Quote #0
Experience is what you get while looking for something else.
Anonymous
About This Quote
The earliest known appearance is as an unattributed filler item in a May 1923 Ohio newspaper. It later circulated widely in newspapers and quotation collections, sometimes with tweaks (e.g., adding “In Hollywood…”), and was eventually repeated by well-known figures such as Randy Pausch, which helped drive modern attribution claims.
Interpretation
The idea is that life’s most useful learning often comes as a byproduct of pursuing other goals; even when you miss your target, you may gain skills, judgment, or insight that becomes valuable later.
Extended Quotation
Experience is what you get while you are looking for something else.
Variations
Experience is what you get while looking for something else.
Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.
Misattributions
- Mary Pettibone Poole
- John Lennon
- Randy Pausch
- William Lundigan
