--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course, relative citation frequencies…" description: "\"Of course, relative citation frequencies are no measure of relative importance. Who has not aspired to write a paper so fundamental that very soon it i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/abraham-pais-24808_importance_of-course-relative-citation-frequencies_322275.png" --- # Of course, relative citation frequencies are no measure of… ![“Of course, relative citation frequencies are no measure of relative importance. Who has not aspired to write a paper so fundamental that very soon it is known to everyone and cited by no one?” quote by Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/abraham-pais-24808_importance_of-course-relative-citation-frequencies_322275.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/abraham-pais-24808_importance_of-course-relative-citation-frequencies_322275.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/abraham-pais-24808_importance_of-course-relative-citation-frequencies_322275.png) > “Of course, relative citation frequencies are no measure of relative importance. Who has not aspired to write a paper so fundamental that very soon it is known to everyone and cited by no one?” [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Citation counts don’t reflect a work’s true significance. **In simple terms:** Citations aren’t the only measure of importance. Key Takeaway Seek impact beyond metrics. Themes science metrics impact recognition Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - academic publishing - research evaluation - funding decisions Key Concepts bibliometrics knowledge diffusion Questions to Reflect On - What truly defines a seminal work? - How can we assess importance without citation numbers? A Different Perspective Highly cited papers can be shallow; low citation doesn’t mean low value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Citation Frequencies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citation-frequencies-3035474/) [Cited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cited-3035476/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Known Cited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-cited-3035477/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Relative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative/) [Relative Citation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative-citation-3035475/) [Relative Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relative-importance-1498187/) ## Related quotes > [It is rather a problem of how to secure the best use of resources known to any of the members of society, for ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/it-is-rather-a-problem-of-how-to-secure-the-best-use-of-resources/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) > [The true test of any scholar's work is not what his contemporaries say, but what happens to his work in the next 25 or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/the-true-test-of-any-scholar-s-work-is-not-what-his-contemporaries-3/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [In an ideal world, you might imagine that scientific papers were only cited by academics on the basis of their content. This might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/in-an-ideal-world-you-might-imagine-that-scientific-papers-were-only/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [People tend to assess the relative importance of issues by the ease with which they are retrieved from memory—and this is largely determined by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/people-tend-to-assess-the-relative-importance-of-issues-by-the-ease-3/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“People tend to assess the relative importance of issues by the ease with which they are retrieved from memory—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/people-tend-to-assess-the-relative-importance-of-issues-by-the-ease-2/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Every psychological event depends upon the state of the person and at the same time on the environment, although their relative importance is different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-lewin/every-psychological-event-depends-upon-the-state-of-the-person-and-at/) [Kurt Lewin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-lewin/) > [“People tend to assess the relative importance of issues by the ease with which they are retrieved from memory—and this is largely determined by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/people-tend-to-assess-the-relative-importance-of-issues-by-the-ease/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Relative to its importance, the brain is the most underappreciated opportunity in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-johnson/relative-to-its-importance-the-brain-is-the-most-underappreciated/) [Bryan Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-johnson/) > [First and foremost I feel I am a child of God …Today I think that everything matters, but like a nice game of relative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-de-luca/first-and-foremost-i-feel-i-am-a-child-of-god-today-i-think-that/) [Augusto De Luca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-de-luca/) > [We do not see and estimate the relative importance of objects so easily and clearly from the level or the waving land as from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/we-do-not-see-and-estimate-the-relative-importance-of-objects-so/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [“For example, students of policy have noted that the availability heuristic helps explain why some issues are highly salient in the public’s mind while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/for-example-students-of-policy-have-noted-that-the-availability/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [“In thinking about the relative importance of great relationships and money, it was clear that relationships were more important because there is no amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/in-thinking-about-the-relative-importance-of-great-relationships-and/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) ## More by Abraham Pais > [There is not a soul on Earth who can read the deluge of physics publications in its entirety. As a result, it is sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/there-is-not-a-soul-on-earth-who-can-read-the-deluge-of-physics/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [One of the things I learned, one of the strangest things, is how to think. There was nothing else to do. I