--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I thought I knew what was going to…" description: "\"If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn't be worth doing. The challenge is how joyfully, with what sense of fun and adventure and playf..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/stephen-colbert-503_adventure_if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-ha_1801778.png" --- # If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn't… ![“If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn't be worth doing. The challenge is how joyfully, with what sense of fun and adventure and playfulness, we will greet it. We don't have to look for what the next thing will be. If experience is any judge, it'll come flowing toward us like a…” quote by Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/stephen-colbert-503_adventure_if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-ha_1801778.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/stephen-colbert-503_adventure_if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-ha_1801778.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/stephen-colbert-503_adventure_if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-ha_1801778.png) > “If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn't be worth doing. The challenge is how joyfully, with what sense of fun and adventure and playfulness, we will greet it. We don't have to look for what the next thing will be. If experience is any judge, it'll come flowing toward us like a river.” [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote urges embracing uncertainty with playful curiosity, seeing life as an ever‑flowing river rather than a predictable script. **In simple terms:** Embrace the unknown with fun and adventure. Key Takeaway Live playfully amid uncertainty. Themes uncertainty playfulness adventure mindset growth Mood optimistic adventurous reflective Type motivational philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - starting a new project - traveling to unknown places - creative brainstorming - learning new skills - dealing with change Key Concepts existentialism flow theory psychology of curiosity Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance spontaneity with responsibility? - What habits help you stay playful when faced with the unknown? A Different Perspective It may overlook the need for planning and risk assessment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Challenge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenge/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Playfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playfulness/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) ## Related quotes > [“We all know what needs to be done - it's the doing it that is the challenge!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gore/we-all-know-what-needs-to-be-done-it-s-the-doing-it-that-is-the/) Amanda Gore > [Camp is a solvent of morality. It neutralizes moral indignation, sponsors playfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/camp-is-a-solvent-of-morality-it-neutralizes-moral-indignation/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [ I think at the end of the day she \[Rose from "Fences"\] is a strong woman in the truest sense of the word. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-at-the-end-of-the-day-she-rose-from-fences-is-a-strong-woman/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [As much as I liked acting for its playfulness and the reward of hearing big laughs wash over you on a stage, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ramis/as-much-as-i-liked-acting-for-its-playfulness-and-the-reward-of/) [Harold Ramis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ramis/) > [“And, if you'll investigate the history of science, my dear boy, I think you'll find that most of the really big ideas have come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-if-you-ll-investigate-the-history-of-science-my-dear-boy-i-think/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Tremendous concentrations of paper wealth have made it possible for a few persons or institutions to endow certain sorts of human playfulness with inappropriate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/tremendous-concentrations-of-paper-wealth-have-made-it-possible-for-a/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Never did I think that the university was properly ministerial to the society around it. Rather I thought and think that society is ministerial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-bloom/never-did-i-think-that-the-university-was-properly-ministerial-to-the/) [Allan Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-bloom/) > [I think entrepreneurship is our natural state--a big adult word that probably boils down to something much more obvious like playfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-think-entrepreneurship-is-our-natural-state-a-big-adult-word-that/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [In the years since The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin, Voinovich has sharpened his satire, and Monumental Propaganda is a novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kalfus/in-the-years-since-the-life-and-extraordinary-adventures-of-private/) [Ken Kalfus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kalfus/) > [The playfulness that I talk about comes very slowly. You cannot just jump out of your seriousness which you have accumulated for lives. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-playfulness-that-i-talk-about-comes-very-slowly-you-cannot-just/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The very essence of playfulness is an openness to anything that may happen, the feeling that whatever happens, it's okay... you're either free to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/the-very-essence-of-playfulness-is-an-openness-to-anything-that-may/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Anywhere everywhere! Anything anyhow! just dance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/anywhere-everywhere-anything-anyhow-just-dance/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [One of the things I've always loved about genre, comic books, science fiction and fantasy is that there's a certain level of playfulness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-hawley/one-of-the-things-i-ve-always-loved-about-genre-comic-books-science/) [Noah Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-hawley/) > [We wanted to make Tucker's Witch just more human and playful, because I don't think we see enough playfulness between characters on TV. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-matheson/we-wanted-to-make-tucker-s-witch-just-more-human-and-playful-because/) [Tim Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-matheson/) > [Photography is solitary and there are lags between seeing with your eyes and seeing through the lens, and then seeing the image on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-marclay/photography-is-solitary-and-there-are-lags-between-seeing-with-your/) [Christian Marclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-marclay/) ## More by Stephen Colbert > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/cynicism-masquerades-as-wisdom-but-it-is-the-farthest-thing-from-it/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/we-all-deserve-credit-for-this-new-surveillance-state-that-we-live-in/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I've long been against illegal aliens, partly because they distract us from an even bigger threat: real aliens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-ve-long-been-against-illegal-aliens-partly-because-they-distract-us/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Believe in me, cause I don't believe in anything, and I wanna be someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/believe-in-me-cause-i-don-t-believe-in-anything-and-i-wanna-be/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Try to love others and serve others and hopefully find those who love and serve you in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/try-to-love-others-and-serve-others-and-hopefully-find-those-who-love/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Thirty seconds is the exact amount of time Americans can tolerate something they don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/thirty-seconds-is-the-exact-amount-of-time-americans-can-tolerate/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I used to make up stuff in my bio all the time, that I used to be a professional ice-skater and stuff like that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-used-to-make-up-stuff-in-my-bio-all-the-time-that-i-used-to-be-a/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I live by syllogisms: God is love. Love is blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God. I don't know what I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/i-live-by-syllogisms-god-is-love-love-is-blind-stevie-wonder-is-blind/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Unlike Paul Newman, who seems to think that salad dressing is the cure-all for America's ills, I'm a man of action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/unlike-paul-newman-who-seems-to-think-that-salad-dressing-is-the-cure/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Now, for my younger viewers out there, a book is something we used to have before the internet. It’s sort of a blog for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/now-for-my-younger-viewers-out-there-a-book-is-something-we-used-to/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Jesus forgives sinners, not criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/jesus-forgives-sinners-not-criminals/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Used books are the sluts of the literary world. Passed around from person to person, spreading their pages for anyone, getting cheaper and cheaper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/used-books-are-the-sluts-of-the-literary-world-passed-around-from/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Divorce is a marital welfare. It's just couples asking society to bail them out because they didn't do enough research before they got married.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/divorce-is-a-marital-welfare-it-s-just-couples-asking-society-to-bail/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) [Explore all 514 Stephen Colbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn't be worth doing. The challenge is how joyfully, with what sense of fun and adventure and playfulness, we will greet it. We don't have to look for what the next thing will be. If experience is any judge, it'll come flowing toward us like a river.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Colbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-happen-it-wouldn-t-be-worth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-happen-it-wouldn-t-be-worth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/stephen-colbert-503_adventure_if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-ha_1801778.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/stephen-colbert-503_adventure_if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-ha_1801778.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/stephen-colbert-503_adventure_if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-ha_1801778.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I thought I knew what was going to happen, it wouldn't be worth doing. The challenge is how joyfully…” — Stephen Colbert", "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": "Stephen Colbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I thought I knew what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-happen-it-wouldn-t-be-worth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/if-i-thought-i-knew-what-was-going-to-happen-it-wouldn-t-be-worth/#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 } } ] } ```