--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A life accumulates a collection: of…" description: "\"A life accumulates a collection: of people, work and perplexities. We are all our own curators.\" — Richard Fortey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/richard-fortey-24595_collection_a-life-accumulates-a-collection-of-peopl_1016900.png" --- # A life accumulates a collection: of people, work and… ![“A life accumulates a collection: of people, work and perplexities. We are all our own curators.” quote by Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/richard-fortey-24595_collection_a-life-accumulates-a-collection-of-peopl_1016900.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/richard-fortey-24595_collection_a-life-accumulates-a-collection-of-peopl_1016900.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12b/richard-fortey-24595_collection_a-life-accumulates-a-collection-of-peopl_1016900.png) > “A life accumulates a collection: of people, work and perplexities. We are all our own curators.” [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life gathers people, work, and challenges; we curate our own experiences. **In simple terms:** Life is a collection we curate. Key Takeaway Curate intentionally. Themes life curation experience Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - relationship building Key Concepts personal growth collection self-management Questions to Reflect On - What are you curating now? - How do you balance curation and openness? A Different Perspective Over‑curation can limit spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [You can tell if it's a good collection if people are afraid of it. In ten years, everyone will love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rei-kawakubo/you-can-tell-if-it-s-a-good-collection-if-people-are-afraid-of-it-in/) [Rei Kawakubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rei-kawakubo/) > [M\*A\*S\*H' was a collection of people, in front of and behind the cameras, that really clicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/m-a-s-h-was-a-collection-of-people-in-front-of-and-behind-the-cameras/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“We are naught but a collection of the people we have known and the paths we have followed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-laszlo/we-are-naught-but-a-collection-of-the-people-we-have-known-and-the/) Jeremy Laszlo > [While the space for artists and curators has increased enormously, maybe, just maybe, that's left room for too many people calling themselves artists and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/while-the-space-for-artists-and-curators-has-increased-enormously/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Curators are great, but they're inherently biased. Curators are always making an editorial decision. Those biases have really big implications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-zuckerman/curators-are-great-but-they-re-inherently-biased-curators-are-always/) [Ethan Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-zuckerman/) > [With YouTube - with the Internet in general - you have information overload. The people who dont necessarily get credit are the curators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hurley/with-youtube-with-the-internet-in-general-you-have-information-2/) [Chad Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hurley/) > [Painters paint, and history continues to make fools of curators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/painters-paint-and-history-continues-to-make-fools-of-curators/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [The fact that in the last 10 years only five of the 40 Turner Prize nominees have been painters tells you more about curators…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-saatchi/the-fact-that-in-the-last-10-years-only-five-of-the-40-turner-prize/) [Charles Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-saatchi/) > [In an era when museum curators were busy introducing the public to photographs of daily life taken by Robert Frank, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Diane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-silverman/in-an-era-when-museum-curators-were-busy-introducing-the-public-to/) [Burton Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-silverman/) > [I spent more than ten years working on the Neues Museum. It was a wonderful experience, an example of real collaboration between architects, conservationists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chipperfield/i-spent-more-than-ten-years-working-on-the-neues-museum-it-was-a/) [David Chipperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chipperfield/) > [It's not curators, it's not critics, it's not the public, it's not collectors who find great artists - it's other artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-galenson/it-s-not-curators-it-s-not-critics-it-s-not-the-public-it-s-not/) [David Galenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-galenson/) > [It's an art installation to put out a collection, with the people behind the scenes who are inventing and creating these designs and making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-riley/it-s-an-art-installation-to-put-out-a-collection-with-the-people/) [Tom Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-riley/) > [I don't really know that anybody's proven that a random collection of people doing their own thing actually creates value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-ballmer/i-don-t-really-know-that-anybody-s-proven-that-a-random-collection-of/) [Steve Ballmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-ballmer/) > [“Normal people have rock collections, shell collections, key ring collections and stamp collections. (The Captain had even known somebody with a letterbox collection.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-newton/normal-people-have-rock-collections-shell-collections-key-ring/) [Elizabeth Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-newton/) > [If we imagine that the only right that we have is to make commodifiable objects, then we limit our practice, and we limit the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theaster-gates/if-we-imagine-that-the-only-right-that-we-have-is-to-make/) [Theaster Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theaster-gates/) ## More by Richard Fortey > [“Every new discovery about the genome is consistent with evolution having happened. Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/every-new-discovery-about-the-genome-is-consistent-with-evolution/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“Without death there is little innovation. Extinction - death of a species - is part and parcel of evolutionary change. In the absence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/without-death-there-is-little-innovation-extinction-death-of-a/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“But, for now, I retreated back down the little hidden staircase into the familiar world of the basement of the Natural History Museum, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/but-for-now-i-retreated-back-down-the-little-hidden-staircase-into/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [The great proliferation of museums in the nineteenth century was a product of the marriage of the exhibition as a way of awakening intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/the-great-proliferation-of-museums-in-the-nineteenth-century-was-a/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally I like being fourth cousin to a mushroom and having a bonobo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/whether-we-find-it-appealing-or-not-is-another-question-but/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“There is no final truth in palaeontology. Every new observer brings something of his or her own: a new technique, a new intelligence, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/there-is-no-final-truth-in-palaeontology-every-new-observer-brings/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [I believe profoundly in the importance of museums; I would go as far as to say that you can judge a society by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/i-believe-profoundly-in-the-importance-of-museums-i-would-go-as-far/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“Mankind is nothing more than a parasitic tick gorging himself on temporary plenty while the seas are low and the climate is clement. