--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first went to 'National…" description: "\"When I first went to 'National Geographic,' I thought I was the least qualified person to step through the doors. But because of my parents and the cul..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/sam-abell-7768_believe_when-i-first-went-to-national-geographic_1090360.jpg" --- # When I first went to 'National Geographic,' I thought I… ![“When I first went to 'National Geographic,' I thought I was the least qualified person to step through the doors. But because of my parents and the culture of continual learning they imposed on us, I later came to believe I was the most qualified person who ever worked there.” quote by Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/sam-abell-7768_believe_when-i-first-went-to-national-geographic_1090360.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/sam-abell-7768_believe_when-i-first-went-to-national-geographic_1090360.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d53/sam-abell-7768_believe_when-i-first-went-to-national-geographic_1090360.jpg) > “When I first went to 'National Geographic,' I thought I was the least qualified person to step through the doors. But because of my parents and the culture of continual learning they imposed on us, I later came to believe I was the most qualified person who ever worked there.” [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑doubt can turn into confidence when supported by a learning culture and family encouragement. **In simple terms:** Support and learning boost confidence. Key Takeaway Embrace growth, trust your background. Themes confidence learning family career self‑belief Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational career When to use this quote - starting a new job - career transition - overcoming imposter syndrome - seeking mentorship Key Concepts growth mindset cultural influence mentor impact Questions to Reflect On - How can you nurture a learning culture in your team? - What role does family play in your professional confidence? A Different Perspective May still feel imposter syndrome despite support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) ## Related quotes > [In every position that I've been in, there have been naysayers who don't believe I'm qualified or who don't believe I can do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/in-every-position-that-i-ve-been-in-there-have-been-naysayers-who-don/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [Sometimes when you get an opportunity to appropriate your work, or use whatever collateral you have, for something good, you think, "Well, yeah, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/sometimes-when-you-get-an-opportunity-to-appropriate-your-work-or-use/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [I think most Americans don't agree with the idea that the best qualified person should not get the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/i-think-most-americans-don-t-agree-with-the-idea-that-the-best/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [There are two kinds of charlatan: the man who is called a charlatan, and the man who really is one. The first is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/there-are-two-kinds-of-charlatan-the-man-who-is-called-a-charlatan/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [My least favorite photographer to have would be myself. Someone who wanted a career at National Geographic. Because it's almost mathematically impossible to achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/my-least-favorite-photographer-to-have-would-be-myself-someone-who/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Increasingly, it's people not interested in National Geographic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/increasingly-it-s-people-not-interested-in-national-geographic/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Though Geographic didn't publish that photo in the story that it was done for, "The Life of Charlie Russell," a cowboy artist in Montana.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/though-geographic-didn-t-publish-that-photo-in-the-story-that-it-was/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I was asked by a student what my most significant accomplishment was at National Geographic, after thirty years, and I said that my career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-was-asked-by-a-student-what-my-most-significant-accomplishment-was/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I did it once, and National Geographic recruited me. I did it primarily out of curiosity. A lot of legendary photographers had worked on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-did-it-once-and-national-geographic-recruited-me-i-did-it-primarily/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The purpose of affirmative action is to give our nation a way to finally address the systemic exclusion of individuals of talent on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/the-purpose-of-affirmative-action-is-to-give-our-nation-a-way-to/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [I subscribe to National Geographic, Scientific American, Discover, and a slew of other magazines. And it is while reading articles for pleasure and interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rollins/i-subscribe-to-national-geographic-scientific-american-discover-and-a/) [James Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rollins/) > [I'm a big fan of 'National Geographic', the magazine and the channel. Anything to do with the natural world. For years, when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-weston-jones/i-m-a-big-fan-of-national-geographic-the-magazine-and-the-channel/) [Tom Weston-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-weston-jones/) > [When we speak about trespassing, we speak about artistic trespassing. You have to be prudent and have common sense and a sense of responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/when-we-speak-about-trespassing-we-speak-about-artistic-trespassing/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I don't actually have a one wellspring of inspiration. Though I'm most often inspired while reading - both fiction and nonfiction. I subscribe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-rollins/i-don-t-actually-have-a-one-wellspring-of-inspiration-though-i-m-most/) [James Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-rollins/) > [“I doubt taking in a sullen, bitter, teenage girl with more issues than National Geographic is at the center of the vision board for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-doubt-taking-in-a-sullen-bitter-teenage-girl-with-more-issues-than/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) ## More by Sam Abell > [Photography, alone of the arts, seems perfected to serve the desire humans have for a moment - this very moment - to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/photography-alone-of-the-arts-seems-perfected-to-serve-the-desire/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I did it once, and National Geographic recruited me. I did it primarily out of curiosity. A lot of legendary photographers had worked on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-did-it-once-and-national-geographic-recruited-me-i-did-it-primarily/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I can't speak for other photographers, but the photographers who went forward strongly when the so-called "official" part of their career ended, to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-can-t-speak-for-other-photographers-but-the-photographers-who-went/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Actually, ambition won't get you that far. You'll shift gears. You'll see something that's shinier. But if you believe... then you're the long-distance runner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/actually-ambition-won-t-get-you-that-far-you-ll-shift-gears-you-ll/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [A mad, keen photographer needs to get out into the world and work and make mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/a-mad-keen-photographer-needs-to-get-out-into-the-world-and-work-and/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I have this awareness that the more dynamic the situation is, the more on guard I need to be that the dynamic isn't controlling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-have-this-awareness-that-the-more-dynamic-the-situation-is-the-more/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [What I'm interested in is modern American history. I'm taken with the changes that have occurred in America in my lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/what-i-m-interested-in-is-modern-american-history-i-m-taken-with-the/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Essentially what photography is is life lit up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/essentially-what-photography-is-is-life-lit-up/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Life rarely presents fully finished photographs. An image evolves, often from a single strand of visual interest - a distant horizon, a moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/life-rarely-presents-fully-finished-photographs-an-image-evolves/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Photographs that transcend but do not deny their literal situation appeal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/photographs-that-transcend-but-do-not-deny-their-literal-situation/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [I wanted life to be episodic. I wanted to be a magazine photographer and I was willing to do what it took to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/i-wanted-life-to-be-episodic-i-wanted-to-be-a-magazine-photographer/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [ That statement \[ Stephen Ambrose:'You, Sam, have the hardest job, which is, pretend like nothing has happened in the last 200 years.'\] woke me… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/that-statement-stephen-ambrose-you-sam-have-the-hardest-job-which-is/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The unusual wins out over the usual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-unusual-wins-out-over-the-usual/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [Even though I teach with 35mm, my method takes people by surprise, because it isn't fast, and it isn't about hardware or software, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/even-though-i-teach-with-35mm-my-method-takes-people-by-surprise/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [The class that I teach is called "The Life of a Photograph." It takes up the question, of the billion photographs that were taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/the-class-that-i-teach-is-called-the-life-of-a-photograph-it-takes-up/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) [Explore all 87 Sam Abell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first went to 'National Geographic,' I thought I was the least qualified person to step through the doors. 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