--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am spellbound by the plays of…" description: "\"I am spellbound by the plays of Shakespeare. And I am spellbound by the second law of thermodynamics. The great ideas in science, like the Cro-Magnon p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/alan-lightman-2270_cultural-heritage_i-am-spellbound-by-the-plays-of-shakespe_2305161.png" --- # I am spellbound by the plays of Shakespeare. And I am… ![“I am spellbound by the plays of Shakespeare. And I am spellbound by the second law of thermodynamics. The great ideas in science, like the Cro-Magnon paintings and the plays of Shakespeare, are part of our cultural heritage.” quote by Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/alan-lightman-2270_cultural-heritage_i-am-spellbound-by-the-plays-of-shakespe_2305161.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/alan-lightman-2270_cultural-heritage_i-am-spellbound-by-the-plays-of-shakespe_2305161.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/alan-lightman-2270_cultural-heritage_i-am-spellbound-by-the-plays-of-shakespe_2305161.png) > “I am spellbound by the plays of Shakespeare. And I am spellbound by the second law of thermodynamics. The great ideas in science, like the Cro-Magnon paintings and the plays of Shakespeare, are part of our cultural heritage.” [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He links Shakespeare and thermodynamics as cultural heritage, highlighting humanity’s shared creative and scientific legacy. **In simple terms:** Art and science are shared human heritage. Key Takeaway Value both creative and scientific pursuits. Themes culture science art heritage Mood inspired thoughtful Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - education - public speaking - museum curation Key Concepts interdisciplinary thinking human creativity Questions to Reflect On - How do you integrate art and science? - What role does heritage play in modern innovation? A Different Perspective Balancing depth in both fields can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cultural heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural-heritage/) [Great idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-idea/) [Great ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-ideas/) [Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heritage/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thermodynamics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thermodynamics/) ## Related quotes > [If Thought is capable of beingclassed with Electricity, or Will with chemical affinity, asa mode of motion, it seems necessary to fall at once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-brooks-adams/if-thought-is-capable-of-beingclassed-with-electricity-or-will-with/) [Henry Brooks Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-brooks-adams/) > [The Second Law of Thermodynamics: If you think things are in a mess now, just wait!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-warner/the-second-law-of-thermodynamics-if-you-think-things-are-in-a-mess/) Jim Warner > [If Thought is capable of being classed with Electricity, or Will with chemical affinity, as a mode of motion, it seems necessary to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/if-thought-is-capable-of-being-classed-with-electricity-or-will-with/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“Cindy, have you heard of the second law of thermodynamics?” “Yes. 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All three are processes in which useful or accessible forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/nothing-in-life-is-certain-except-death-taxes-and-the-second-law-of/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [ Every heat engineer knows he can design his heat engine reliably and accurately on the foundation of the second law \[of thermodynamics\]. Run alongside… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/every-heat-engineer-knows-he-can-design-his-heat-engine-reliably-and/) [John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/) > [ “Second Law of Thermodynamics. The Second Law of Thermodynamics states, “\[A\]lthough the total energy in the cosmos remains constant, the amount of energy available… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-myers/second-law-of-thermodynamics-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics-states/) Jeff Myers > [A good many times I have been present at gatherings of people who, by the standards of the traditional culture, are thought highly educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-many-times-i-have-been-present-at-gatherings-of-people-who-by-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is often said that the progression from simple to complex runs counter to the normal statistics of chance that are formalized in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/it-is-often-said-that-the-progression-from-simple-to-complex-runs/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Just like a computer, we must remember things in the order in which entropy increases. This makes the second law of thermodynamics almost trivial.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/just-like-a-computer-we-must-remember-things-in-the-order-in-which/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Cost is always an object - the second law of thermodynamics sees to that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/cost-is-always-an-object-the-second-law-of-thermodynamics-sees-to-that/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [The algebraic sum of all the transformations occurring in a cyclical process can only be positive, or, as an extreme case, equal to nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-clausius/the-algebraic-sum-of-all-the-transformations-occurring-in-a-cyclical/) [Rudolf Clausius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-clausius/) > [Nothing in life is certain except death, taxes, and the second law of thermodynamics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/nothing-in-life-is-certain-except-death-taxes-and-the-second-law-of-2/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) ## More by Alan Lightman > [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Every reader gets something different from a book and every reader, in a sense, completes it in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/every-reader-gets-something-different-from-a-book-and-every-reader-in/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > ["The Diagnosis" is by far my most ambitious book. I such great hopes for it... there was so much I wanted to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/the-diagnosis-is-by-far-my-most-ambitious-book-i-such-great-hopes-for/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [As long as God does not intervene in the contemporary universe in such a way as to violate physical laws, science has no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/as-long-as-god-does-not-intervene-in-the-contemporary-universe-in/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Except for a God who sits down after the universe begins, all other gods conflict with the assumptions