--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My job at Stanford is rather different…" description: "\"My job at Stanford is rather different from the ones I had held previously in that my own ambitions must take a back seat to the well-being of the stud..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/robert-b-laughlin-24580_ambition_my-job-at-stanford-is-rather-different-f_2861574.jpg" --- # My job at Stanford is rather different from the ones I had… ![“My job at Stanford is rather different from the ones I had held previously in that my own ambitions must take a back seat to the well-being of the students with whom I work.” quote by Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/robert-b-laughlin-24580_ambition_my-job-at-stanford-is-rather-different-f_2861574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/robert-b-laughlin-24580_ambition_my-job-at-stanford-is-rather-different-f_2861574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97e/robert-b-laughlin-24580_ambition_my-job-at-stanford-is-rather-different-f_2861574.jpg) > “My job at Stanford is rather different from the ones I had held previously in that my own ambitions must take a back seat to the well-being of the students with whom I work.” [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prioritizing students' well‑being over personal ambition fosters a supportive academic environment. **In simple terms:** Students' needs outweigh personal goals. Key Takeaway Serve others first. Themes education service leadership Mood inspirational balanced Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - teaching - student advising - program development Key Concepts ethics mentorship Questions to Reflect On - How to maintain personal growth? - What limits exist in self‑sacrifice? A Different Perspective Balancing self‑care is also essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Job Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job-stanford-3865018/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Previously Ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/previously-ambitions-3865019/) [Seat Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seat-students-3865020/) [Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stanford/) [Stanford Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stanford-different-3865017/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-being/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [When I moved to Stanford I began to pursue the line of research I have been following ever since, namely trying to understand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/when-i-moved-to-stanford-i-began-to-pursue-the-line-of-research-i/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [I wrote the first draft of my first novel at Michigan, and then I wrote the first draft of 'Salvage the Bones' at Stanford.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wrote-the-first-draft-of-my-first-novel-at-michigan-and-then-i/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [And I went off to Stanford, I was pretty young and pretty naive. And I had a professor I really loved, who was himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/and-i-went-off-to-stanford-i-was-pretty-young-and-pretty-naive-and-i/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [ The \[Stanford Prison Experiment\] was readily approved by the Human Subjects Research committee because it seemed like college kids playing cops and robbers, it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/the-stanford-prison-experiment-was-readily-approved-by-the-human/) [Philip Zimbardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-zimbardo/) > [At 17, I went to Stanford University to study engineering. My time was occupied with the required reading and the extracurricular duties of managing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/at-17-i-went-to-stanford-university-to-study-engineering-my-time-was/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [Only in high school when I began programming computers, did I become interested in tech and start-ups, which led me to attend Stanford and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-shih/only-in-high-school-when-i-began-programming-computers-did-i-become/) [Clara Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-shih/) > [Let's face it, I like Stanford grads. I'd always hear about this campus, and everybody is riding bikes, and people hopping into fountains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/let-s-face-it-i-like-stanford-grads-i-d-always-hear-about-this-campus/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The war project at Stanford was essentially completed, and I accepted an offer of an Assistant Professorship at the University of Minnesota, which had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-d-boyer/the-war-project-at-stanford-was-essentially-completed-and-i-accepted/) [Paul D. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-d-boyer/) > [I went to Stanford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-ertz/i-went-to-stanford/) [Zach Ertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-ertz/) > [When I was nine, we moved to Stanford University in San Francisco so that my father could do a Ph.D. I went to Terman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lawrence/when-i-was-nine-we-moved-to-stanford-university-in-san-francisco-so/) [Caroline Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lawrence/) > [In marked contrast to the University of Wisconsin, Biochemistry was hardly visible at Stanford in 1945, consisting of only two professors in the chemistry department.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-d-boyer/in-marked-contrast-to-the-university-of-wisconsin-biochemistry-was/) [Paul D. Boyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-d-boyer/) > [“THE ORIGINS of this book go back to a casual lunch on the Stanford campus–Thai food eaten outdoors, a sunny and pleasant afternoon–in February…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-origins-of-this-book-go-back-to-a-casual-lunch-on-the-stanford/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You're already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/you-re-already-naked-there-is-no-reason-not-to-follow-your-heart/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [My high school, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, showed me that anything is possible and that you're never too young to think big.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-shih/my-high-school-the-illinois-mathematics-and-science-academy-showed-me/) [Clara Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-shih/) > [Madaming is the sort of thing that happens to you - like getting a battlefield commission or becoming the dean of women at Stanford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-stanford/madaming-is-the-sort-of-thing-that-happens-to-you-like-getting-a/) [Sally Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-stanford/) ## More by Robert B. Laughlin > [Over the course of time this gave us a deep respect for ideas, both our own and those of others, and an understanding that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/over-the-course-of-time-this-gave-us-a-deep-respect-for-ideas-both/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [I was an extremely reclusive and introverted boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/i-was-an-extremely-reclusive-and-introverted-boy/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [To this day I always insist on working out a problem from the beginning without reading up on it first, a habit that sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/to-this-day-i-always-insist-on-working-out-a-problem-from-the/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [So mothers everywhere take heart. The indoctrination you administer now may have unanticipated positive effects years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/so-mothers-everywhere-take-heart-the-indoctrination-you-administer/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [The modern concept of the vacuum of space, confirmed every day by experiment, is a relativistic ether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/the-modern-concept-of-the-vacuum-of-space-confirmed-every-day-by/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [My mother also had us take piano lessons, and this had a similar effect. I hated those lessons, but I now play regularly for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/my-mother-also-had-us-take-piano-lessons-and-this-had-a-similar/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [It is ironic that Einsteins most creative work, the general theory of relativity, should boil down to conceptualizing space as a medium when his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/it-is-ironic-that-einsteins-most-creative-work-the-general-theory-of/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [As a consequence while we had a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothes to wear to school we were constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/as-a-consequence-while-we-had-a-roof-over-our-heads-food-on-the-table/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [It is an interesting fact that during my tour I was never allowed access to computers, radios, or anything else that I might damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/it-is-an-interesting-fact-that-during-my-tour-i-was-never-allowed/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [It was at Bell Labs that I first made direct contact with real semiconductor experts and thus began to fully understand what amazing materials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/it-was-at-bell-labs-that-i-first-made-direct-contact-with-real/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [In parallel with the development of my interests in technical gadgetry I began to acquire a profound love of and respect for the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/in-parallel-with-the-development-of-my-interests-in-technical/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [At Berkeley I had my first encounter with real professional scientists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/at-berkeley-i-had-my-first-encounter-with-real-professional-scientists/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [But the need for conflict to expose prejudice and unclear reasoning, which is deeply embedded in my philosophy of science, has its origin in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/but-the-need-for-conflict-to-expose-prejudice-and-unclear-reasoning/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [Western society has many flaws, and it is good for an educated person to have thought some of these through, even at the expense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/western-society-has-many-flaws-and-it-is-good-for-an-educated-person/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) > [My childhood home backed onto wheat and cotton fields.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-laughlin/my-childhood-home-backed-onto-wheat-and-cotton-fields/) [Robert B. Laughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) [Explore all 24 Robert B. Laughlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-laughlin/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My job at Stanford is rather different from the ones I had held previously in that my own ambitions must take a back seat to the well-being of the students with whom I work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert B. 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