--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most things in the world are not…" description: "\"“Most things in the world are not unexpected if one thinks carefully about them. Even something one would call unusual- if one things about it, it's re..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/paula-mclain-3064_quote_most-things-in-the-world-are-not-unexpec_2102766.jpg" --- # Most things in the world are not unexpected if one thinks… ![“Most things in the world are not unexpected if one thinks carefully about them. Even something one would call unusual- if one things about it, it's really just a thing that was supposed to happen. Encountering unusual events often means you didn't think things through.” quote by Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/paula-mclain-3064_quote_most-things-in-the-world-are-not-unexpec_2102766.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/paula-mclain-3064_quote_most-things-in-the-world-are-not-unexpec_2102766.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/paula-mclain-3064_quote_most-things-in-the-world-are-not-unexpec_2102766.jpg) > ““Most things in the world are not unexpected if one thinks carefully about them. Even something one would call unusual- if one things about it, it's really just a thing that was supposed to happen. Encountering unusual events often means you didn't think things through.”” [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Things that seem surprising are often predictable when examined closely; unexpected events reveal hidden expectations. **In simple terms:** Surprises are often predictable. Key Takeaway Examine assumptions before reacting. Themes perception expectation analysis Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - planning meetings - risk assessment - learning from failures - daily decision making Key Concepts cognitive bias determinism Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions hide your surprise? - How can you test if an event was truly inevitable? A Different Perspective May overlook genuine randomness or novel possibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“The world is full of unexpected things. Even for people like us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariko-tamaki/the-world-is-full-of-unexpected-things-even-for-people-like-us/) [Mariko Tamaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariko-tamaki/) > [The gentleman has nine cares. In seeing he is careful to see clearly; in hearing he is careful to hear distinctly; in his looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-gentleman-has-nine-cares-in-seeing-he-is-careful-to-see-clearly/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“Unusual events (such as botulism) attract disproportionate attention and are consequently perceived as less unusual than they really are. The world in our heads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/unusual-events-such-as-botulism-attract-disproportionate-attention/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [To me that is what the Odyssey is all about, it's about being in the world and unexpected challenges and dangers are thrown at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/to-me-that-is-what-the-odyssey-is-all-about-it-s-about-being-in-the/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Im just headed into a world of fun, its usually gonna be a fantasy world, and a world of just letting go, and really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciara/im-just-headed-into-a-world-of-fun-its-usually-gonna-be-a-fantasy/) [Ciara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciara/) > [Because we spent so much time in the writer's room, not even talking about where it goes, but just who the people are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veena-sud/because-we-spent-so-much-time-in-the-writer-s-room-not-even-talking/) [Veena Sud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veena-sud/) > [I want to keep growing as a writer. I find myself doing unexpected projects and sort of challenging my idea of where I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-want-to-keep-growing-as-a-writer-i-find-myself-doing-unexpected/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [In 1964 something totally unexpected happened. I got a job I enjoyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/in-1964-something-totally-unexpected-happened-i-got-a-job-i-enjoyed/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [I think some of the best sex writing is going to come from the unexpected sources, not the same old same old. Like I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kramer-bussel/i-think-some-of-the-best-sex-writing-is-going-to-come-from-the/) [Rachel Kramer Bussel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kramer-bussel/) > [You never quite know what you do in life that leaves a seed behind that grows into an oak tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/you-never-quite-know-what-you-do-in-life-that-leaves-a-seed-behind/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [experience should teach us that it is always the unexpected that does occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/experience-should-teach-us-that-it-is-always-the-unexpected-that-does/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Life is a helluva thing. You can see trouble coming and you can't do a damn thing to prevent it coming. You just got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-helluva-thing-you-can-see-trouble-coming-and-you-can-t-do-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But life isn’t like that. You can’t be sure how it’s going to come out, even if you do everything right. They turn around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-dellaira/but-life-isn-t-like-that-you-can-t-be-sure-how-it-s-going-to-come-out/) [Ava Dellaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-dellaira/) > [If we were to expect the unexpected, then the unexpected would become expected, so we might as well say expect the expected, but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-were-to-expect-the-unexpected-then-the-unexpected-would-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Paula McLain > [“There are some who said I should have fought harder or longer than I did for my marriage, but in the end fighting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-some-who-said-i-should-have-fought-harder-or-longer-than-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I hope we'll get lucky enough to grow old together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's what terrible, sordid situations did to you, made you act crazily, against your own truths, against yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-what-terrible-sordid-situations-did-to-you-made-you-act/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“He didn't know how love managed to be a garden one moment and war the