On Curiosity

- Dr. Who

The Phantom Tollbooth:

“[I]t’s not just learning things that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters.” – Rhyme
“Many of the things I’m supposed to know seem so useless that I can’t see the purpose in learning them at all.” – Milo
“You may not see it now… but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in the tiniest way. … Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in a pond; and whenever you’re sad, no one anywhere can be really happy. And it’s much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes that much richer.” – Reason

“To make discoveries, you have to be curious about why the universe is the way it is.” – Isaac Asimov

“It’s good to be curious about many things.” – Mr. Rogers

“The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity.” – Dorothy Parker

“The first rule of improvisation is AGREE. Always agree and SAY YES. …The second rule of improvisation is not only to say yes, but YES, AND. You are supposed to agree and then add something of your own. … To me YES, AND means don’t be afraid to contribute. It’s your responsibility to contribute. Always make sure you’re adding something to the discussion. Your initiations are worthwhile. The next rule is MAKE STATEMENTS. … In other words: Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. … THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, only opportunities. … In improv there are no mistakes, only beautiful happy accidents. And many of the world’s greatest discoveries have been by accident. I mean, look at the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, or Botox.” – Tina Fey

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” – Albert Einstein

“Those who dare to teach must never cease to learn.” – Richard Henry Dana, Jr.

“Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.”  – Malcom S. Forbes

“Cynics always say no. But saying ‘yes’ begins things. Saying ‘yes’ is how things grow. Saying ‘yes’ leads to knowledge. ‘Yes’ is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say ‘yes.’” – Stephen Colbert

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” – Carl Sagan

“Academic freedom is an indispensable element of that larger liberty that includes the right to free expression.  Because a free society and freedom itself rest upon the continuous search for knowledge, and because institutions of higher education are primary agencies for the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge, a faculty member is entitled to full academic freedom in research, in the publication of results and conclusions, and in the classroom presentation of his or her subject.” – University of Texas at El Paso Handbook of Operating Procedures

“If your total freedom of choice regarding what to think about seems too obvious to waste time discussing, I’d ask you to think about fish and water, and to bracket for just a few minutes your skepticism about the value of the totally obvious.” – David Foster Wallace

“Curiosity will encourage you to ask questions about what you could do with the skills, knowledge, experience and relationships that you have. Just replacing ‘should’ with ‘could’ opens up new stories.” – Jo VanEvery

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” – Robert A. Heinlein