-the-subject/) General Joe (joe Otabor > [What all great teachers appear to have in common is love of their subject, an obvious satisfaction in rousing this love in their students,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-epstein/what-all-great-teachers-appear-to-have-in-common-is-love-of-their/) [Joseph Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-epstein/) > [But before all else a work of art is the creation of love. Love for the subject first and for the medium second. Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-porter/but-before-all-else-a-work-of-art-is-the-creation-of-love-love-for/) [Eliot Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-porter/) > [Love, our subject: we've trained it like ivy to our walls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/love-our-subject-we-ve-trained-it-like-ivy-to-our-walls/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [I think that one of the reasons that we chose the word love as the subject is because your human connection and how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delonge/i-think-that-one-of-the-reasons-that-we-chose-the-word-love-as-the/) [Tom DeLonge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delonge/) > [“Love is Undefine. Better you not know how you love him/her because if you can explain it it's not LOVE, it is Subject”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-lascano/love-is-undefine-better-you-not-know-how-you-love-him-her-because-if/) Renzo lascano > [I love being the subject of your smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alemar-saramillas/i-love-being-the-subject-of-your-smile/) Alemar Saramillas > [“Love is not a Subject, but it has some great lessons..!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarvesh-jain/love-is-not-a-subject-but-it-has-some-great-lessons/) [Sarvesh Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarvesh-jain/) > [“Listen to them again: ‘I love you.’ Subject, verb, object: the unadorned, impregnable sentence. The subject is a short word, implying the self-effacement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/listen-to-them-again-i-love-you-subject-verb-object-the-unadorned/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Like all those days and weeks and months I tried to steal a kiss And all those sleepless nights and daydreams where I pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/like-all-those-days-and-weeks-and-months-i-tried-to-steal-a-kiss-and/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [There are many sides of the urban life that I dislike, but there are many sides I am deeply in love with and attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/there-are-many-sides-of-the-urban-life-that-i-dislike-but-there-are/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [“They therefore have no opportunity to suffer the interval between desire and gratification which the less privileged endure, and which, for all its apparent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/they-therefore-have-no-opportunity-to-suffer-the-interval-between/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-j-m-nouwen/the-mystery-of-ministry-is-that-we-have-been-chosen-to-make-our-own/) [Henri J.M. Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-j-m-nouwen/) > [I might be deeply in love with you...but it doesn't meant that I can't live without you..because I love myself more than yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-might-be-deeply-in-love-with-you-but-it-doesn-t-meant-that-i-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Neil deGrasse Tyson > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The Pacific is the best toilet for satellites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-pacific-is-the-best-toilet-for-satellites/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If you seek only easy problems to solve, then ultimately, there'll be nothing about you to distinguish yourself from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-seek-only-easy-problems-to-solve-then-ultimately-there-ll-be/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-caricature-of-science-is-that-we-hold-tight-to-the-theories-we/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The idea that God resides in the unknown is what philosophers call the God of the gaps. And we have this thing called science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-idea-that-god-resides-in-the-unknown-is-what-philosophers-call/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Everybody's got money for vacation time. Look at how much we all spend just to get - well, I get sick on the loop-the-loop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/everybody-s-got-money-for-vacation-time-look-at-how-much-we-all-spend/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) [Explore all 1,143 Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More Above quotes > [If you're going to reach for it, reach all the way for it. Albums like 'Purple Rain' and 'Thriller' and those kind of records,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/if-you-re-going-to-reach-for-it-reach-all-the-way-for-it-albums-like/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [I have found that my fan base is a bit above average when compared to the common horror fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-green/i-have-found-that-my-fan-base-is-a-bit-above-average-when-compared-to/) [Adam Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-green/) > [Ronaldo dominates this world, and Messi is above everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-prince-boateng/ronaldo-dominates-this-world-and-messi-is-above-everything-else/) [Kevin-Prince Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-prince-boateng/) > [I wasn't going to be an actor. I was going to be a lawyer. I came from a family just above working class, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/i-wasn-t-going-to-be-an-actor-i-was-going-to-be-a-lawyer-i-came-from/) [Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/) > [I get up every morning and chop wood, and I pretty much do it seven days a week, and I like to do it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-get-up-every-morning-and-chop-wood-and-i-pretty-much-do-it-seven/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [We must commit ourselves to an 'all of the above' energy approach, with a major focus on increasing domestic production and expanding alternatives fuels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/we-must-commit-ourselves-to-an-all-of-the-above-energy-approach-with/) [Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/) > [In Minnesota, we hold our leaders to a higher standard. We demand that the men and women we send to Washington stand above reproach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-bills/in-minnesota-we-hold-our-leaders-to-a-higher-standard-we-demand-that/) [Kurt Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-bills/) > [I've been lucky. I don't for a minute take for granted the good fortune I have had. You don't like to get ideas above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-curran/i-ve-been-lucky-i-don-t-for-a-minute-take-for-granted-the-good/) [Tony Curran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-curran/) > [We lived above my father's launderette. Both my parents ran the launderette, but my father was also a factory supervisor, and my mum worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjeev-bhaskar/we-lived-above-my-father-s-launderette-both-my-parents-ran-the/) [Sanjeev Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjeev-bhaskar/) > [A good deed is not just a duty, but above all, a privilege.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-arison/a-good-deed-is-not-just-a-duty-but-above-all-a-privilege/) [Shari Arison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-arison/) > [The focus in the Western pictorial tradition is on the body of Christ, the bit you can paint, the Nativity and the infancy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/the-focus-in-the-western-pictorial-tradition-is-on-the-body-of-christ/) [Neil MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macgregor/) > [If the world were an orange with 18 segments meeting at the top (the North Pole), roughly 8 of them would be in Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/if-the-world-were-an-orange-with-18-segments-meeting-at-the-top-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [When I discovered acting, I decided that's what I wanted to do above everything else. It was the first time I was passionate about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/when-i-discovered-acting-i-decided-that-s-what-i-wanted-to-do-above/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [It is important for the film industry to rise above ageism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/it-is-important-for-the-film-industry-to-rise-above-ageism/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [There's also the tradition of voodoo, the Haitian magic arts, in New Orleans. And because New Orleans is below sea level, when they bury…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-trammell/there-s-also-the-tradition-of-voodoo-the-haitian-magic-arts-in-new/) [Sam Trammell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-trammell/) Browse all 387 Above quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What you need, above all else, is a love for your subject, whatever it is. You've got to be so deeply in love with your subject that when curve balls are thrown, when hurdles are put in place, you've got the energy to overcome them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil deGrasse Tyson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-for-your-subject-whatever-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Above" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-for-your-subject-whatever-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_above_what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-f_1029918.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_above_what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-f_1029918.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_above_what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-f_1029918.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What you need, above all else, is a love for your subject, whatever it is. You've got to be so deeply in…” — Neil deGrasse Tyson", "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": "Neil deGrasse Tyson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What you need, above all else,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-for-your-subject-whatever-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/what-you-need-above-all-else-is-a-love-for-your-subject-whatever-it/#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 } } ] } ```