--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The determination of the average man is…" description: "\"The determination of the average man is not merely a matter of speculative curiosity; it may be of the most important service to the science of man and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45f/adolphe-quetelet-60498_apprehension_the-determination-of-the-average-man-is_2598842.png" --- # The determination of the average man is not merely a… ![“The determination of the average man is not merely a matter of speculative curiosity; it may be of the most important service to the science of man and the social system. It ought necessarily to precede every other inquiry into social physics, since it is, as it were, the basis. The average man…” quote by Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45f/adolphe-quetelet-60498_apprehension_the-determination-of-the-average-man-is_2598842.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45f/adolphe-quetelet-60498_apprehension_the-determination-of-the-average-man-is_2598842.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45f/adolphe-quetelet-60498_apprehension_the-determination-of-the-average-man-is_2598842.png) > “The determination of the average man is not merely a matter of speculative curiosity; it may be of the most important service to the science of man and the social system. It ought necessarily to precede every other inquiry into social physics, since it is, as it were, the basis. The average man, indeed, is in a nation what the centre of gravity is in a body; it is by having that central point in view that we arrive at the apprehension of all the phenomena of equilibrium and motion.” [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding the average person is essential for studying society, as it provides a central reference point for analyzing social dynamics. **In simple terms:** Studying the average helps explain social behavior. Key Takeaway Focus research on average characteristics. Themes sociology statistics human behavior equilibrium systems theory Mood analytical reflective objective Type theoretical informative foundational When to use this quote - public policy design - urban planning - market research - health epidemiology - education reform Key Concepts mean central tendency social physics population analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on averages affect minority groups? - What methods reveal hidden diversity beyond the mean? A Different Perspective Average data can mask important variations and minorities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apprehension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprehension/) [Average man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-man/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Equilibrium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equilibrium/) [Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) [Inquiry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inquiry/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) ## Related quotes > [The feeling of gravity on your body and then off your body is so traumatic. But incredible. We with Tom Cruise were just like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabelle-wallis/the-feeling-of-gravity-on-your-body-and-then-off-your-body-is-so/) [Annabelle Wallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabelle-wallis/) > [“Put another way, social physics is about how human behavior is driven by the exchange of ideas—how people cooperate to discover, select, and learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-pentland/put-another-way-social-physics-is-about-how-human-behavior-is-driven/) Alex Pentland > [After Montesquieu, the next great addition to Sociology (which is the term I may be allowed to invent to designate Social Physics) was made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-comte/after-montesquieu-the-next-great-addition-to-sociology-which-is-the/) [Auguste Comte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-comte/) > [My father is strong in his legs, and I think I get that from him. I am stronger there than in my upper body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luka-modric/my-father-is-strong-in-his-legs-and-i-think-i-get-that-from-him-i-am/) [Luka Modric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luka-modric/) > [Each nationality contains its centre of happiness within itself, as a bullet the centre of gravity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-gottfried-herder/each-nationality-contains-its-centre-of-happiness-within-itself-as-a/) [Johann Gottfried Herder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-gottfried-herder/) > [The centre of gravity of any parallelogram lies on the straight line joining the middle points of opposite sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archimedes/the-centre-of-gravity-of-any-parallelogram-lies-on-the-straight-line/) [Archimedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archimedes/) > [I like to think I've changed the centre of gravity on lots of national debates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/i-like-to-think-i-ve-changed-the-centre-of-gravity-on-lots-of/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [The key issue is the shift of the centre of gravity from the West to the East, the rise of China and India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-schwab/the-key-issue-is-the-shift-of-the-centre-of-gravity-from-the-west-to/) [Klaus Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-schwab/) > [I'm six-foot-five, so it's not easy to be like Ferrer with a very low centre of gravity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-tomic/i-m-six-foot-five-so-it-s-not-easy-to-be-like-ferrer-with-a-very-low/) [Bernard Tomic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-tomic/) > [The centre of gravity of any cylinder is the point of bisection of the axis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archimedes/the-centre-of-gravity-of-any-cylinder-is-the-point-of-bisection-of/) [Archimedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archimedes/) > [It follows at once from the last proposition that the centre of gravity of any triangle is at the intersection of the lines drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archimedes/it-follows-at-once-from-the-last-proposition-that-the-centre-of/) [Archimedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archimedes/) > [It is a mathematical fact that the casting of this pebble from my hand alters the centre of gravity