Modus operandi of higher education is to ensure that students move from surface learning to deep learning in any subject. According to learning theorists, this can be accomplished when students are challenged in their world views or experience intended discomfort induced by the facilitator. Opponents, however, stress on the notions of safety or safe spaces for students to be comfortable and relaxed in their learning process. While the idea of intellectual safety (IS) and intellectual provocation (IP) is not new, as educators, we use these terms often while describing our classroom environments; yet, there seems to be a lack of common understanding of these metaphors among us. Through the means of this chapter, I aim to clarify our notions of intellectual safety and intellectual provocation and suggest ways of how and why both need to be cultivated in our classrooms, for ensuring student success. Thus, in an attempt (both) to clarify and complicate how learning occurs in the classroom, this article is organized as follows: I have tried to operationally define the terms: intellectual safety (IS) and intellectual provocation (IP). These definitions stem from existing literature (which is scant) and from my own perspective. The subsequent sections focus on the process of learning, and how this process is influenced by the creation of IS and IP. I then touch upon the paradoxical tensions that educators grapple with, to foster deep learning among students. Finally, a conceptual model has been proposed to link the constructs of IS and IP, and how that may impact learning. I wish to stress that this is a work in progress, and this exploration is preliminary and not meant to be exhaustive or definitive.