--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At no period of [Michael Faraday's]…" description: "\"At no period of [Michael Faraday's] unmatched career was he interested in utility. He was absorbed in disentangling the riddles of the universe, at fir..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/abraham-flexner-29762_careers_at-no-period-of-michael-faraday-s-unmatc_2311712.jpg" --- # At no period of \[Michael Faraday's\] unmatched career was… ![“At no period of [Michael Faraday's] unmatched career was he interested in utility. He was absorbed in disentangling the riddles of the universe, at first chemical riddles, in later periods, physical riddles. As far as he cared, the question of utility was never raised. Any suspicion of utility…” quote by Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/abraham-flexner-29762_careers_at-no-period-of-michael-faraday-s-unmatc_2311712.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/abraham-flexner-29762_careers_at-no-period-of-michael-faraday-s-unmatc_2311712.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/abraham-flexner-29762_careers_at-no-period-of-michael-faraday-s-unmatc_2311712.jpg) > “At no period of \[Michael Faraday's\] unmatched career was he interested in utility. He was absorbed in disentangling the riddles of the universe, at first chemical riddles, in later periods, physical riddles. As far as he cared, the question of utility was never raised. Any suspicion of utility would have restricted his restless curiosity. In the end, utility resulted, but it was never a criterion to which his ceaseless experimentation could be subjected.” [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Faraday pursued pure curiosity over practical use, letting discovery guide value rather than utility. **In simple terms:** He valued curiosity over usefulness. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity first. Themes science curiosity innovation Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - research labs - educational curricula - personal projects - policy making Key Concepts philosophy of science intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance curiosity with societal needs? - What risks arise from ignoring utility? A Different Perspective Pure curiosity may not always yield immediate practical benefits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Experimentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experimentation/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faraday/) [Restless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restless/) [Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riddle/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Suspicion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspicion/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [“Michael Faraday decided to see if he could generate electricity using magnetism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manjit-kumar/michael-faraday-decided-to-see-if-he-could-generate-electricity-using/) [Manjit Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manjit-kumar/) > [ “Underneath his sweetness and gentleness was the heat of a volcano. \[Michael Faraday\] was a man of excitable and fiery nature; but through high… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyndall/underneath-his-sweetness-and-gentleness-was-the-heat-of-a-volcano/) [John Tyndall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyndall/) > [“Taking him for all and all, I think it will be conceded that Michael Faraday was the greatest experimental philosopher the world has ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyndall/taking-him-for-all-and-all-i-think-it-will-be-conceded-that-michael/) [John Tyndall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyndall/) > [Tyndall, ... I must remain plain Michael Faraday to the last; and let me now tell you, that if accepted the honour which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-faraday/tyndall-i-must-remain-plain-michael-faraday-to-the-last-and-let-me/) [Michael Faraday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-faraday/) > [The theory of evolution was not formally published until shortly before Faraday's death. Evolution was yet to be discovered during Faraday's life. Also, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/the-theory-of-evolution-was-not-formally-published-until-shortly/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Tell him solitude is creative if he is strong and the final decisions are made in silent rooms. Tell him to be different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/tell-him-solitude-is-creative-if-he-is-strong-and-the-final-decisions/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [The fact that Newton and Michael Faraday and other scientists of the past were deeply religious shows that religious skepticism is not a prejudice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/the-fact-that-newton-and-michael-faraday-and-other-scientists-of-the/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [“ Ohm found that the results could be summed up in such a simple law that he who runs may read it, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-heaviside/ohm-found-that-the-results-could-be-summed-up-in-such-a-simple-law/) [Oliver Heaviside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-heaviside/) > [The most startling result of Faraday's Law is perhaps this. If we accept the hypothesis that the elementary substances are composed of atoms, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-startling-result-of-faraday-s-law-is-perhaps-this-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ “To him \[Faraday\], as to all true philosophers, the main value of a fact was its position and suggestiveness in the general sequence of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tyndall/to-him-faraday-as-to-all-true-philosophers-the-main-value-of-a-fact/) [John Tyndall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tyndall/) > [“ Dewar 's rule in his laboratory was as absolute as that of a Pharaoh, and he showed deference to no one except the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-mendelssohn/dewar-s-rule-in-his-laboratory-was-as-absolute-as-that-of-a-pharaoh/) Kurt Mendelssohn > [“I do regard the Faraday cage as biologically toxic to humans and metal buildings should be avoided by those that like their good health!