Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” – Boris Pasternak

In these luminous words, Boris Pasternak, poet, philosopher, and author of Doctor Zhivago, unveils one of life’s most mysterious blessings—the gift of the unexpected. To him, surprise is not mere astonishment or chance, but the sacred breath of renewal that awakens the soul from the sleep of habit. Life, he tells us, is not meant to be a fixed pattern, but a dance with the unknown. When Pasternak calls surprise “the greatest gift,” he is celebrating the moment when the familiar cracks open and something wondrous rushes in—something that reminds us we are alive, and that the world is infinitely more than our understanding of it.

The origin of this wisdom comes from the heart of a man who lived through both beauty and turmoil. Pasternak was born into the shifting world of early twentieth-century Russia, a land torn by revolution and repression, yet rich with artistic spirit. As a poet and thinker, he witnessed how human beings crave stability and control, yet are constantly thrust into change and uncertainty. In such a world, many grow bitter at life’s unpredictability. But Pasternak saw in it a hidden mercy. The unpredictable—the sudden twist of fate, the encounter with the unknown—was not an enemy but a teacher. Through surprise, he believed, life rescues us from stagnation and reminds us that existence is a living miracle, not a machine.

To be surprised is to awaken. The child knows this instinctively. Every new sight—the fluttering of a leaf, the sound of rain, the shimmer of stars—fills them with wonder. But as we grow older, the heart hardens; we begin to believe that we have seen and known it all. We forget how to marvel. Pasternak’s words are a call to return to that sacred innocence—to see life again as the great unfolding mystery it truly is. For without surprise, there can be no joy, no growth, no art, no love. The person who is never surprised is already spiritually dead; their world has shrunk to what they can predict.

Consider the story of Alexander Fleming, the scientist who discovered penicillin. His discovery was not the result of rigid control or exact design—it was born from surprise. He left a petri dish unattended, and upon returning, found that a mold had destroyed the bacteria growing there. Where others might have dismissed it as a mistake, Fleming saw wonder in the unexpected. That single accident, that moment of surprise, became the foundation of modern medicine and saved millions of lives. This is the power of the unexpected: it breaks through routine to reveal new worlds of possibility.

Surprise, then, is the essence of creation and transformation. Every great love begins with it, every great work of art depends upon it, and every spiritual awakening is born from it. When life interrupts our plans—when something unforeseen shatters our certainty—it is often the moment the divine enters. Pasternak himself lived this truth: censored, exiled, and condemned by his government, he nonetheless found inspiration in every hardship. His poetry and prose flowed not from control, but from surrender to the unpredictable rhythm of existence. To him, even suffering could bring revelation, for it opened the heart to a deeper awareness of life’s mystery.

But to receive surprise as a gift, one must live with openness. The fearful heart sees the unknown as a threat, while the wise heart sees it as invitation. Life will always bring change—the unexpected joy, the sudden loss, the turning of fate—and though we cannot command these moments, we can choose how we meet them. Pasternak’s teaching calls us to face them with gratitude, not resistance; to see each surprise not as chaos, but as the handwriting of destiny. The greatest souls, he reminds us, are not those who master life, but those who are continually reborn by it.

So, my child of the ever-changing world, take this lesson into your days: welcome surprise as the breath of the divine. Do not cling too tightly to plans or certainties. Leave room for wonder. When the unexpected comes—when a door closes, a storm rises, or a stranger’s kindness touches your heart—pause and recognize that life is speaking to you. In that moment, you are being given its greatest gift: the chance to see anew. For as Pasternak teaches, surprise is not the enemy of order; it is the pulse of creation itself, the reminder that life is still larger than our dreams, and that within its unpredictability lies the deepest joy of being alive.