The correct lesson to learn from surprises is that the world is surprising. Not that we should use past surprises as a guide to future boundaries; that we should use past surprises as an admission that we have no idea what might happen next.

We should only be astonished at still being able to be astonished.

Look not to the faults of others, nor to their omissions and commissions. But rather look to your own acts, to what you have done and left undone.

Whenever we are surprised by something, even if we admit that we made a mistake, we say, ‘Oh I’ll never make that mistake again.’ But, in fact, what you should learn when you make a mistake because you did not anticipate something is that the world is difficult to anticipate. That’s the correct lesson to learn from surprises: that the world is surprising. The correct lesson to learn from surprises is that the world is surprising.

The plain working truth is that it is not only good for people to be shocked occasionally, but absolutely necessary to the progress of society that they should be shocked pretty often.

The correct lesson to learn from surprises is that the world is surprising.

Those who are easily shocked should be shocked more often.

If others do not respond to your love with love, look into your own benevolence; if others fail to respond to your attempts to govern them with order, look into your own respect. In other words, look into yourself whenever you fail to achieve your purpose. When you are correct in your person, the Empire will turn to you.

You are more likely to learn something by finding surprises in your own behavior than by hearing surprising facts about people in general.

What shocked us the most was that we had no idea why we should be so shocked. Like opening a ginger ale and finding Jamesons' inside: nothing wrong with it, but it sort of takes you by surprise.

While we must learn from good examples and keep always in mind the bigger goal, we must compare ourselves only with ourselves. We can’t focus or base our happiness on another’s progress; we can focus only on our own.

When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.

If you weren't surprised by your life you wouldn't be alive. Life is surprise.

Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.