I came across this quote today, "Every day, we should be striving to learn something new. We should have an unquenchable curiosity for the world around us." That curiosity is what drives me every day when I go to an auction or flea market to hunt for antiques. If I'm lucky, I'll find something I know nothing about and learn about a new manufacturing technique, material, artisan or bit of history associated with the item.
Which brings me to another quote, this one from Einstein, "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know." In the 9 years I've been in the antiques business, I've learned a lot, but every time I learn something new, it makes me realize how much more there is to learn and that I'm just scratching the surface.