--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My intention was to enroll at McGill…" description: "\"My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an unexpected series of events led me to study physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/sidney-altman-30183_events_my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-uni_225003.jpg" --- # My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an… ![“My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an unexpected series of events led me to study physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.” quote by Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/sidney-altman-30183_events_my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-uni_225003.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/sidney-altman-30183_events_my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-uni_225003.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/sidney-altman-30183_events_my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-uni_225003.jpg) > “My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an unexpected series of events led me to study physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.” [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected events can redirect career paths toward unforeseen opportunities and achievements. **In simple terms:** Life changes can lead to new directions. Key Takeaway Adapt and pursue new possibilities. Themes career serendipity adaptability Mood reflective inspirational Type biographical motivational When to use this quote - university admission - research projects - career planning Key Concepts physics education career change Questions to Reflect On - How did you decide to embrace physics? - What strategies help navigate sudden career shifts? A Different Perspective Not all unexpected changes are positive; they may cause disruption. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enroll Mcgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enroll-mcgill-2290146/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institute/) [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Massachusetts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massachusetts/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Mcgill University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mcgill-university-598520/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Physics Massachusetts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics-massachusetts-2290145/) [Series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/series/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Study Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-physics-2016301/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Unexpected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexpected/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) [University Unexpected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university-unexpected-2290144/) ## Related quotes > [One of your American professors said that to study religion was merely to know the mind of man, but if one truly wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/one-of-your-american-professors-said-that-to-study-religion-was/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [I thought I should study physics because it's fundamental to all science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-goodenough/i-thought-i-should-study-physics-because-it-s-fundamental-to-all/) [John B. Goodenough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-goodenough/) > [If we always thought like that, why would we study physics, why would we think of cosmology, why would we do any kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esa-pekka-salonen/if-we-always-thought-like-that-why-would-we-study-physics-why-would/) [Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esa-pekka-salonen/) > [I went to Princeton specifically to study physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/i-went-to-princeton-specifically-to-study-physics/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [Indeed I have always found that the only thing in regard to Toronto which faraway people know for certain is that McGill University is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-leacock/indeed-i-have-always-found-that-the-only-thing-in-regard-to-toronto/) [Stephen Leacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-leacock/) > [I went to McGill University, but I didn't graduate. They won't graduate me because I didn't have a degree in any one thing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachelle-lefevre/i-went-to-mcgill-university-but-i-didn-t-graduate-they-won-t-graduate/) [Rachelle Lefevre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachelle-lefevre/) > [Many years ago Rudyard Kipling gave an address at McGill University in Montreal. He said one striking thing which deserves to be remembered. Warning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halford-luccock/many-years-ago-rudyard-kipling-gave-an-address-at-mcgill-university/) [Halford Luccock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halford-luccock/) > [Although I'm a business major out of McGill University, I know nothing... but then I found out much later in life, nobody knows anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/although-i-m-a-business-major-out-of-mcgill-university-i-know-nothing/) [William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/) > [“Don't be afraid to make an ass of yourself. I do it all the time, and look what I got." (Spoken at a graduation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-be-afraid-to-make-an-ass-of-yourself-i-do-it-all-the-time-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So, I went to McGill University in Montreal to study soil chemistry and microbiology, which I did complete, but realized early that little of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suhasini-mulay/so-i-went-to-mcgill-university-in-montreal-to-study-soil-chemistry/) [Suhasini Mulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suhasini-mulay/) > [And a special thank you to the citizens of Massachusetts: You are paying all the taxes, creating all the jobs, raising all the children.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/and-a-special-thank-you-to-the-citizens-of-massachusetts-you-are/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [In 1887, Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day an official holiday, with Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York quickly following suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-i-koerner/in-1887-oregon-became-the-first-state-to-make-labor-day-an-official/) [Brendan I. Koerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-i-koerner/) > [It is the night-black Massachusetts legendry which packs the really macabre "kick". Here is material for a really profound study in group-neuroticism; for certainly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/it-is-the-night-black-massachusetts-legendry-which-packs-the-really/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [My parents were, had a marriage of passion, and the passion was about their religious beliefs. They were both immigrant families that - well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/my-parents-were-had-a-marriage-of-passion-and-the-passion-was-about/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [The old charters of Massachusetts, Virginia, and the Carolinas had given title to strips of territory extending from the Atlantic westward to the Pacific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bushnell-hart/the-old-charters-of-massachusetts-virginia-and-the-carolinas-had/) [Albert Bushnell Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bushnell-hart/) ## More by Sidney Altman > [We are very fortunate to be recognized here in such an extraordinary manner for work that we enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/we-are-very-fortunate-to-be-recognized-here-in-such-an-extraordinary/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [Eight