--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am astounded at how long it takes to…" description: "\"“I am astounded at how long it takes to discover... for the first time, the things I have learned... over and over again all my life.”\" — Portia Nelson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/portia-nelson-59438_astounded_i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-d_401611.jpg" --- # I am astounded at how long it takes to discover... for the… ![“I am astounded at how long it takes to discover... for the first time, the things I have learned... over and over again all my life.” quote by Portia Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/portia-nelson-59438_astounded_i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-d_401611.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/portia-nelson-59438_astounded_i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-d_401611.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/portia-nelson-59438_astounded_i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-d_401611.jpg) > ““I am astounded at how long it takes to discover... for the first time, the things I have learned... over and over again all my life.”” [Portia Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-nelson/) ## 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 reflects on how lifelong learning often feels like repeatedly discovering the same insights, highlighting the paradox of continual revelation. **In simple terms:** Learning feels like repeated discoveries over a lifetime. Key Takeaway Embrace ongoing curiosity. Themes learning reflection wisdom Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - personal growth - career development Key Concepts continuous discovery self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn repeated insights into fresh perspectives? - What habits help recognize new learning opportunities? A Different Perspective Insights may feel redundant without new contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astounded/) [Astounded Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astounded-long-3600256/) [Discover Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discover-time-1848066/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Learned Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Self discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-discovery/) [Things learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-learned/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Of all the things I had learned in my life, nothing was so simple as fanatics imagined.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-berg/of-all-the-things-i-had-learned-in-my-life-nothing-was-so-simple-as/) [Carol Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-berg/) > [So we led our lives in nature and spent a lot of time together as a family. That's how we picked things up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akiane-kramarik/so-we-led-our-lives-in-nature-and-spent-a-lot-of-time-together-as-a/) [Akiane Kramarik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akiane-kramarik/) > [“Every day, it’s like I discover you for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/every-day-it-s-like-i-discover-you-for-the-first-time/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [“Until you discover what you can do with your time, you won’t know how to go about crucial things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/until-you-discover-what-you-can-do-with-your-time-you-won-t-know-how/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [It is through living that we discover ourselves, at the same time as we discover the world around us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/it-is-through-living-that-we-discover-ourselves-at-the-same-time-as/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [“We are sometimes astounded by the behavior of emotional outlaws, as they act in line with their own standards, but proceed like bulls-in-a-china-shop, create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/we-are-sometimes-astounded-by-the-behavior-of-emotional-outlaws-as/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“gaze. It had been a rhetorical question, and she was astounded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-tanenbaum/gaze-it-had-been-a-rhetorical-question-and-she-was-astounded/) [Robert K. Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-tanenbaum/) > [I always am astounded at how willing Steve was to share all about himself. And sometimes he got criticized for it. But he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-irwin/i-always-am-astounded-at-how-willing-steve-was-to-share-all-about/) [Terri Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-irwin/) > [ The women of the French Resistance astounded me. Isabelle and Vianne \[from The Nightingale\] are my homage to those brave and forgotten women. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/the-women-of-the-french-resistance-astounded-me-isabelle-and-vianne/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [I'm still astounded by some people's reaction to things I consider quite normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-gaultier/i-m-still-astounded-by-some-people-s-reaction-to-things-i-consider/) [Jean Paul Gaultier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-gaultier/) > [Oh, how great is the goodness of God, greater than we can understand. There are moments and there are mysteries of the divine mercy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-faustina-kowalska/oh-how-great-is-the-goodness-of-god-greater-than-we-can-understand/) [Mary Faustina Kowalska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-faustina-kowalska/) > [I'm not over-fond of animals. I am merely astounded by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-m-not-over-fond-of-animals-i-am-merely-astounded-by-them/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I don't have to pad my resume. Normal people are astounded by my resume, because normal people never let their dreams get beyond their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-layfield/i-don-t-have-to-pad-my-resume-normal-people-are-astounded-by-my/) [John Layfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-layfield/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Notes for a ballet, The Spell: ... Suddenly Sigmund hears the flutter of wings, and a group of wild swans flies across the moon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/notes-for-a-ballet-the-spell-suddenly-sigmund-hears-the-flutter-of/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) ## More by Portia Nelson > [“I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost... I am helpless. It isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/i-walk-down-the-street-there-is-a-deep-hole-in-the-sidewalk-i-fall-in/) [Portia Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-nelson/) > [“Chapter One of My Life. I walk down the street. There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/chapter-one-of-my-life-i-walk-down-the-street-there-s-a-deep-hole-in/) [Portia Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-nelson/) > [“1) I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I fall in. I am lost... I am hopeless. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/1-i-walk-down-the-street-there-is-a-deep-hole-in-the-sidewalk-i-fall/) [Portia Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-nelson/) > [“Any day of the week I would choose to be "out" with others and in touch with myself... then to be "in" with others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/any-day-of-the-week-i-would-choose-to-be-out-with-others-and-in-touch/) [Portia Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-nelson/) [Explore all 5 Portia Nelson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-nelson/) ## More Astounded quotes > [Notes for a ballet, The Spell: ... Suddenly Sigmund hears the flutter of wings, and a group of wild swans flies across the moon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/notes-for-a-ballet-the-spell-suddenly-sigmund-hears-the-flutter-of/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I don't have to pad my resume. Normal people are astounded by my resume, because normal people never let their dreams get beyond their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-layfield/i-don-t-have-to-pad-my-resume-normal-people-are-astounded-by-my/) [John Layfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-layfield/) > [I'm not over-fond of animals. I am merely astounded by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-m-not-over-fond-of-animals-i-am-merely-astounded-by-them/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Oh, how great is the goodness of God, greater than we can understand. There are moments and there are mysteries of the divine mercy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-faustina-kowalska/oh-how-great-is-the-goodness-of-god-greater-than-we-can-understand/) [Mary Faustina Kowalska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-faustina-kowalska/) > [I'm still astounded by some people's reaction to things I consider quite normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-gaultier/i-m-still-astounded-by-some-people-s-reaction-to-things-i-consider/) [Jean Paul Gaultier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-gaultier/) > [ The women of the French Resistance astounded me. Isabelle and Vianne \[from The Nightingale\] are my homage to those brave and forgotten women. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/the-women-of-the-french-resistance-astounded-me-isabelle-and-vianne/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [I always am astounded at how willing Steve was to share all about himself. And sometimes he got criticized for it. But he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-irwin/i-always-am-astounded-at-how-willing-steve-was-to-share-all-about/) [Terri Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-irwin/) > [“gaze. It had been a rhetorical question, and she was astounded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-tanenbaum/gaze-it-had-been-a-rhetorical-question-and-she-was-astounded/) [Robert K. Tanenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-tanenbaum/) > [“We are sometimes astounded by the behavior of emotional outlaws, as they act in line with their own standards, but proceed like bulls-in-a-china-shop, create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/we-are-sometimes-astounded-by-the-behavior-of-emotional-outlaws-as/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“He was astounded, sometimes, by the fluid articulacy of his own fury.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-young/he-was-astounded-sometimes-by-the-fluid-articulacy-of-his-own-fury/) [Louisa Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-young/) > [“Elizabeth was astounded, and immediately colored. "Put down those damn crayons and look at me!" Darcy commanded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-codpiece-thwackery/elizabeth-was-astounded-and-immediately-colored-put-down-those-damn/) [William Codpiece Thwackery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-codpiece-thwackery/) > [I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-m-astounded-by-people-who-want-to-know-the-universe-when-it-s-hard/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I have made mention of something I've found incredible a lot of times. I'm gonna remind you of it again. A TIME magazine cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-have-made-mention-of-something-i-ve-found-incredible-a-lot-of-times/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [When you watch Monsters you understand that the effects he did on his laptop were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-tull/when-you-watch-monsters-you-understand-that-the-effects-he-did-on-his/) [Thomas Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-tull/) [Browse all 49 Astounded quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astounded/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am astounded at how long it takes to discover... for the first time, the things I have learned... over and over again all my life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Portia Nelson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-discover-for-the-first-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Astounded" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-discover-for-the-first-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/portia-nelson-59438_astounded_i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-d_401611.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/portia-nelson-59438_astounded_i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-d_401611.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/portia-nelson-59438_astounded_i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-d_401611.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am astounded at how long it takes to discover... for the first time, the things I have learned... over and…” — Portia Nelson", "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": "Portia Nelson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-nelson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I am astounded at how long...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-discover-for-the-first-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-nelson/i-am-astounded-at-how-long-it-takes-to-discover-for-the-first-time/#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 } } ] } ```