--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like most young physicists, when I was a…" description: "\"Like most young physicists, when I was a kid enraptured with physics, I thought, \"Everything can be explained by the theory of the atom!\" But as I've g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/adam-frank-37634_accounts_like-most-young-physicists-when-i-was-a_303977.jpg" --- # Like most young physicists, when I was a kid enraptured… ![“Like most young physicists, when I was a kid enraptured with physics, I thought, "Everything can be explained by the theory of the atom!" But as I've gotten older, and I look at the world, I think there's a lot of ways in which that kind of building up from the smallest building blocks doesn't…” quote by Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/adam-frank-37634_accounts_like-most-young-physicists-when-i-was-a_303977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/adam-frank-37634_accounts_like-most-young-physicists-when-i-was-a_303977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/adam-frank-37634_accounts_like-most-young-physicists-when-i-was-a_303977.jpg) > “Like most young physicists, when I was a kid enraptured with physics, I thought, "Everything can be explained by the theory of the atom!" But as I've gotten older, and I look at the world, I think there's a lot of ways in which that kind of building up from the smallest building blocks doesn't actually account for the world. As I've gotten older, I've also become sensitive to the ways - to all that is not amenable to explanation. Things that, even if you had an explanation, what good would it be?” [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects a shift from reductionist belief that all phenomena can be explained by fundamental particles to recognizing limits of such explanations and the value of mystery. **In simple terms:** Science alone can't explain everything; some things remain mysterious. Key Takeaway Embrace humility about what can be known. Themes science philosophy humility curiosity Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - research - public outreach - personal growth Key Concepts reductionism epistemology complexity Questions to Reflect On - What mysteries do you cherish? - How does uncertainty shape your worldview? A Different Perspective Not all valuable experiences are explainable; mystery can inspire wonder. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Amenable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amenable/) [Atoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atoms/) [Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/block/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Building blocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-blocks/) [Building up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building-up/) [Explained Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explained-theory-2247922/) [Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation/) [Explanation Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation-good-421594/) [Explanation Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation-things-2210676/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Physicist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physicist/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Physics Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics-thought-2897659/) [Sensitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensitive/) [Smallest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smallest/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Theory Atom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-atom-971822/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [ The vortex theory \[of the atom\] is only a dream. Itself unproven, it can prove nothing, and any speculations founded upon it are mere… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-kelvin/the-vortex-theory-of-the-atom-is-only-a-dream-itself-unproven-it-can/) [Lord Kelvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-kelvin/) > [ \[Barack Obama\] will spend long periods of time explaining to people why he won't use it. At the end of the explanation, nobody knows… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/barack-obama-will-spend-long-periods-of-time-explaining-to-people-why/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [For the people who believe, you don't have to explain, and for the people who don't believe, no explanation is good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-jarrett/for-the-people-who-believe-you-don-t-have-to-explain-and-for-the/) [Jeff Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-jarrett/) > [“Your explanation is good, but your herring doesn't fry, as we say in Ramaldah," he exploded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ashling/your-explanation-is-good-but-your-herring-doesn-t-fry-as-we-say-in/) [Andrew Ashling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ashling/) > [In arriving at the relevant theory about the specifics of our faculty of vision we will presumably use our eyes to gather relevant data.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/in-arriving-at-the-relevant-theory-about-the-specifics-of-our-faculty/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [Einstein explained his theory to me every day, and on my arrival I was fully convinced that he understood it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-weizmann/einstein-explained-his-theory-to-me-every-day-and-on-my-arrival-i-was/) [Chaim Weizmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-weizmann/) > [Since others have explained my theory, I can no longer understand it myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/since-others-have-explained-my-theory-i-can-no-longer-understand-it/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Some people would claim that things like love, joy and beauty belong to a different category from science and can't be described in scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/some-people-would-claim-that-things-like-love-joy-and-beauty-belong/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [There are many aspects of time we just do not understand. That’s the thing about writing a popular book: You realize the things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/there-are-many-aspects-of-time-we-just-do-not-understand-that-s-the/) [Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/) > [God is the explanation of all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/god-is-the-explanation-of-all-things/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [Christ is the explanation of all things, the key to life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-manser/christ-is-the-explanation-of-all-things-the-key-to-life-itself/) [Martin Manser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-manser/) > [We have this desire for everything to be explained to us. But if you go through your daily actions, very little ends up having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/we-have-this-desire-for-everything-to-be-explained-to-us-but-if-you/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I think it's an interesting thing to me, because we have this desire for everything to be explained to us. But if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-think-it-s-an-interesting-thing-to-me-because-we-have-this-desire/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“People believe in God because they don't have any other explanation for things that happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/people-believe-in-god-because-they-don-t-have-any-other-explanation/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Not everything needs an explanation. Sometimes things just happen because we choose for them to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-everything-needs-an-explanation-sometimes-things-just-happen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Adam Frank > [People love science and all it offers, but they also feel a calling in themselves to the sense of what's deeper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/people-love-science-and-all-it-offers-but-they-also-feel-a-calling-in/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [The ideas always have to be in service of the story. And that's what Scott and the writers did - they weren't trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/the-ideas-always-have-to-be-in-service-of-the-story-and-that-s-what/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [“Rather than make claims of final theories, perhaps we should focus on our ever-continuing dialogue with the universe. It is the dialogue that matters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/rather-than-make-claims-of-final-theories-perhaps-we-should-focus-on/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [People have been talking about multiverses as a philosophical idea for a long time. But the current incarnations in physics, I think, are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/people-have-been-talking-about-multiverses-as-a-philosophical-idea/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [New laws, new kinds of things can emerge as the universe evolves. The more moving parts you have in something, the more possibilities there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/new-laws-new-kinds-of-things-can-emerge-as-the-universe-evolves-the/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [Scientists and artists are both living in the cultural milieu that they come up in. They're always responding to what is happening culturally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/scientists-and-artists-are-both-living-in-the-cultural-milieu-that/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [The way superheroes dominate the fictional landscape now, along with dystopian futures and zombies. Yeah, definitely - I think these stories function as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/the-way-superheroes-dominate-the-fictional-landscape-now-along-with/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [Right now, culturally, we're seeing a really interesting evolution in ideas about spirituality and the world, right? The number of people who consider themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/right-now-culturally-we-re-seeing-a-really-interesting-evolution-in/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [I'm found of what's called emergence - as the universe gets more complex, new laws can emerge. Like evolution - there's things that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/i-m-found-of-what-s-called-emergence-as-the-universe-gets-more/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [Millennials, in particular, consider themselves to be spiritual, but they're not necessarily going to anybody's church. It's not like the world is becoming hardcore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/millennials-in-particular-consider-themselves-to-be-spiritual-but/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) > [There's not a single shred of evidence for the multiverse. If, in order to explain this universe, you need a theory that invents an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-frank/there-s-not-a-single-shred-of-evidence-for-the-multiverse-if-in-order/) [Adam Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) [Explore all 12 Adam Frank quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-frank/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. 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