months later, having left Columbia, I was studying physics in a summer program and working in Colorado when I decided to enroll as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/eight-months-later-having-left-columbia-i-was-studying-physics-in-a/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [I was born in Montreal in 1939, the second son of poor immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/i-was-born-in-montreal-in-1939-the-second-son-of-poor-immigrants/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [For our immediate family and relatives, Canada was a land of opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/for-our-immediate-family-and-relatives-canada-was-a-land-of/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [We are united in the hope that every individual will someday enjoy at least the intellectual privileges we have had, if not always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/we-are-united-in-the-hope-that-every-individual-will-someday-enjoy-at/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [The mystique associated with the bomb, the role that scientists played in it, and its general importance could not fail to impress even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/the-mystique-associated-with-the-bomb-the-role-that-scientists-played/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [I should mention that while I was growing up, Einstein was presented as a worthy role model for a young boy who was good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/i-should-mention-that-while-i-was-growing-up-einstein-was-presented/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [The RNA World referred to an hypothetical stage in the origin of life on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/the-rna-world-referred-to-an-hypothetical-stage-in-the-origin-of-life/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [By the time I reached high school my father's grocery store had made our life adequately comfortable and I was able to choose, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/by-the-time-i-reached-high-school-my-father-s-grocery-store-had-made/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [“All the people who do well work very hard. Nobody who has a record of achievement has been lazy about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/all-the-people-who-do-well-work-very-hard-nobody-who-has-a-record-of/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [It was from them that I learned that hard work in stable surroundings could yield rewards, even if only in infinitesimally small increments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/it-was-from-them-that-i-learned-that-hard-work-in-stable-surroundings/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [Nevertheless, as is a frequent occurrence in science, a general hypothesis was constructed from a few specific instances of a phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/nevertheless-as-is-a-frequent-occurrence-in-science-a-general/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [Indeed, we are privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to study Nature and to follow our own thoughts and inspirations in a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/indeed-we-are-privileged-to-have-been-afforded-the-opportunity-to/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [Furthermore, neither of our research groups set out in search of RNA catalysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/furthermore-neither-of-our-research-groups-set-out-in-search-of-rna/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) > [About seven years later I was given a book about the periodic table of the elements. For the first time I saw the elegance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/about-seven-years-later-i-was-given-a-book-about-the-periodic-table/) [Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) [Explore all 17 Sidney Altman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/) ## More Events quotes > [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/) [Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/) > [My political views have never made me insensitive to the pain and suffering caused to the innocent victims of events such as the Warrington…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-fox/my-political-views-have-never-made-me-insensitive-to-the-pain-and/) [Claire Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-fox/) > [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [I wasn’t like, boo hoo, Bin Laden’s dead, but I wasn’t jumping. America’s a very nationalistic country, and in episodes like that of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scahill/i-wasn-t-like-boo-hoo-bin-laden-s-dead-but-i-wasn-t-jumping-america-s/) [Jeremy Scahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scahill/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The future and the past are equally meaningless because they are nebulous entities, times that do not exist, containing events which have no echo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lebbon/the-future-and-the-past-are-equally-meaningless-because-they-are/) [Tim Lebbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lebbon/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Sporting events like the Olympics have developed and maintained a clear message of promoting gender equality as an essential criterion in the success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-attias/sporting-events-like-the-olympics-have-developed-and-maintained-a/) [Richard Attias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-attias/) > [There remains an experience of incomparable value . . . to see the great events of world history from below; from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-remains-an-experience-of-incomparable-value-to-see-the-great/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [It's really a pity that there are observers who view political events like comic strips. There has to be a Zorro, there has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/it-s-really-a-pity-that-there-are-observers-who-view-political-events/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [Everything is not black-and-white . I'm really interested in the gray area - not justifying it, not glorifying it, not condoning it, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-washington/everything-is-not-black-and-white-i-m-really-interested-in-the-gray/) [Isaiah Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-washington/) [Browse all 5,384 Events quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an unexpected series of events led me to study physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sidney Altman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-university-but-an-unexpected/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Events" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-university-but-an-unexpected/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/sidney-altman-30183_events_my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-uni_225003.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/sidney-altman-30183_events_my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-uni_225003.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/sidney-altman-30183_events_my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-uni_225003.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an unexpected series of events led me to study physics…” — Sidney Altman", "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": "Sidney Altman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My intention was to enroll at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-university-but-an-unexpected/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/my-intention-was-to-enroll-at-mcgill-university-but-an-unexpected/#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 } } ] } ```