---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Euclid taught me that without assumptions…"
description: "\"Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no proof. Therefore, in any argument, examine the assumptions.\" — Anonymous"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/anonymous-1_argument_euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumption_967942.jpg"
---

#  Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no…

![“Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no proof. Therefore, in any argument, examine the assumptions.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/anonymous-1_argument_euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumption_967942.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/anonymous-1_argument_euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumption_967942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/anonymous-1_argument_euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumption_967942.jpg)

> “Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no proof. Therefore, in any argument, examine the assumptions.”

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Assumptions are the foundation of logical proof; without them, arguments lack validity.

**In simple terms:** Proof needs assumptions.

Key Takeaway

Identify hidden premises.

Themes

logic critical thinking philosophy

Mood

analytical inquisitive

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- debates
- scientific research
- legal cases
- personal decisions

Key Concepts

epistemology foundationalism

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions underlie your conclusions?
- Are they justified?

A Different Perspective

Assumptions can be biased or unexamined.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Assumptions Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumptions-proof-1838904/) [Euclid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euclid/) [Euclid Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euclid-taught-1838906/) [Examine Assumptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/examine-assumptions-1838910/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Proof Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof-argument-1838908/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Assumptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-assumptions-1838911/)

## Related quotes

> [“The author called us to re-examine assumptions bequeathed to us from Greece and Rome. Just as a bridge built by the Roman Empire might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-august-schaeffer/the-author-called-us-to-re-examine-assumptions-bequeathed-to-us-from/)

[Francis August Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-august-schaeffer/)

> [Reductio ad absurdum, which Euclid loved so much, is one of a mathematician's finest weapons. It is a far finer gambit than any chess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reductio-ad-absurdum-which-euclid-loved-so-much-is-one-of-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is shocking that young people should be addling their brains over mere logical subtleties in Euclid's Elements, trying to understand the proof of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-heaviside/it-is-shocking-that-young-people-should-be-addling-their-brains-over/)

[Oliver Heaviside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-heaviside/)

> [Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare. Let all who prate of Beauty hold their peace, And lay them prone upon the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/euclid-alone-has-looked-on-beauty-bare-let-all-who-prate-of-beauty-2/)

[Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/)

> [ As to writing another book on geometry \[to replace Euclid\] the middle ages would have as soon thought of composing another New Testament. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-de-morgan/as-to-writing-another-book-on-geometry-to-replace-euclid-the-middle/)

[Augustus De Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-de-morgan/)

> [The early study of Euclid made me a hater of geometry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joseph-sylvester/the-early-study-of-euclid-made-me-a-hater-of-geometry/)

[James Joseph Sylvester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joseph-sylvester/)

> [I would say, if you like, that the party is like an out-moded mathematics...that is to say, the mathematics of Euclid. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/i-would-say-if-you-like-that-the-party-is-like-an-out-moded/)

[Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/)

> [“ Euclid 's Elements has been for nearly twenty-two centuries the encouragement and guide of that scientific thought which is one thing with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/euclid-s-elements-has-been-for-nearly-twenty-two-centuries-the/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [ \[T\]he 47th proposition in Euclid might now be voted down with as much ease as any proposition in politics; and therefore if Lord Hawkesbury… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/t-he-47th-proposition-in-euclid-might-now-be-voted-down-with-as-much/)

[Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/)

> [Euclid alone has looked on Beauty bare. Let all who prate of Beauty hold their peace, And lay them prone upon the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/euclid-alone-has-looked-on-beauty-bare-let-all-who-prate-of-beauty/)

[Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/)

> [I have given up newspapers in exchange for Tacitus and Thucydides, for Newton and Euclid; and I find myself much the happier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-have-given-up-newspapers-in-exchange-for-tacitus-and-thucydides-for/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The science of the church is neglected for the study of geometry, and they lose sight of Heaven while they are employed in measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-science-of-the-church-is-neglected-for-the-study-of-geometry-and/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [“Please give it up. Fear it no less than the sensual passion, because it, too, may take up all your time and deprive you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farkas-bolyai/please-give-it-up-fear-it-no-less-than-the-sensual-passion-because-it/)

[Farkas Bolyai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farkas-bolyai/)

> [Regular geometry, the geometry of Euclid, is concerned with shapes which are smooth, except perhaps for corners and lines, special lines which are singularities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/regular-geometry-the-geometry-of-euclid-is-concerned-with-shapes/)

[Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/)

> [“When one day Lagrange took out of his pocket a paper which he read at the Académe, and which contained a demonstration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-biot/when-one-day-lagrange-took-out-of-his-pocket-a-paper-which-he-read-at/)

[Jean-Baptiste Biot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-biot/)

## More by Anonymous

> [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More Argument quotes

> [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/)

[John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/)

> [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/)

[Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/)

[Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/)

> [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/)

[Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/)

> [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/)

[Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/)

> [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/)

[Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

[Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no proof. Therefore, in any argument, examine the assumptions.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anonymous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumptions-there-is-no-proof-therefore/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Argument"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumptions-there-is-no-proof-therefore/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/anonymous-1_argument_euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumption_967942.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/anonymous-1_argument_euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumption_967942.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3a/anonymous-1_argument_euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumption_967942.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Euclid taught me that without assumptions there is no proof. Therefore, in any argument, examine the…” — Anonymous",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anonymous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Euclid taught me that without assumptions...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumptions-there-is-no-proof-therefore/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/euclid-taught-me-that-without-assumptions-there-is-no-proof-therefore/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
