--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I often don't know what I'll be working…" description: "\"I often don't know what I'll be working on next year or a year from now. There is often a chance meeting, or something that I worked on 10 years ago su..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/terence-tao-14138_chance_i-often-don-t-know-what-i-ll-be-working_3213708.jpg" --- # I often don't know what I'll be working on next year or a… ![“I often don't know what I'll be working on next year or a year from now. There is often a chance meeting, or something that I worked on 10 years ago suddenly becomes important again.” quote by Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/terence-tao-14138_chance_i-often-don-t-know-what-i-ll-be-working_3213708.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/terence-tao-14138_chance_i-often-don-t-know-what-i-ll-be-working_3213708.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3a/terence-tao-14138_chance_i-often-don-t-know-what-i-ll-be-working_3213708.jpg) > “I often don't know what I'll be working on next year or a year from now. There is often a chance meeting, or something that I worked on 10 years ago suddenly becomes important again.” [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Future work is unpredictable; chance encounters and past ideas can become crucial unexpectedly. **In simple terms:** You never know what will become important; past work can resurface. Key Takeaway Stay adaptable and keep past projects organized. Themes uncertainty creativity career serendipity Mood inquisitive optimistic Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - academic planning - project management - long‑term research strategy - career development Key Concepts complex systems network theory research methodology Questions to Reflect On - What old ideas could you revisit now? - How can you create more chance meetings? A Different Perspective Relying on chance can lead to missed opportunities without proactive planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Chance meeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance-meeting/) ## Related quotes > [Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/cheers-to-a-new-year-and-another-chance-for-us-to-get-it-right/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I feel that this is my first year, that next year is an election year, that the third year is the mid point, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/i-feel-that-this-is-my-first-year-that-next-year-is-an-election-year/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [I had little or no expectations coming in. I was thrilled when I was drafted in the first round because that meant I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stockton/i-had-little-or-no-expectations-coming-in-i-was-thrilled-when-i-was/) [John Stockton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stockton/) > [“Each new year is another chance to get love right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aberjhani/each-new-year-is-another-chance-to-get-love-right/) [Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aberjhani/) > [I thought the opportunity to play golf 12 months a year would give me a chance to go where I wanted to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-woodland/i-thought-the-opportunity-to-play-golf-12-months-a-year-would-give-me/) [Gary Woodland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-woodland/) > [The music suddenly became important enough for me to build my own sound studio and start to prepare songs to possibly put out into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/planningtorock/the-music-suddenly-became-important-enough-for-me-to-build-my-own/) [Planningtorock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/planningtorock/) > [“Do you mind telling me what's suddenly so important?' Sophie just shook her head. 'It's...it's a secret.' 'Yuck! You're probably in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/do-you-mind-telling-me-what-s-suddenly-so-important-sophie-just-shook/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“With the distanced drumbeat of the Revolution, the chink of coins suddenly became more important than commitment to the cause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-rubin-stuart/with-the-distanced-drumbeat-of-the-revolution-the-chink-of-coins/) Nancy Rubin Stuart > [At a given instant everything the surgeon knows suddenly becomes important to the solution of the problem. You can't do it an hour later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-kirklin/at-a-given-instant-everything-the-surgeon-knows-suddenly-becomes/) John W. Kirklin > [What is it, I wonder, that makes two people suddenly become important to each other? 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I believe that during certain periods in our lives we are drawn to particular books--whether it's strolling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-believe-in-the-magic-of-books-i-believe-that-during-certain-periods/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Don’t you see? You and he might never cross paths again. Of course, a chance meeting could occur, and I hope it happens. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/don-t-you-see-you-and-he-might-never-cross-paths-again-of-course-a/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I like chance meetings - life is full of them. Every day, without realising it, I pass people whom I should know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-kieslowski/i-like-chance-meetings-life-is-full-of-them-every-day-without/) [Krzysztof Kieslowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-kieslowski/) ## More by Terence Tao > [It is very humbling to receive the Fields Medal. The words of a Fields Medallist carry a lot of weight within mathematics - for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/it-is-very-humbling-to-receive-the-fields-medal-the-words-of-a-fields/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [Can you make fancy patterns of water that actually have some computation power? I'm betting that fluids are complex enough to do this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/can-you-make-fancy-patterns-of-water-that-actually-have-some/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [Ultimately you should follow advice not because someone tells you to, but because it was something that you already knew you should be doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/ultimately-you-should-follow-advice-not-because-someone-tells-you-to/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [I tend to change research direction every few years or so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/i-tend-to-change-research-direction-every-few-years-or-so/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [My life is more than just my work. I am a husband and a father and a proud citizen of two countries: my homeland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/my-life-is-more-than-just-my-work-i-am-a-husband-and-a-father-and-a/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [If there is something that I should know how to do but don't, it bugs me. I feel like I have to sit down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/if-there-is-something-that-i-should-know-how-to-do-but-don-t-it-bugs/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [I don't like accepting things at face value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/i-don-t-like-accepting-things-at-face-value/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [The standard high school curriculum traditionally has been focused towards physics and engineering. So calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra have always been the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/the-standard-high-school-curriculum-traditionally-has-been-focused/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [Talent is important, but how one develops and nurtures it is even more so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/talent-is-important-but-how-one-develops-and-nurtures-it-is-even-more/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [One can think of any given axiom system as being like a computer with a certain limited amount of memory or processing power. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/one-can-think-of-any-given-axiom-system-as-being-like-a-computer-with/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [I am still very fond of Australia, but my life is now in Los Angeles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/i-am-still-very-fond-of-australia-but-my-life-is-now-in-los-angeles/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [Math research is more like a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/math-research-is-more-like-a-marathon/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [If I experiment enough, I get a deeper understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/if-i-experiment-enough-i-get-a-deeper-understanding/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [When I was seven or eight, whenever I was getting too rowdy at night, my parents would give me a maths workbook to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/when-i-was-seven-or-eight-whenever-i-was-getting-too-rowdy-at-night/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [It was traditional to not actually cash the prizes that Erdos did award while he was alive. People usually framed the cheque instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/it-was-traditional-to-not-actually-cash-the-prizes-that-erdos-did/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) [Explore all 47 Terence Tao quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) Alejandro Taubas > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I often don't know what I'll be working on next year or a year from now. 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