--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: he would have been the first to scoff at…" description: "\"“he would have been the first to scoff at the notion of labeling himself anything other than an explorer. His words to me were, ‘If you aren’t willing ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/val-holley-32131_explorer_he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at_53763.jpg" --- # he would have been the first to scoff at the notion of… ![“he would have been the first to scoff at the notion of labeling himself anything other than an explorer. His words to me were, ‘If you aren’t willing to take the risks, then you can’t make the discoveries.” quote by Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/val-holley-32131_explorer_he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at_53763.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/val-holley-32131_explorer_he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at_53763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/val-holley-32131_explorer_he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at_53763.jpg) > ““he would have been the first to scoff at the notion of labeling himself anything other than an explorer. His words to me were, ‘If you aren’t willing to take the risks, then you can’t make the discoveries.”” [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes that discovery requires risk‑taking; without willingness to face uncertainty, breakthroughs are impossible. **In simple terms:** Risk is essential for discovery. Key Takeaway Take risks to discover. Themes risk discovery exploration courage innovation Mood inspired determined Type aphor motivational When to use this quote - starting a new research project - venturing into unknown territory - making a career change Key Concepts risk‑taking learning growth Practical Applications - motivational speaking - leadership training Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you avoiding? - How could embracing uncertainty change your outcomes? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Explorer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explorer/) ## Related quotes > [There seems to be one quality of mind which seems to be of special and extreme advantage in leading him to make discoveries. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-darwin/there-seems-to-be-one-quality-of-mind-which-seems-to-be-of-special/) [Francis Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-darwin/) > [Death can't be considered because, if you're afraid to die, there's no room in your life to make discoveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/death-can-t-be-considered-because-if-you-re-afraid-to-die-there-s-no/) [James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/) > [It is strange that only extraordinary men make the discoveries, which later appear so easy and simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/it-is-strange-that-only-extraordinary-men-make-the-discoveries-which/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [When I write, I make discoveries about my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-carson-levine/when-i-write-i-make-discoveries-about-my-feelings/) [Gail Carson Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-carson-levine/) > [...It would be possible to make much more progress than has been made if the NCI knew its job better, knew how to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/it-would-be-possible-to-make-much-more-progress-than-has-been-made-if/) [Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/) > [It has often been said that, to make discoveries, one must be ignorant. This opinion, mistaken in itself, nevertheless conceals a truth. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/it-has-often-been-said-that-to-make-discoveries-one-must-be-ignorant/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [“The most important thing is not to work on things that other people are working on because otherwise all you'll do is get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jewitt/the-most-important-thing-is-not-to-work-on-things-that-other-people-2/) David Jewitt > [The secret of all those who make discoveries is that they regard nothing as impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-von-liebig/the-secret-of-all-those-who-make-discoveries-is-that-they-regard/) [Justus von Liebig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-von-liebig/) > [ We make our discoveries while in the state \[of high functioning\] because then we are clear-sighted. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/we-make-our-discoveries-while-in-the-state-of-high-functioning/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [To make discoveries, you have to be curious about why the universe is the way it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/to-make-discoveries-you-have-to-be-curious-about-why-the-universe-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I want to make my own discoveries…….penetrate the evil which attracts me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-want-to-make-my-own-discoveries-penetrate-the-evil-which-attracts-me/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [We make our discoveries through our mistakes: we watch one another's success: and where there is freedom to experiment there is hope to improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-make-our-discoveries-through-our-mistakes-we-watch-one-another-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The most important thing is not to work on things that other people are working on because otherwise all you'll do is get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jewitt/the-most-important-thing-is-not-to-work-on-things-that-other-people/) David Jewitt > [ \[Those\] who have an excessive faith in their theories or in their ideas are not only poorly disposed to make discoveries, but they also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/those-who-have-an-excessive-faith-in-their-theories-or-in-their-ideas/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [Above all, think of life as a prototype. We can conduct experiments, make discoveries, and change our perspectives. We can look for opportunities to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/above-all-think-of-life-as-a-prototype-we-can-conduct-experiments/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) ## More by Val Holley > [“Most sources agree that Dean’s best work came under rarefied, idealized conditions, not under a barrage of criticism such as Strasberg’s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/most-sources-agree-that-dean-s-best-work-came-under-rarefied/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“the advantages of bachelorhood: being able to get into bed from either side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/the-advantages-of-bachelorhood-being-able-to-get-into-bed-from-either/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“The unspoken word we control. Once spoken, it controls us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/the-unspoken-word-we-control-once-spoken-it-controls-us/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“As Dean saw it, the issue was talent, but his confidence in himself was never contagious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/as-dean-saw-it-the-issue-was-talent-but-his-confidence-in-himself-was/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“He could sing in more different keys during the course of one song than anybody I’ve ever heard,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/he-could-sing-in-more-different-keys-during-the-course-of-one-song/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“Dean and Leach represented Fairmount in an hourlong debate against Marion High that was broadcast on local radio. They argued the affirmative side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/dean-and-leach-represented-fairmount-in-an-hourlong-debate-against/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“The papers of Jerry Fairbanks Studios lie uncatalogued in the basement of the UCLA research library.