--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Einstein's space is no closer to reality…" description: "\"Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky.\" — Arthur Koestler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d97/arthur-koestler-1903_reality_einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality_1577506.jpg" --- # Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's… ![“Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky.” quote by Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d97/arthur-koestler-1903_reality_einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality_1577506.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d97/arthur-koestler-1903_reality_einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality_1577506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d97/arthur-koestler-1903_reality_einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality_1577506.jpg) > “Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky.” [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific models are as imaginative as artistic ones; both are approximations, not exact truths. **In simple terms:** Science and art are both imaginative approximations. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about realism. Themes science art perception truth Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - creative writing - public speaking Key Concepts philosophy of science aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - In what ways do we rely on metaphor in science? - How can we balance imagination with empirical rigor? A Different Perspective Artistic metaphor may oversimplify scientific nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/einstein/) [Einstein Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/einstein-space-2361015/) [Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gogh/) [Gogh Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gogh-sky-5951869/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Van gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/van-gogh/) [Vans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vans/) ## Related quotes > [Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky . The glory of science is not in a truth more absolute than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality-than-van-gogh-s-sky-the/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [ You cannot be the good all the time — sometimes it is necessary to get angry. \[Vincent Van Gogh\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/you-cannot-be-the-good-all-the-time-sometimes-it-is-necessary-to-get/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [I think that the mythology of Van Gogh's life, and the beauty of his paintings, is unstoppable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-childish/i-think-that-the-mythology-of-van-gogh-s-life-and-the-beauty-of-his/) [Billy Childish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-childish/) > [I have got an iPad, what a joy! Van Gogh would have loved it, and he could have written his letters on it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hockney/i-have-got-an-ipad-what-a-joy-van-gogh-would-have-loved-it-and-he/) [David Hockney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hockney/) > [Your work may be great and not make its way into the big picture... like Van Gogh... so who's to say what's good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-gehry/your-work-may-be-great-and-not-make-its-way-into-the-big-picture-like/) [Frank Gehry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-gehry/) > [ It's so easy to love. The only hard thing is to be loved. \[Vincent Van Gogh\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/it-s-so-easy-to-love-the-only-hard-thing-is-to-be-loved-vincent-van/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [My wife was the first art collector in the family, and I didn't become interested until around 1973. The first important artwork we bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-broad/my-wife-was-the-first-art-collector-in-the-family-and-i-didn-t-become/) [Eli Broad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-broad/) > [Vincent van Gogh's mother painted all of his best things. The famous mailed decapitated ear was a figment of the public relations firm engaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-blount-jr/vincent-van-gogh-s-mother-painted-all-of-his-best-things-the-famous/) [Roy Blount, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-blount-jr/) > [I rage against Vincent van Gogh for needing to die at 37, after painting for only ten years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/i-rage-against-vincent-van-gogh-for-needing-to-die-at-37-after/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Van Gogh, among others, believed in the religion of art, which, whatever else it involved, made it clear that art is more than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-kuspit/van-gogh-among-others-believed-in-the-religion-of-art-which-whatever/) [Donald Kuspit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-kuspit/) > [ I will be an artist. I am sure I will. \[Vincent Van Gogh\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/i-will-be-an-artist-i-am-sure-i-will-vincent-van-gogh/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > ['The Night Cafe' and 'The Starry Night' still emit such pathos, density, and intensity that they send shivers down the spine. Whether Van Gogh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-night-cafe-and-the-starry-night-still-emit-such-pathos-density/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [If I could have any artist's work on my sitting room wall it would probably be by Van Gogh or Picasso.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-stevenson/if-i-could-have-any-artist-s-work-on-my-sitting-room-wall-it-would/) [Juliet Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-stevenson/) > [The artist cannot look to others to validate his efforts or his calling. If you don't believe me, ask Van Gogh, who produced masterpiece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-artist-cannot-look-to-others-to-validate-his-efforts-or-his/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [I thought it would be very nice to become Picasso or Rembrandt, or a van Gogh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bruna/i-thought-it-would-be-very-nice-to-become-picasso-or-rembrandt-or-a/) [Dick Bruna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bruna/) ## More by Arthur Koestler > [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/) > [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The revolutions of thought which shape the basic outlook of an age are not disseminated through text-books- they spread like epidemics, through contamination by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-revolutions-of-thought-which-shape-the-basic-outlook-of-an-age/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The moment of truth, the sudden emergence of a new insight, is an act of intuition. Such intuitions give the appearance of miraculous flushes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-moment-of-truth-the-sudden-emergence-of-a-new-insight-is-an-act/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Coincidence may be described as the chance encounter of two unrelated causal chains which - miraculously, it seems - merge into a significant event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/coincidence-may-be-described-as-the-chance-encounter-of-two-unrelated/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The more original a discovery, the more obvious it seems afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-more-original-a-discovery-the-more-obvious-it-seems-afterwards/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“Revolutionary theory had frozen to a dogmatic cult, with a simplified, easily graspable catechism, and with No. 1 as the high priest celebrating the Mass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/revolutionary-theory-had-frozen-to-a-dogmatic-cult-with-a-simplified/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Coincidence may be described as the chance encounter of two unrelated causal chains which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/coincidence-may-be-described-as-the-chance-encounter-of-two-unrelated-2/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The more backwoodish a social group, juvenile or adult, the stricter its conception of the normal, and the readier it will ridicule any departure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-more-backwoodish-a-social-group-juvenile-or-adult-the-stricter/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [As modern physics started with the Newtonian revolution, so modern philosophy starts with what one might call the Cartesian Catastrophe. The catastrophe consisted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/as-modern-physics-started-with-the-newtonian-revolution-so-modern/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [If one looks with a cold eye at the mess man has made of history, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/if-one-looks-with-a-cold-eye-at-the-mess-man-has-made-of-history-it/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The ultimate truth is penultimately always a falsehood. He who will be proved right in the end appears to be wrong and harmful before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-ultimate-truth-is-penultimately-always-a-falsehood-he-who-will-be/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The jester is brother to the sage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-jester-is-brother-to-the-sage/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) [Explore all 199 Arthur Koestler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [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/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. 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I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Koestler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality-than-van-gogh-s-sky/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Artist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality-than-van-gogh-s-sky/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d97/arthur-koestler-1903_reality_einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality_1577506.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d97/arthur-koestler-1903_reality_einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality_1577506.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d97/arthur-koestler-1903_reality_einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality_1577506.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Einstein's space is no closer to reality than Van Gogh's sky.” — Arthur Koestler", "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": "Arthur Koestler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Einstein's space is no closer to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality-than-van-gogh-s-sky/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/einstein-s-space-is-no-closer-to-reality-than-van-gogh-s-sky/#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 } } ] } ```