---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Progress in science is governed by the…"
description: "\"“Progress in science is governed by the laws of repulsion, every step forward is made by refutation of prevalent errors and false theories. Forward ste..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/boris-pasternak-1944_art_progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-l_1882747.png"
---

#  Progress in science is governed by the laws of repulsion…

![“Progress in science is governed by the laws of repulsion, every step forward is made by refutation of prevalent errors and false theories. Forward steps in art are governed by the law of attraction, are the result of imitation of and admiration for beloved predecessors.” quote by Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/boris-pasternak-1944_art_progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-l_1882747.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/boris-pasternak-1944_art_progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-l_1882747.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/boris-pasternak-1944_art_progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-l_1882747.png)

> ““Progress in science is governed by the laws of repulsion, every step forward is made by refutation of prevalent errors and false theories. Forward steps in art are governed by the law of attraction, are the result of imitation of and admiration for beloved predecessors.””

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

## About This Quote

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

Scientific progress advances by disproving errors; artistic progress builds on admiration and imitation of past masters.

**In simple terms:** Science rejects; art embraces.

Key Takeaway

Balance critique with reverence.

Themes

innovation tradition creativity

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical artistic

When to use this quote

- research
- painting
- music composition
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

repulsion attraction refutation imitation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can artists honor predecessors while innovating?
- When does scientific refutation become dogmatic?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on imitation can stifle originality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [We live in this world in order always to learn industriously and to enlighten each other by means of discussion and to strive vigorously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/we-live-in-this-world-in-order-always-to-learn-industriously-and-to/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [We are not to expect perfection in this world; but mankind, in modern times, have apparently made some progress in the science of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/we-are-not-to-expect-perfection-in-this-world-but-mankind-in-modern/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [What I do is very theoretical. It won't necessarily have implications for anything anyone is doing tomorrow, yet you know that there's a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-randall/what-i-do-is-very-theoretical-it-won-t-necessarily-have-implications/)

[Lisa Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-randall/)

> [So far from being an isolated phenomenon the late war is only an example of the disruptive result that we may constantly expect from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/so-far-from-being-an-isolated-phenomenon-the-late-war-is-only-an/)

[John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/)

> [Those who are really convinced that they have made progress in science would not demand freedom for the new views to continue side by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/those-who-are-really-convinced-that-they-have-made-progress-in/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [Mass application of technological innovations, which constitutes much of the distinctive substance of modern economic growth, is closely connected with the further progress of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kuznets/mass-application-of-technological-innovations-which-constitutes-much/)

[Simon Kuznets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kuznets/)

> [“Do not forget that when the heart petrifies there is no progress. All science must be like a fruit, so ordered that it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/do-not-forget-that-when-the-heart-petrifies-there-is-no-progress-all/)

[Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/)

> [How do you know that the incessant progress of science will not compel scientists to consider that life has existed during eternity, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/how-do-you-know-that-the-incessant-progress-of-science-will-not/)

[Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/)

> [The progress of science is much more muddled than is depicted in most history books. This is especially true of theoretical physics, partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/the-progress-of-science-is-much-more-muddled-than-is-depicted-in-most/)

[David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/)

> [It surely can be no offence to state, that the progress of science has led to new views, and that the consequences that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-surely-can-be-no-offence-to-state-that-the-progress-of-science-has/)

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

> [“...the progress of science depends much less upon either theoretical considerations or systematic investigation than is commonly believed, but rather on the transmittal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/the-progress-of-science-depends-much-less-upon-either-theoretical/)

[Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/)

> [I like greenery, nature, I don't like littering the streets. The progress of science and technology comes at a cost and I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anupam-roy/i-like-greenery-nature-i-don-t-like-littering-the-streets-the/)

[Anupam Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anupam-roy/)

> [But weightier still are the contentment which comes from work well done, the sense of the value of science for its own sake, insatiable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-joseph-henderson/but-weightier-still-are-the-contentment-which-comes-from-work-well/)

