--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's many a true word spoken in jest…" description: "\"There's many a true word spoken in jest; scientists are abominably solemn; therefore scientists miss many a true word.\" — Anthony Standen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ad/anthony-standen-20041_jest_there-s-many-a-true-word-spoken-in-jest_934819.jpg" --- # There's many a true word spoken in jest; scientists are… ![“There's many a true word spoken in jest; scientists are abominably solemn; therefore scientists miss many a true word.” quote by Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ad/anthony-standen-20041_jest_there-s-many-a-true-word-spoken-in-jest_934819.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ad/anthony-standen-20041_jest_there-s-many-a-true-word-spoken-in-jest_934819.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ad/anthony-standen-20041_jest_there-s-many-a-true-word-spoken-in-jest_934819.jpg) > “There's many a true word spoken in jest; scientists are abominably solemn; therefore scientists miss many a true word.” [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientists often miss humor because they take themselves too seriously, losing insight that jokes can reveal. **In simple terms:** Scientists miss truth in jokes. Key Takeaway Balance seriousness with humor. Themes science humor communication Mood reflective lighthearted Type advice observational When to use this quote - research meetings - public talks - science outreach Key Concepts cognitive bias social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can scientists use humor without losing authority? - When does seriousness hinder discovery? A Different Perspective Humor can undermine perceived credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jest/) [Jest Scientists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jest-scientists-1551611/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Scientists Abominably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists-abominably-1551612/) [Scientists Miss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists-miss-1551610/) [Solemn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solemn/) [Solemn Scientists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solemn-scientists-1551609/) [Spoken Jest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoken-jest-1548171/) [True words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-words/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [There's many a true word spoken in jest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/there-s-many-a-true-word-spoken-in-jest/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Many a true word is spoken in jest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/many-a-true-word-is-spoken-in-jest/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) > [Many true words are spoken in jest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/many-true-words-are-spoken-in-jest/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [One reason citizens, politicians and university donors sometimes lack confidence in the social sciences is that social scientists too often miss the chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-christakis/one-reason-citizens-politicians-and-university-donors-sometimes-lack/) [Nicholas A. Christakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-christakis/) > [If anything is spoken in jest, it is not fair to turn it to earnest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/if-anything-is-spoken-in-jest-it-is-not-fair-to-turn-it-to-earnest/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Many wise words are spoken in jest, but they don't compare with the number of stupid words spoken in earnest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/many-wise-words-are-spoken-in-jest-but-they-don-t-compare-with-the/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) > [Many a true word hath been spoken in jest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/many-a-true-word-hath-been-spoken-in-jest/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“There is power in words. There are words that bid us laugh and make us weep. Words to begin with and words to end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-kristoff/there-is-power-in-words-there-are-words-that-bid-us-laugh-and-make-us/) [Jay Kristoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-kristoff/) > [Sweet words are not always true. True words are not always sweet. But no matter what words can say, Actions will always tell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/sweet-words-are-not-always-true-true-words-are-not-always-sweet-but/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“What makes a writer successful is not money or fame (though both are nice) ... it's that in being true to her or himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyoko-hikiji/what-makes-a-writer-successful-is-not-money-or-fame-though-both-are/) [Miyoko Hikiji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyoko-hikiji/) > [Worthless words to those who leave, but still very true words. 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Barant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-d-barant/) > [“To search for the truth is to seek the true words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/to-search-for-the-truth-is-to-seek-the-true-words/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [It is a good and safe rule to sojourn in every place as if you meant to spend your life there, never omitting an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-is-a-good-and-safe-rule-to-sojourn-in-every-place-as-if-you-meant/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) ## More by Anthony Standen > [The velocity of light occupies an extraordinary place in modern physics. It is lèse-majesté to make any criticism of the velocity of light. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/the-velocity-of-light-occupies-an-extraordinary-place-in-modern/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [The really important questions in human life are hardly touched upon by psychologists. Do liars come to believe their own lies? Is pleasure the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/the-really-important-questions-in-human-life-are-hardly-touched-upon/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [If you want to understand human beings, there are plenty of people to go to besides psychologists… Most of these people are incapable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/if-you-want-to-understand-human-beings-there-are-plenty-of-people-to/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Survival of the fittest led to "nature red in tooth and claw" and this is not sufficiently wishy-washy for modern scientists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/survival-of-the-fittest-led-to-nature-red-in-tooth-and-claw-and-this/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Scientists are convinced that they, as scientists, possess a number of very admirable human qualities, such as accuracy, observation, reasoning power, intellectual curiosity, tolerance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/scientists-are-convinced-that-they-as-scientists-possess-a-number-of/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [But regular biology, as an "ology," has to be "scientific," and this means in practice that it has to be made dull… Everything has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/but-regular-biology-as-an-ology-has-to-be-scientific-and-this-means/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [A biologist, if he wishes to know how many toes a cat has, does not "frame the hypothesis that the number of feline digital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/a-biologist-if-he-wishes-to-know-how-many-toes-a-cat-has-does-not/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [The dreadful cocksureness that is characteristic of scientists in bulk is not only quite foreign to the spirit of true science, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/the-dreadful-cocksureness-that-is-characteristic-of-scientists-in/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Chemists are, on the whole, like physicists, only 'less so'.They don't make quite the same wonderful mistakes, and much what they do is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/chemists-are-on-the-whole-like-physicists-only-less-so-they-don-t/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [The first thing to realize about physics ... is its extraordinary indirectness… For physics is not about the real world, it is about "abstractions"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/the-first-thing-to-realize-about-physics-is-its-extraordinary/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [If this "critical openminded attitude" ... is wanted, the question at once arises, Is it science that should be studied in order to achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/if-this-critical-openminded-attitude-is-wanted-the-question-at-once/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Education, like everything else, goes in fads, and has the normal human tendency to put up with something bad for just so long, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/education-like-everything-else-goes-in-fads-and-has-the-normal-human/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Physical scientists probably deserve the reputation they enjoy for incorruptibility and unswerving devotion to pure truth. The reason for this is that it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/physical-scientists-probably-deserve-the-reputation-they-enjoy-for/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Such instances of the almost infinite unpredictability of man are known to social scientists, but they are no more affected by them than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/such-instances-of-the-almost-infinite-unpredictability-of-man-are/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [The theory that gravitational attraction is inversely proportional to the square of the distance leads by remorseless logic to the conclusion that the path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/the-theory-that-gravitational-attraction-is-inversely-proportional-to/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) [Explore all 31 Anthony Standen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) ## More Jest quotes > [“Życie przeważnie jest smutne. 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If it were not for that, for the effect of kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-the-history-of-our-kindnesses-that-alone-make-this-world/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [A prison! heav'ns, I loath the hated name, Famine's metropolis, the sink of shame, A nauseous sepulchre, whose craving womb Hourly inters poor mortals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/a-prison-heav-ns-i-loath-the-hated-name-famine-s-metropolis-the-sink/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [There's many a true word spoken in jest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/there-s-many-a-true-word-spoken-in-jest/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“Know, O beloved, that man was not created in jest or at random, but marvellously made and for some great end. 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