of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/except-for-a-god-who-sits-down-after-the-universe-begins-all-other/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Each person who gets stuck in time gets stuck alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/each-person-who-gets-stuck-in-time-gets-stuck-alone/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [A writer is someone who has a one-man tent in the desert and occasionally he sees the footprint of an other writer - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/a-writer-is-someone-who-has-a-one-man-tent-in-the-desert-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Time is a rigid, bonelike structure, extending infinitely ahead and behind, fossilizing the future as well as the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/time-is-a-rigid-bonelike-structure-extending-infinitely-ahead-and/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [For me, spirituality includes the belief in things larger than ourselves, an appreciation of nature and beauty, a sensitivity to the world, a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/for-me-spirituality-includes-the-belief-in-things-larger-than/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Writers are a loosely knit community - community is an overstated word. Writers don't see each other very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/writers-are-a-loosely-knit-community-community-is-an-overstated-word/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Imagine a world in which there is no time. Only images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/imagine-a-world-in-which-there-is-no-time-only-images/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [Time is the clarity for seeing right and wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/time-is-the-clarity-for-seeing-right-and-wrong/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [In this world, time has three dimensions, like space. Just as an object may move in three perpendicular directions, corresponding to horizontal, vertical, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-this-world-time-has-three-dimensions-like-space-just-as-an-object/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [In this world, there are two times. There is mechanical time and there is body time." "They do not keep clocks in their houses.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-this-world-there-are-two-times-there-is-mechanical-time-and-there/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) [Explore all 174 Alan Lightman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) ## More Cultural heritage quotes > [Demographically, I'm a hippie from San Francisco and I'm not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/demographically-i-m-a-hippie-from-san-francisco-and-i-m-not/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [The world is getting more connected through technology and travel. Cuisines are evolving. Some people are scared of globalization, but I think people will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/the-world-is-getting-more-connected-through-technology-and-travel/) [John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/) > [With a basic understanding of all humans as brothers and sisters, we can appreciate the usefulness of different systems and ideologies that can accommodate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/with-a-basic-understanding-of-all-humans-as-brothers-and-sisters-we/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The sickly cultural pathos which the whole of France indulges in, that fetishism of the cultural heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/the-sickly-cultural-pathos-which-the-whole-of-france-indulges-in-that/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [My responsibility is to save Tibet, to protect its ancient cultural heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/my-responsibility-is-to-save-tibet-to-protect-its-ancient-cultural/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The hungry and the homeless don't care about liberty any more than they care about cultural heritage. To pretend that they do care is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/the-hungry-and-the-homeless-don-t-care-about-liberty-any-more-than/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [“Norman Rockwell saved my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-allen-petrick/norman-rockwell-saved-my-life/) Jane Allen Petrick > [Today, due to the massive Chinese population transfer, the nation of Tibet truly faces the threat of extinction, along with its unique cultural heritage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/today-due-to-the-massive-chinese-population-transfer-the-nation-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The German people of today bear no guilt. Why are the German people not permitted the right to defend themselves? Why are the crimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/the-german-people-of-today-bear-no-guilt-why-are-the-german-people/) [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/) > [But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/but-like-all-power-there-are-those-who-want-to-keep-it-for-themselves/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [The interests of the deaf child and his parents may best be served by accepting that he is a deaf person, with an elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-lane/the-interests-of-the-deaf-child-and-his-parents-may-best-be-served-by/) Harlan Lane > [Bengali and Malayalam industries are driven by sensible and subtle stories that people can relate to due to the states' literary and cultural heritage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rituparna-sengupta/bengali-and-malayalam-industries-are-driven-by-sensible-and-subtle/) [Rituparna Sengupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rituparna-sengupta/) > [By giving our audience intimate access to the lives of musicians, we hope to raise awareness of the region's beautiful cultural heritage and present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy/by-giving-our-audience-intimate-access-to-the-lives-of-musicians-we/) [Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharmeen-obaid-chinoy/) > [What would you do in order to marry Sophia Loren? I think anyone would become French to marry Sophia Loren. Love was more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edoardo-ponti/what-would-you-do-in-order-to-marry-sophia-loren-i-think-anyone-would/) [Edoardo Ponti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edoardo-ponti/) > [“Museums hold collections in trust for future generations. It is our responsibility to see that these objects—representing the cultural heritage of more than 8,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-witchey/museums-hold-collections-in-trust-for-future-generations-it-is-our/) Holly Witchey [Browse all 89 Cultural heritage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural-heritage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am spellbound by the plays of Shakespeare. And I am spellbound by the second law of thermodynamics. 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