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/mankind-is-nothing-more-than-a-parasitic-tick-gorging-himself-on/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“I attempted in vain to calculate the size of the holdings on the shelves, floor on floor, only to boggle hopelessly, baffled by bibliographic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/i-attempted-in-vain-to-calculate-the-size-of-the-holdings-on-the/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [I wonder if we are seeing a return to the object in the science-based museum. Since any visitor can go to a film like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/i-wonder-if-we-are-seeing-a-return-to-the-object-in-the-science-based/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“When I meet some of my commuting acquaintances on the 6.21 home to Henley-on-Thames they occasionally enquire what I have done that day. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/when-i-meet-some-of-my-commuting-acquaintances-on-the-6-21-home-to/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“Trilobites survived for a total of three hundred million years, almost the whole duration of the Palaeozoic era: who are we johnny-come-latelies to label…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/trilobites-survived-for-a-total-of-three-hundred-million-years-almost/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“There might be symphonies of perfume, Mozarts of musk. Novelists might construct nasal narratives, versifiers sonnets of scent. Sculpture would entail subtleties of shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/there-might-be-symphonies-of-perfume-mozarts-of-musk-novelists-might/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“In the Spirit Building there are thousands upon thousands of jars containing fish or snake, octopus or lobster, pickled to the life. ... As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/in-the-spirit-building-there-are-thousands-upon-thousands-of-jars/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [“I recall the words of Charles Darwin in his Autobiography. ‘I rejoice that I have avoided controversies, and this I owe to Charles Lyell,\*…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/i-recall-the-words-of-charles-darwin-in-his-autobiography-i-rejoice/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) [Explore all 24 Richard Fortey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) ## More Collection quotes > [The idea with a collection is sort of to begin with a kind of bang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/the-idea-with-a-collection-is-sort-of-to-begin-with-a-kind-of-bang/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [I am excited to partner with Aeropostale for my very own collection. It was a great experience to be able to work with them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-mota/i-am-excited-to-partner-with-aeropostale-for-my-very-own-collection/) [Bethany Mota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-mota/) > [I've had a VHS collection for many, many years. But I would prefer to watch a movie in the best format possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-ve-had-a-vhs-collection-for-many-many-years-but-i-would-prefer-to/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [If there is a record I don't have, I haven't heard it yet. My collection is always growing, but I can't really play it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grandmaster-flash/if-there-is-a-record-i-don-t-have-i-haven-t-heard-it-yet-my/) [Grandmaster Flash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grandmaster-flash/) > [I have a large watch collection, and classic watches are especially important to me. I had a silver Rolex, and I actually gave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-have-a-large-watch-collection-and-classic-watches-are-especially/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [I do want to keep the Wedgewood Collection in place, intact, and open to the public. Selling it off would be a real tragedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-caudwell/i-do-want-to-keep-the-wedgewood-collection-in-place-intact-and-open/) [John Caudwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-caudwell/) > [I get really frustrated when people say that a collection is not very 'Armani.' Iconic status can be like a pair of handcuffs, especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-armani/i-get-really-frustrated-when-people-say-that-a-collection-is-not-very/) [Giorgio Armani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-armani/) > [I didn't grow up in one of those restrictive Christian households where you couldn't do this or that. We were brought up with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolanda-adams/i-didn-t-grow-up-in-one-of-those-restrictive-christian-households/) [Yolanda Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolanda-adams/) > [A good collection is more than just the sum of its parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/a-good-collection-is-more-than-just-the-sum-of-its-parts/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I bought tiny infant onesies while still in college and compiled a killer toy collection throughout my 20s and 30s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/i-bought-tiny-infant-onesies-while-still-in-college-and-compiled-a/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'm into Incubus. Growing up, I was a huge Taking Back Sunday fan. I'm still a fan, but I don't listen as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendall-schmidt/i-m-into-incubus-growing-up-i-was-a-huge-taking-back-sunday-fan-i-m/) [Kendall Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendall-schmidt/) > [“Write in hashtags!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/write-in-hashtags/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Topshop is the only brand I've ever collaborated with on a fashion collection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/topshop-is-the-only-brand-i-ve-ever-collaborated-with-on-a-fashion/) [Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/) > [“Your self-defense becomes a self-defeat when you are doing it for selfish reasons! It's not about you and your pocket alone; let it be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/your-self-defense-becomes-a-self-defeat-when-you-are-doing-it-for/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Saturn is accompanied by a very large and diverse collection of moons. They range in size from a few kilometers across to as big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-porco/saturn-is-accompanied-by-a-very-large-and-diverse-collection-of-moons/) [Carolyn Porco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-porco/) Browse all 394 Collection quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A life accumulates a collection: of people, work and perplexities. 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