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/the-papers-of-jerry-fairbanks-studios-lie-uncatalogued-in-the/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“Once he pulled a girl’s bra strap and let it snap in Raymond Elliott’s study hall, which was “just about the most daring thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/once-he-pulled-a-girl-s-bra-strap-and-let-it-snap-in-raymond-elliott/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“You are acting, not being.” Strasberg explained, “I stress the difference between the actor who thinks acting is an imitation of life, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/you-are-acting-not-being-strasberg-explained-i-stress-the-difference/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“Issues of the Fairmount News from the early 1920s are replete with accounts of surprise appearances by hooded Klan representatives at local church services”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/issues-of-the-fairmount-news-from-the-early-1920s-are-replete-with/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“There was no trick or stunt that he couldn’t accomplish with the greatest of ease; we had balancing stunts and all that jazz —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/there-was-no-trick-or-stunt-that-he-couldn-t-accomplish-with-the/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“but get this straight: Absolutely nobody in the world gives a flying fuck. You want to be an actor? Fine. But never, ever bitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/but-get-this-straight-absolutely-nobody-in-the-world-gives-a-flying/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [ “Dean’s agent, Isabel Draesemer, says, “Jimmy came to me and asked whether marrying Beverly Wills \|the young woman he was dating then\] or moving… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/dean-s-agent-isabel-draesemer-says-jimmy-came-to-me-and-asked-whether/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“Although Indianapolis had a bigger automobile industry than Detroit at the end of the nineteenth century, Detroit would soon steal its thunder by welcoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/although-indianapolis-had-a-bigger-automobile-industry-than-detroit/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) > [“If you think the movie moguls are worried about the possible disastrous effects of TV, you ought to hold the head of a radio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/if-you-think-the-movie-moguls-are-worried-about-the-possible/) [Val Holley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) [Explore all 16 Val Holley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/) ## More Explorer quotes > [“We only know a tiny proportion about the complexity of the natural world. Wherever you look, there are still things we don’t know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/we-only-know-a-tiny-proportion-about-the-complexity-of-the-natural/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [From early childhood I had always dreamed of becoming an explorer. Somehow I had acquired the impression that an explorer was someone who lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-goddard/from-early-childhood-i-had-always-dreamed-of-becoming-an-explorer/) [John Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-goddard/) > [“Back at the guest house I tried to acclimatise. A travel-worn adventurer had once told me that leaning with one's head dangling over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/back-at-the-guest-house-i-tried-to-acclimatise-a-travel-worn/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [I am not a glutton - I am an explorer of food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/i-am-not-a-glutton-i-am-an-explorer-of-food/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [Consumers can choose from hundreds of channels today, including dozens for kids. At a time of dwindling resources, we don't need to be subsidizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/consumers-can-choose-from-hundreds-of-channels-today-including-dozens/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I'm a thinker and feeler and dreamer and explorer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-stoner/i-m-a-thinker-and-feeler-and-dreamer-and-explorer/) [Alyson Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-stoner/) > [“Books for me were what the ocean is to the fearless explorer-deep and mysterious, boundless and soothing. I loved the smell of books, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-pemberton/books-for-me-were-what-the-ocean-is-to-the-fearless-explorer-deep-and/) [Steve Pemberton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-pemberton/) > [“I’d loved women who were old and who were young; those extra kilos and large rumps, and others so thin there was barely even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/i-d-loved-women-who-were-old-and-who-were-young-those-extra-kilos-and/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“Scent is such a powerful tool of attraction, that if a woman has this tool perfectly tuned, she needs no other. I will forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/scent-is-such-a-powerful-tool-of-attraction-that-if-a-woman-has-this/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“A famous explorer once said, that the extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are. I’d finally set out to make my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-croft/a-famous-explorer-once-said-that-the-extraordinary-is-in-what-we-do/) Lara Croft > [I would love to do a western. I would love to play an explorer. That is always something that has really captured my imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/i-would-love-to-do-a-western-i-would-love-to-play-an-explorer-that-is/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [Everyone is an explorer. How could you possibly live your life looking at a door and not open it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ballard/everyone-is-an-explorer-how-could-you-possibly-live-your-life-looking/) [Robert Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ballard/) > [I feel like I'm an explorer, a frontiersman if you will, and I've been able to satisfy that desire in me through music. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-butler/i-feel-like-i-m-an-explorer-a-frontiersman-if-you-will-and-i-ve-been/) [Ishmael Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-butler/) > [When I was a kid, I wanted to be an explorer. I wanted to go out into deep, dark jungle somewhere and find places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rege-jean-page/when-i-was-a-kid-i-wanted-to-be-an-explorer-i-wanted-to-go-out-into/) [Rege-Jean Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rege-jean-page/) > [“To go out into nature is to explore the mind of the creator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/to-go-out-into-nature-is-to-explore-the-mind-of-the-creator/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) [Browse all 104 Explorer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explorer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“he would have been the first to scoff at the notion of labeling himself anything other than an explorer. His words to me were, ‘If you aren’t willing to take the risks, then you can’t make the discoveries.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Val Holley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at-the-notion-of-labeling/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Explorer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at-the-notion-of-labeling/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/val-holley-32131_explorer_he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at_53763.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/val-holley-32131_explorer_he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at_53763.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/832/val-holley-32131_explorer_he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at_53763.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“he would have been the first to scoff at the notion of labeling himself anything other than an explorer. His…” — Val Holley", "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": "Val Holley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-holley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“he would have been the first...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at-the-notion-of-labeling/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-holley/he-would-have-been-the-first-to-scoff-at-the-notion-of-labeling/#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 } } ] } ```