next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/he-didn-t-know-how-love-managed-to-be-a-garden-one-moment-and-war-the/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [Books could be an incredible adventure. I stayed under my blanket and barely moved, and no one would have guessed how my mind raced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/books-could-be-an-incredible-adventure-i-stayed-under-my-blanket-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [People belong to each other only as long as they both believe. He stopped believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/people-belong-to-each-other-only-as-long-as-they-both-believe-he/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I miss good old-fashioned honorable people just trying to make something of life. Simply, without hurting anyone else. I know that makes me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-miss-good-old-fashioned-honorable-people-just-trying-to-make/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [... and yet he could also be very charming, in a bookish, infinitely apologetic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/and-yet-he-could-also-be-very-charming-in-a-bookish-infinitely/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was august. for years it was august … . there was heat like wet gauze and a high, white sky and music coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-august-for-years-it-was-august-there-was-heat-like-wet-gauze/) [Paula Mclain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“If you're ready to make the mad dash I'm game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/if-you-re-ready-to-make-the-mad-dash-i-m-game/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“We knew what we had and what it meant, and though so much had happened since for both of us, there was nothing like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/we-knew-what-we-had-and-what-it-meant-and-though-so-much-had-happened/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“There are things I didn't see before, like how nice it is to have someone around. Not the white knight whisking you away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-things-i-didn-t-see-before-like-how-nice-it-is-to-have/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's obviously, isn't it?' she said. 'A hawk is always a hawk, except'- and here she raised on heavy eyebrow and gave a mysterious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-obviously-isn-t-it-she-said-a-hawk-is-always-a-hawk-except-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“I hope we’ll get lucky enough to grow old together. You see them on the street, those couples who’ve been married so long you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together-you-see-them-on/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was terrible to feel so empty, as if I were nothing. Why couldn't I be happy? And just what was happines anyway?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-terrible-to-feel-so-empty-as-if-i-were-nothing-why-couldn-t-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) [Explore all 139 Paula McLain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## More Unexpected quotes > [If we were to expect the unexpected, then the unexpected would become expected, so we might as well say expect the expected, but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-were-to-expect-the-unexpected-then-the-unexpected-would-become/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But life isn’t like that. You can’t be sure how it’s going to come out, even if you do everything right. They turn around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-dellaira/but-life-isn-t-like-that-you-can-t-be-sure-how-it-s-going-to-come-out/) [Ava Dellaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-dellaira/) > [Life is a helluva thing. You can see trouble coming and you can't do a damn thing to prevent it coming. You just got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-helluva-thing-you-can-see-trouble-coming-and-you-can-t-do-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [experience should teach us that it is always the unexpected that does occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/experience-should-teach-us-that-it-is-always-the-unexpected-that-does/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [You never quite know what you do in life that leaves a seed behind that grows into an oak tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/you-never-quite-know-what-you-do-in-life-that-leaves-a-seed-behind/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [I think some of the best sex writing is going to come from the unexpected sources, not the same old same old. Like I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kramer-bussel/i-think-some-of-the-best-sex-writing-is-going-to-come-from-the/) [Rachel Kramer Bussel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kramer-bussel/) > [In 1964 something totally unexpected happened. I got a job I enjoyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/in-1964-something-totally-unexpected-happened-i-got-a-job-i-enjoyed/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [I want to keep growing as a writer. I find myself doing unexpected projects and sort of challenging my idea of where I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-want-to-keep-growing-as-a-writer-i-find-myself-doing-unexpected/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Life, if you live it right, keeps surprising you, and the thing that keeps surprising you the most…is yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/life-if-you-live-it-right-keeps-surprising-you-and-the-thing-that/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [She would consider each day a miracle - which indeed it is, when you consider the number of unexpected things that could happen in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-would-consider-each-day-a-miracle-which-indeed-it-is-when-you/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Life is full of surprises, capitalize on the good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-surprises-capitalize-on-the-good-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [Ultimately, we want to provide people with a unique experience, and an unexpected one as well. We'd like people to leave the theater having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rania-attieh/ultimately-we-want-to-provide-people-with-a-unique-experience-and-an/) Rania Attieh > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) Browse all 2,010 Unexpected quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Most things in the world are not unexpected if one thinks carefully about them. Even something one would call unusual- if one things about it, it's really just a thing that was supposed to happen. 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