couldn't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/one-of-the-things-i-learned-one-of-the-strangest-things-is-how-to/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [“Special relativity killed the classical dream of using the energy-momentum-velocity relations of a particle as a means of probing the dynamic origins of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/special-relativity-killed-the-classical-dream-of-using-the-energy/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [Some years ago John Kenneth Galbraith wrote in an essay on his efforts at writing a history of economics: 'As one approaches the present,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/some-years-ago-john-kenneth-galbraith-wrote-in-an-essay-on-his/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [“All modern work on unification may be said to represent a program of geometrization that resembles Einstein's earlier attempts, although the manifold subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/all-modern-work-on-unification-may-be-said-to-represent-a-program-of/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [“Promising steps have been made toward grand unification, the union of weak, electromagnetic, and strong interactions in one compact, non-Abelian gauge group. In most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/promising-steps-have-been-made-toward-grand-unification-the-union-of/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [I knew all the time I was going to get through the war. It was completely irrational, a silly idea, but I was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/i-knew-all-the-time-i-was-going-to-get-through-the-war-it-was/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [ \[George\] Uhlenbeck was a highly gifted physicist. One of his remarkable traits was he would read every issue of T%he Physical Review from cover… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/george-uhlenbeck-was-a-highly-gifted-physicist-one-of-his-remarkable/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [Deliberately or not, every author is of course present in every book he or she writes - even in a scientific text.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/deliberately-or-not-every-author-is-of-course-present-in-every-book/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [To make a discovery is not necessarily the same as to understand a discovery. Not only Planck but also other physicists were intially at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/to-make-a-discovery-is-not-necessarily-the-same-as-to-understand-a/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [The rule of the game was never assume that anybody, however honorable, would be able to stand up under torture. If Mr. X, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/the-rule-of-the-game-was-never-assume-that-anybody-however-honorable/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [“The preceding collection of stories about Einstein the young boy demonstrates the remarkable extent to which his most characteristic personal traits were native rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/the-preceding-collection-of-stories-about-einstein-the-young-boy/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [“The ultimate unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions has probably not yet been achieved, but a solid beach-head appears to have been established in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/the-ultimate-unification-of-weak-and-electromagnetic-interactions-has/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [Once I even took the train to Utrecht, forty miles from Amsterdam, with my yellow star, this star which I still have. Why did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/once-i-even-took-the-train-to-utrecht-forty-miles-from-amsterdam-with/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) > [“He understood that the sources of the gravitational field were not just ponderable matter but also field energy. He realized that gravitational field energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-pais/he-understood-that-the-sources-of-the-gravitational-field-were-not/) [Abraham Pais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) [Explore all 24 Abraham Pais quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-pais/) ## More Importance quotes > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We never realize the importance of any our action until we be the hunt of same situation in reaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fadi/we-never-realize-the-importance-of-any-our-action-until-we-be-the/) [Fadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fadi/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [To give importance to trifling matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heywood/to-give-importance-to-trifling-matters/) [John Heywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heywood/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [Love of books is the best of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-kennedy/love-of-books-is-the-best-of-all/) [Jackie Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-kennedy/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [To speak of it would be giving importance to that which has none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-speak-of-it-would-be-giving-importance-to-that-which-has-none/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [It's pointless to be critical of your stuff once it's done. I don't spend a lot of time agonising over it. It's of no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/it-s-pointless-to-be-critical-of-your-stuff-once-it-s-done-i-don-t/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Don't minimize the importance of luck in determining life's course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-trebek/don-t-minimize-the-importance-of-luck-in-determining-life-s-course/) [Alex Trebek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-trebek/) > [For a successful revolution it is not enough that there is discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of the justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/for-a-successful-revolution-it-is-not-enough-that-there-is-discontent/) [B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) > [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/) [Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/) [Browse all 3,155 Importance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of course, relative citation frequencies are no measure of relative importance. 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