---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most of us fully expect that we're going…"
description: "\"Most of us fully expect that we're going to learn things we didn't know about.\" — Rainer Weiss"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/987/rainer-weiss-11997_education_most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going_1290909.jpg"
---

#  Most of us fully expect that we're going to learn things…

![“Most of us fully expect that we're going to learn things we didn't know about.” quote by Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/987/rainer-weiss-11997_education_most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going_1290909.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/987/rainer-weiss-11997_education_most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going_1290909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/987/rainer-weiss-11997_education_most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going_1290909.jpg)

> “Most of us fully expect that we're going to learn things we didn't know about.”

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We anticipate learning unknowns, yet true discovery requires curiosity beyond expectations.

**In simple terms:** We expect to learn, but must stay open to surprise.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty in research.

Themes

science learning curiosity expectation

Mood

inquisitive thoughtful

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- personal skill development
- creative problem solving

Key Concepts

epistemology unknown unknowns research methodology

Questions to Reflect On

- What unknowns might you be overlooking?
- How can you cultivate humility in learning?

A Different Perspective

Overconfidence can blind us to novel insights.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect/) [Expect Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect-going-2489744/) [Fully Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fully-expect-4204886/) [Going Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-learn/) [Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn/) [Learn Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-things/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/)

## Related quotes

> [What they can expect always is that they're going to be made to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/what-they-can-expect-always-is-that-they-re-going-to-be-made-to-think/)

[Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/)

> [I don't expect that we're going to become the biggest craze. If it happened, I'd be really shocked. I think people will dig it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-diamond/i-don-t-expect-that-we-re-going-to-become-the-biggest-craze-if-it/)

[Dustin Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-diamond/)

> [When you least expect it, something is going to come along &amp; change your life for the better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-least-expect-it-something-is-going-to-come-along-change-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I fully expect to be doing yoga for the rest of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-macgraw/i-fully-expect-to-be-doing-yoga-for-the-rest-of-my-life/)

[Ali MacGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-macgraw/)

> [I now fully expect to spend the rest of my career pushing VR as far ahead as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-abrash/i-now-fully-expect-to-spend-the-rest-of-my-career-pushing-vr-as-far/)

[Michael Abrash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-abrash/)

> [I like to rehearse to the point we're in the ballpark, and expect that we're only going to get one proper take, more or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-like-to-rehearse-to-the-point-we-re-in-the-ballpark-and-expect-that/)

[Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/)

> [You can get on with your job. I'm going to get on with mine. And mine is to deliver for the people of Northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hain/you-can-get-on-with-your-job-i-m-going-to-get-on-with-mine-and-mine/)

[Peter Hain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hain/)

> [Don't just sit there. Go do something and don't expect that it's going to be fun unless you make it fun. You have got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/don-t-just-sit-there-go-do-something-and-don-t-expect-that-it-s-going/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [In the not-so-distant future, they will tell us what they expect of us. It's going to be such a difficult summer with two month-long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-howard/in-the-not-so-distant-future-they-will-tell-us-what-they-expect-of-us/)

[Tim Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-howard/)

> [There's no slowing down but I've got to be honest, I'm probably not going to learn French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bishop/there-s-no-slowing-down-but-i-ve-got-to-be-honest-i-m-probably-not/)

[John Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bishop/)

> [People learn at the rate they are going to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-folds/people-learn-at-the-rate-they-are-going-to-learn/)

[Ben Folds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-folds/)

> [It's easier to learn things for life by the age of 12 and not the age of 18. This is just my guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-montagnier/it-s-easier-to-learn-things-for-life-by-the-age-of-12-and-not-the-age/)

[Luc Montagnier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-montagnier/)

> [I have learned that you can go anywhere you want to go and do anything you want to do and buy all the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c-2/i-have-learned-that-you-can-go-anywhere-you-want-to-go-and-do/)

[C JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c-2/)

> [One day you're going to learn something that can't be explained with science. And when that happens, your life's going to change in ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/one-day-you-re-going-to-learn-something-that-can-t-be-explained-with/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If you're going to learn, you need to forget what you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/if-you-re-going-to-learn-you-need-to-forget-what-you-know/)

[Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/)

## More by Rainer Weiss

> [Gravitational waves, because they are so imperturbable - they go through everything - they will tell you the most information you can get about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/gravitational-waves-because-they-are-so-imperturbable-they-go-through/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [The waves travel with the velocity of light and slightly squeeze and stretch space transverse to the direction of their motion. The first waves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-waves-travel-with-the-velocity-of-light-and-slightly-squeeze-and/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [Experimentally, we now have demonstrated that Einstein's theory is right in strong gravitational fields. That's important to a lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/experimentally-we-now-have-demonstrated-that-einstein-s-theory-is/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [You think Earth's gravity is really something when you're climbing the stairs. But, as far as physics goes, it is a pipsqueak, infinitesimal, tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/you-think-earth-s-gravity-is-really-something-when-you-re-climbing/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [We've seen black holes, which is already wonderful. We also expect to see the merger of neutron stars, and that was a thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/we-ve-seen-black-holes-which-is-already-wonderful-we-also-expect-to/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [We know about black holes and neutron stars, but we hope there are other phenomena we can see because of the gravitational waves they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/we-know-about-black-holes-and-neutron-stars-but-we-hope-there-are/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [We were looking almost one-tenth of the way to the edge of the universe. We're planning to use the facilities we have to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/we-were-looking-almost-one-tenth-of-the-way-to-the-edge-of-the/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [It's very, very exciting that it worked out in the end that we are actually detecting things and actually adding to the knowledge, through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/it-s-very-very-exciting-that-it-worked-out-in-the-end-that-we-are/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [For reasons probably related to the popular vision of Albert Einstein and, also, the threat posed by black holes in comic books and science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/for-reasons-probably-related-to-the-popular-vision-of-albert-einstein/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [The whole idea of gravity curling up space, that is the epitome of what is going on in a black hole. I would've loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-whole-idea-of-gravity-curling-up-space-that-is-the-epitome-of/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [The obvious thing to me was, let's take freely floating masses in space and measure the time it takes light to travel between them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-obvious-thing-to-me-was-let-s-take-freely-floating-masses-in/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [All at once, funding was gone due to the Mansfield Amendment, which was a reaction to the Vietnam War. In the minds of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/all-at-once-funding-was-gone-due-to-the-mansfield-amendment-which-was/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [The whole world tried to reproduce the Weber experiments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/the-whole-world-tried-to-reproduce-the-weber-experiments/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [My father was a dictator in the true German sense. He suppressed my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/my-father-was-a-dictator-in-the-true-german-sense-he-suppressed-my/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

> [By the time we made the discovery in 2015, the National Science Foundation had put close to $1.1 billion into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/by-the-time-we-made-the-discovery-in-2015-the-national-science/)

[Rainer Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

[Explore all 57 Rainer Weiss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/)

## More Education quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

[Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/)

> [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/)

[Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/)

> [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/)

[H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/)

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

[Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Most of us fully expect that we're going to learn things we didn't know about.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rainer Weiss"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going-to-learn-things-we-didn-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Education"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going-to-learn-things-we-didn-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/987/rainer-weiss-11997_education_most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going_1290909.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/987/rainer-weiss-11997_education_most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going_1290909.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/987/rainer-weiss-11997_education_most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going_1290909.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most of us fully expect that we're going to learn things we didn't know about.” — Rainer Weiss",
                "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": "Rainer Weiss",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-weiss/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most of us fully expect that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going-to-learn-things-we-didn-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-weiss/most-of-us-fully-expect-that-we-re-going-to-learn-things-we-didn-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