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-do-regard-the-faraday-cage-as-biologically-toxic-to-humans-and/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“When we consider the magnitude and extent of his discoveries and their influence on the progress of science and of industry, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/when-we-consider-the-magnitude-and-extent-of-his-discoveries-and/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“Mighty men of science and mighty deeds. A Newton who binds the universe together in uniform law; Lagrange, Laplace, Leibnitz with their wondrous mathematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-william-sanderson/mighty-men-of-science-and-mighty-deeds-a-newton-who-binds-the/) Frederick William Sanderson > [“One field Faraday studied was the electric field. This is not a number but a vector, which we may visualize as an arrow and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/one-field-faraday-studied-was-the-electric-field-this-is-not-a-number/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) ## More by Abraham Flexner > [Medical education is not just a program for building knowledge and skills in its recipients... it is also an experience which creates attitudes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/medical-education-is-not-just-a-program-for-building-knowledge-and/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [Mathematicians, like cows in the dark, all look alike to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/mathematicians-like-cows-in-the-dark-all-look-alike-to-me/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [We feel strongly that the spirit characteristic of America at its noblest, above all the pursuit of higher learning, cannot admit of any conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/we-feel-strongly-that-the-spirit-characteristic-of-america-at-its/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [A patient had a 50-50 chance of benefiting from visiting a physician as of 1910. Medicine was more like voodoo than science until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/a-patient-had-a-50-50-chance-of-benefiting-from-visiting-a-physician/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [There are men who teach best by not teaching at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/there-are-men-who-teach-best-by-not-teaching-at-all/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [The new naval treaty permits the United States to spend a billion dollars on warships-a sum greater than has been accumulated by all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/the-new-naval-treaty-permits-the-united-states-to-spend-a-billion/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [There are men that teach best by not teaching at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/there-are-men-that-teach-best-by-not-teaching-at-all/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [You have had your last bad meal. But, you have also heard your last honest compliment, and you have lost your last true friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/you-have-had-your-last-bad-meal-but-you-have-also-heard-your-last/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [The real enemy is the man who tries to mold the human spirit so that it will not dare to spread its wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/the-real-enemy-is-the-man-who-tries-to-mold-the-human-spirit-so-that/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [The student is to collect and evaluate facts. The facts are locked up in the patient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/the-student-is-to-collect-and-evaluate-facts-the-facts-are-locked-up/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [The world in which we live is the only world about which our senses can testify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/the-world-in-which-we-live-is-the-only-world-about-which-our-senses/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [Science, in the very act of solving problems, creates more of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/science-in-the-very-act-of-solving-problems-creates-more-of-them/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [We must not overlook the role that extremists play. They are the gadflies that keep society from being too complacent or self-satisfied; they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/we-must-not-overlook-the-role-that-extremists-play-they-are-the/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [Curiosity, which may or may not eventuate in something useful, is probably the most outstanding characteristic of modern thinking ... Institutions of learning should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/curiosity-which-may-or-may-not-eventuate-in-something-useful-is/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [“Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/nations-have-recently-been-led-to-borrow-billions-for-war-no-nation/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) [Explore all 18 Abraham Flexner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) ## More Careers quotes > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I don't like being away from home. 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My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [What has drug addiction done for me? It's cost me my career, my fortune and basically my sex life when I found out I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbin-crosby/what-has-drug-addiction-done-for-me-it-s-cost-me-my-career-my-fortune/) Robbin Crosby > [There is so much temptation to hold on to my career even more now. To try to micromanage and dictate every little aspect. 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