[Lawrence Joseph Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-joseph-henderson/)

> [We slow the progress of science today for all sorts of ethical reasons. Biomedicine could advance much faster if we abolished our rules on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/we-slow-the-progress-of-science-today-for-all-sorts-of-ethical/)

[Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/)

## More by Boris Pasternak

> [“Happy are the downtrodden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/happy-are-the-downtrodden/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [“The saddest thing of all was that their party represented a deviation from the conditions of the time. It was impossible to imagine that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/the-saddest-thing-of-all-was-that-their-party-represented-a-deviation/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [No deep and strong feeling, such as we may come across here and there in the world, is unmixed with compassion. The more we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/no-deep-and-strong-feeling-such-as-we-may-come-across-here-and-there/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [She was here on earth to make sense of its wild enchantments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/she-was-here-on-earth-to-make-sense-of-its-wild-enchantments/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [Art has two constant, two unending concerns: It always meditates on death and thus always creates life. All great, genuine art resembles and continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/art-has-two-constant-two-unending-concerns-it-always-meditates-on/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [I think that if the beast who sleeps in man could be held down by threats of any kind, whether of jail or retribution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/i-think-that-if-the-beast-who-sleeps-in-man-could-be-held-down-by/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [And so it turned out that only a life similar to the life of those around us, merging with it without a ripple, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/and-so-it-turned-out-that-only-a-life-similar-to-the-life-of-those/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [I come here to speak poetry. It will always be in the grass. It will also be necessary to bend down to hear it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/i-come-here-to-speak-poetry-it-will-always-be-in-the-grass-it-will/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [“I'll stay with you a little, my unforgettable delight, for as long as my arms and my hands and my lips remember you. I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/i-ll-stay-with-you-a-little-my-unforgettable-delight-for-as-long-as/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [If it's so painful to love and absorb electricity, how much more painful it is to be a woman, to be the electricity, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/if-it-s-so-painful-to-love-and-absorb-electricity-how-much-more/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [I don't like purely philosophical works. I think a little philosophy should be added to life and art by way of seasoning, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/i-don-t-like-purely-philosophical-works-i-think-a-little-philosophy/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [“But sometimes, to enable her to bear her life, she needed the accompaniment of an inward music and she could not always compose it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/but-sometimes-to-enable-her-to-bear-her-life-she-needed-the/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [“We’ve been lucky. The autumn happened to be dry and warm. We managed to dig the potatoes before the rain and cold set in.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/we-ve-been-lucky-the-autumn-happened-to-be-dry-and-warm-we-managed-to/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [Departure beyond the borders of my country is for me equivalent to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/departure-beyond-the-borders-of-my-country-is-for-me-equivalent-to/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

> [“As he scribbled his odds and ends, he made a note reaffirming his belief that art always serves beauty, and beauty is delight in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/as-he-scribbled-his-odds-and-ends-he-made-a-note-reaffirming-his/)

[Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

[Explore all 189 Boris Pasternak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/)

## More Art quotes

> [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/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [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/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“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

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [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 only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [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/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Progress in science is governed by the laws of repulsion, every step forward is made by refutation of prevalent errors and false theories. Forward steps in art are governed by the law of attraction, are the result of imitation of and admiration for beloved predecessors.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Boris Pasternak"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-laws-of-repulsion-every-step/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-laws-of-repulsion-every-step/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/boris-pasternak-1944_art_progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-l_1882747.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/boris-pasternak-1944_art_progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-l_1882747.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ce/boris-pasternak-1944_art_progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-l_1882747.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Progress in science is governed by the laws of repulsion, every step forward is made by refutation of…” — Boris Pasternak",
                "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": "Boris Pasternak",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Progress in science is governed by...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-laws-of-repulsion-every-step/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/progress-in-science-is-governed-by-the-laws-of-repulsion-every-step/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
