--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was an embarrassment to the department…" description: "\"I was an embarrassment to the department when they did research assessment exercises. A message would go round the department: 'Please give a list of y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/698/peter-higgs-16967_assessment_i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department_995429.jpg" --- # I was an embarrassment to the department when they did… ![“I was an embarrassment to the department when they did research assessment exercises. A message would go round the department: 'Please give a list of your recent publications.' And I would send back a statement: 'None.'” quote by Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/698/peter-higgs-16967_assessment_i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department_995429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/698/peter-higgs-16967_assessment_i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department_995429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/698/peter-higgs-16967_assessment_i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department_995429.jpg) > “I was an embarrassment to the department when they did research assessment exercises. A message would go round the department: 'Please give a list of your recent publications.' And I would send back a statement: 'None.'” [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He felt embarrassed to admit having no recent publications during a departmental assessment. **In simple terms:** Admitting a lack of output can be uncomfortable. Key Takeaway Be honest about your contributions. Themes humility academic pressure transparency Mood self‑critical contemplative Type personal professional When to use this quote - faculty meetings - grant applications - performance reviews - self‑evaluation Key Concepts research assessment career self Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle periods of low productivity? - What strategies help maintain confidence during setbacks? A Different Perspective Admitting gaps may affect reputation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assessment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment/) [Assessment Exercises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment-exercises-2065704/) [Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/department/) [Embarrassment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment/) [Embarrassment Department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassment-department-2065703/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Exercises Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercises-message-2065706/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/go/) [Lists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lists/) [Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/message/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Please](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/please/) [Publication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publication/) [Publications Send](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publications-send-2065705/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Assessment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-assessment-2065702/) ## Related quotes > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) [Frank H. T. Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-h-t-rhodes/) > [“The Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System measures accuracy, comprehension, and fluency. (There are also assessments in the system that measure phonemic awareness, phonics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-landrigan/the-fountas-and-pinnell-benchmark-assessment-system-measures-accuracy/) [Clare Landrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-landrigan/) > [Patronizing the Arts is a brilliantly nuanced assessment of why universities must become art patrons. Learning from the twentieth-century university's embrace of Big Science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-phelan/patronizing-the-arts-is-a-brilliantly-nuanced-assessment-of-why/) [Peggy Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-phelan/) > [I made my own assessment of my life, and I began to live it. That was freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/i-made-my-own-assessment-of-my-life-and-i-began-to-live-it-that-was/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/commercialism-that-has-absolutely-no-relationship-to-quality/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [If you want to zoom down the expert slope tomorrow, you have to fall down the bunny slope today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/if-you-want-to-zoom-down-the-expert-slope-tomorrow-you-have-to-fall/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) > [Before the curse of statistics fell upon mankind we lived a happy, innocent life, full of merriment and go and informed by fairly good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/before-the-curse-of-statistics-fell-upon-mankind-we-lived-a-happy/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [President Obama had voiced strong support for the effort in Afghanistan during his campaign, pledging to add two brigades, which he did. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/president-obama-had-voiced-strong-support-for-the-effort-in/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Even without voting, illegal aliens do affect who gets elected president, and that's since the Electoral College elects the president, and the states are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-without-voting-illegal-aliens-do-affect-who-gets-elected/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [A mighty maze! But not without a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-mighty-maze-but-not-without-a-plan/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [“In fact, they’re trained in risk assessment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/in-fact-they-re-trained-in-risk-assessment/) [Yrsa Sigurðardóttir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/) ## More by Peter Higgs > [I'm a fan of supersymmetry, largely because it seems to be the only route by which gravity can be brought into the scheme. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-m-a-fan-of-supersymmetry-largely-because-it-seems-to-be-the-only/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [As a theoretician, I am proud to be part of a counter revolution... discovering that quantum field theory language was not dead and finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/as-a-theoretician-i-am-proud-to-be-part-of-a-counter-revolution/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [The Nobel Prize has been a disturbance at the beginning of October for some years. It would be gratifying to win, but it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/the-nobel-prize-has-been-a-disturbance-at-the-beginning-of-october/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [I was already, I think, at the age of 18, showing signs of being incompetent in the lab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-was-already-i-think-at-the-age-of-18-showing-signs-of-being/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [That name was a kind of joke, and not a very good one. An author, Leon Lederman, wanted to call it 'that goddamn particle'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/that-name-was-a-kind-of-joke-and-not-a-very-good-one-an-author-leon/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [When my wife and I got married, she thought of me being an easygoing person, and I warned her I wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/when-my-wife-and-i-got-married-she-thought-of-me-being-an-easygoing/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [In 2002, a Scottish journalist, during a dinner meant to be private, absolutely wanted me to react to Stephen Hawking's comments. I said one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/in-2002-a-scottish-journalist-during-a-dinner-meant-to-be-private/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [Nobody else took what I was doing seriously, so nobody would want to work with me. I was thought to be a bit eccentric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/nobody-else-took-what-i-was-doing-seriously-so-nobody-would-want-to/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [Between 1972 and 1976, I really didn't do much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/between-1972-and-1976-i-really-didn-t-do-much/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [It shouldn't be a Higgs field. If it's anybody's, it should be Goldstone field, I think. When Nambu wrote his short paper in 1960,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/it-shouldn-t-be-a-higgs-field-if-it-s-anybody-s-it-should-be/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [My first visit to the Large Hadron Collider was in April 2008, before it started up, and CERN had some open days. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/my-first-visit-to-the-large-hadron-collider-was-in-april-2008-before/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [I'm rather cynical about the way the honours system is used, frankly. A whole lot of the honours system is used for political purposes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-m-rather-cynical-about-the-way-the-honours-system-is-used-frankly-a/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [The growth of our understanding of the world through science weakens some of the motivation which makes people believers. But that's not the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/the-growth-of-our-understanding-of-the-world-through-science-weakens/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [I'm a great admirer of 'The Simpsons.' It's very surprising because it's backed by a right-wing television company in the U.S., and quite often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-m-a-great-admirer-of-the-simpsons-it-s-very-surprising-because-it-s/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [This summer I have discovered something totally useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/this-summer-i-have-discovered-something-totally-useless/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) [Explore all 38 Peter Higgs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) ## More Assessment quotes > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) [Frank H. T. Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-h-t-rhodes/) > [I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-would-say-my-fraternity-was-nothing-but-a-bunch-of-farm-boys-we/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [So a truthful assessment of how America is doing in the war on terror as a result of President Bush's war on Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/so-a-truthful-assessment-of-how-america-is-doing-in-the-war-on-terror/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [A mighty maze! But not without a plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/a-mighty-maze-but-not-without-a-plan/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [“To assess the quality of thoughts of people, don't listen to their words, but watch their actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/to-assess-the-quality-of-thoughts-of-people-don-t-listen-to-their/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Even without voting, illegal aliens do affect who gets elected president, and that's since the Electoral College elects the president, and the states are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-without-voting-illegal-aliens-do-affect-who-gets-elected/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [President Obama had voiced strong support for the effort in Afghanistan during his campaign, pledging to add two brigades, which he did. But since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-a-mcchrystal/president-obama-had-voiced-strong-support-for-the-effort-in/) [Stanley A. McChrystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-a-mcchrystal/) > [Before the curse of statistics fell upon mankind we lived a happy, innocent life, full of merriment and go and informed by fairly good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/before-the-curse-of-statistics-fell-upon-mankind-we-lived-a-happy/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [If you want to zoom down the expert slope tomorrow, you have to fall down the bunny slope today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-lewis/if-you-want-to-zoom-down-the-expert-slope-tomorrow-you-have-to-fall/) [Cynthia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-lewis/) > [Commercialism that has absolutely no relationship to quality whatsoever, only quantitative assessment of a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/commercialism-that-has-absolutely-no-relationship-to-quality/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I made my own assessment of my life, and I began to live it. That was freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-flores/i-made-my-own-assessment-of-my-life-and-i-began-to-live-it-that-was/) [Fernando Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-flores/) > [Patronizing the Arts is a brilliantly nuanced assessment of why universities must become art patrons. Learning from the twentieth-century university's embrace of Big Science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-phelan/patronizing-the-arts-is-a-brilliantly-nuanced-assessment-of-why/) [Peggy Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-phelan/) > [“The Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System measures accuracy, comprehension, and fluency. (There are also assessments in the system that measure phonemic awareness, phonics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-landrigan/the-fountas-and-pinnell-benchmark-assessment-system-measures-accuracy/) [Clare Landrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-landrigan/) > [“In fact, they’re trained in risk assessment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/in-fact-they-re-trained-in-risk-assessment/) [Yrsa Sigurðardóttir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yrsa-sigur-ard-ttir/) [Browse all 313 Assessment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assessment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was an embarrassment to the department when they did research assessment exercises. A message would go round the department: 'Please give a list of your recent publications.' And I would send back a statement: 'None.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Higgs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department-when-they-did-research/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assessment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department-when-they-did-research/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/698/peter-higgs-16967_assessment_i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department_995429.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/698/peter-higgs-16967_assessment_i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department_995429.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/698/peter-higgs-16967_assessment_i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department_995429.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was an embarrassment to the department when they did research assessment exercises. A message would go…” — Peter Higgs", "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": "Peter Higgs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was an embarrassment to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department-when-they-did-research/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-was-an-embarrassment-to-the-department-when-they-did-research/#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 } } ] } ```