of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/it-is-a-mathematical-fact-that-the-casting-of-this-pebble-from-my/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Opinion is like a pendulum and obeys the same law. If it goes past the centre of gravity on one side, it must go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/opinion-is-like-a-pendulum-and-obeys-the-same-law-if-it-goes-past-the/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [The average man. The emergence of the concept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/the-average-man-the-emergence-of-the-concept/) [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) > [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' I say, 'Well, how high was it?' They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chael-sonnen/my-phone-rings-they-call-me-up-and-say-chael-your-testosterone-level/) [Chael Sonnen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chael-sonnen/) ## More by Adolphe Quetelet > [Whether statistics be an art or a science... or a scientific art, we concern ourselves little. It is the basis of social and political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/whether-statistics-be-an-art-or-a-science-or-a-scientific-art-we/) [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) > [It would appear... that moral phenomena, when observed on a great scale, are found to resemble physical phenomena; and we thus arrive, in inquiries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/it-would-appear-that-moral-phenomena-when-observed-on-a-great-scale/) [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) > [The average man. The emergence of the concept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/the-average-man-the-emergence-of-the-concept/) [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) > [The more progress physical sciences make, the more they tend to enter the domain of mathematics, which is a kind of centre to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolphe-quetelet/the-more-progress-physical-sciences-make-the-more-they-tend-to-enter/) [Adolphe Quetelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) [Explore all 5 Adolphe Quetelet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolphe-quetelet/) ## More Apprehension quotes > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [Perhapsthemost sublimeinsights oftheJewishprophets and the Christian gospel is the knowledge that since perfection is love, the apprehension of perfection is at once the means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/perhapsthemost-sublimeinsights-ofthejewishprophets-and-the-christian/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The apprehension whether people will like it or not also doesn't bother me much. I've always done my work with a gut feeling that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiku-sharda/the-apprehension-whether-people-will-like-it-or-not-also-doesn-t/) [Kiku Sharda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiku-sharda/) > [LIFE, n. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay. We live in daily apprehension of its loss; yet when lost it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/life-n-a-spiritual-pickle-preserving-the-body-from-decay-we-live-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Man may feel like a feeble and powerless pawn, at some moment in his life. This apprehension can come out of the blue, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/man-may-feel-like-a-feeble-and-powerless-pawn-at-some-moment-in-his/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [We stand for organized terror - this should be frankly admitted. Terror is an absolute necessity during times of revolution. Our aim is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dzerzhinsky/we-stand-for-organized-terror-this-should-be-frankly-admitted-terror/) Felix Dzerzhinsky > [The regulation of commerce, it is true, is a new power; but that seems to be an addition which few oppose and from which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-regulation-of-commerce-it-is-true-is-a-new-power-but-that-seems/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [As a father and grandfather, I have witnessed firsthand the joy of new life entering the world. I know the pain and apprehension that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/as-a-father-and-grandfather-i-have-witnessed-firsthand-the-joy-of-new/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [Lord, enlighten thou our enemies. Sharpen their wits, give acuteness to their perceptions, and consecutiveness and clearness to their reasoning powers: we are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/lord-enlighten-thou-our-enemies-sharpen-their-wits-give-acuteness-to/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The sense of death is most in apprehension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-sense-of-death-is-most-in-apprehension/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Since philosophy is the exploration of the rational, it is for that very reason the apprehension of the present and the actual, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/since-philosophy-is-the-exploration-of-the-rational-it-is-for-that/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Injustice is not evil in itself, but only in the fear and apprehension that one will not escape those who have been set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/injustice-is-not-evil-in-itself-but-only-in-the-fear-and-apprehension/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [The fact about himself that the liar hides is that he is attempting to lead us away from a correct apprehension of reality; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-frankfurt/the-fact-about-himself-that-the-liar-hides-is-that-he-is-attempting/) [Harry Frankfurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-frankfurt/) > [“A person can hurry through or sleep walk through life, but whenever they stop to catch their breath or awaken from a long nap,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-can-hurry-through-or-sleep-walk-through-life-but-whenever/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) [Browse all 258 Apprehension quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprehension/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The determination of the average man is not merely a matter of speculative curiosity; it may be of the most important service to the science of man and the social system. It ought necessarily to precede every other inquiry into social physics, since it is, as it were, the basis. 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