--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Max Planck was awarded the Nobel…" description: "\"“When Max Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of quantum theory, he said, “Looking back over the long and labyrinthine path which fina..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/brennan-manning-959_failure_when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-pr_3232003.png" --- # When Max Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize for his… ![“When Max Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of quantum theory, he said, “Looking back over the long and labyrinthine path which finally led to the discovery, I am vividly reminded of Goethe’s saying that men will always be making mistakes as long as they are striving after…” quote by Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/brennan-manning-959_failure_when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-pr_3232003.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/brennan-manning-959_failure_when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-pr_3232003.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/brennan-manning-959_failure_when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-pr_3232003.png) > ““When Max Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of quantum theory, he said, “Looking back over the long and labyrinthine path which finally led to the discovery, I am vividly reminded of Goethe’s saying that men will always be making mistakes as long as they are striving after something.”” [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## 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 is a winding journey filled with errors, yet perseverance drives discovery. **In simple terms:** Mistakes happen while striving for breakthroughs. Key Takeaway Embrace errors as part of innovation. Themes perseverance science mistakes innovation Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research labs - academic pursuits - product development - creative problem solving Key Concepts Quantum theory historical perspective philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to setbacks? - What can you learn from past mistakes? A Different Perspective Success often requires learning from repeated failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Making mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-mistakes/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planck/) [Quantum theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum-theory/) ## Related quotes > [“The quantum revolution is not the discovery of quantum physics. It is the transition from understanding quantum reality to engineering it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludmila-morozova-buss/the-quantum-revolution-is-not-the-discovery-of-quantum-physics-it-is/) [Ludmila Morozova-Buss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludmila-morozova-buss/) > [ \[Max Planck\] was one of the finest people I have ever known... but he really didn't understand physics, \[because\] during the eclipse of 1919… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/max-planck-was-one-of-the-finest-people-i-have-ever-known-but-he/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“As physicist Max Planck once observed, “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/as-physicist-max-planck-once-observed-a-new-scientific-truth-does-not/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [“The great German physicist Max Planck had been advised by his lecturer, the marvellously named Philipp von Jolly, not to pursue the study of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-r-higgs/the-great-german-physicist-max-planck-had-been-advised-by-his/) [J.M.R. Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-r-higgs/) > [Science is the never ending search for facts which may never be quite understood and only apprehended by the poetic intuition. Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck-theoretical-physicist/science-is-the-never-ending-search-for-facts-which-may-never-be-quite/) Max Planck Theoretical Physicist > [“In 1875, when young Max Planck announced his interest in physics, the chairman of his physics department suggested he study something more exciting. Physics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-rosenblum/in-1875-when-young-max-planck-announced-his-interest-in-physics-the/) Bruce Rosenblum > [“The German physicist Max Planck, after whom these unimaginably small quantities are named, introduced the idea of quantized energy in 1900 and is generally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-german-physicist-max-planck-after-whom-these-unimaginably-small/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“In this field, almost everything is already discovered, and all that remains is to fill a few unimportant holes. { Advising his student, Max…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-von-jolly/in-this-field-almost-everything-is-already-discovered-and-all-that/) Philipp von Jolly > [“Max Planck, surveying his own career in his Scientific Autobiography, sadly remarked that “a new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-kuhn/max-planck-surveying-his-own-career-in-his-scientific-autobiography/) [Thomas S. Kuhn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-kuhn/) > [“The choice today is revolt. Igor Stravinsky wrote, “The old original sin was one of knowledge, the new original sin is one of non-acknowledgment.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-r-reilly/the-choice-today-is-revolt-igor-stravinsky-wrote-the-old-original-sin/) [Robert R. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-r-reilly/) > [“After the discovery of spectral analysis no one trained in physics could doubt the problem of the atom would be solved when physicists had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-sommerfeld/after-the-discovery-of-spectral-analysis-no-one-trained-in-physics/) [Arnold Sommerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-sommerfeld/) > [Before the discovery of quantum mechanics, the framework of physics was this: If you tell me how things are now, I can then use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/before-the-discovery-of-quantum-mechanics-the-framework-of-physics/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [“After receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918, Max Planck went on tour across Germany. Wherever he was invited, he delivered the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-dobelli/after-receiving-the-nobel-prize-in-physics-in-1918-max-planck-went-on/) [Rolf Dobelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-dobelli/) > [People complain that our generation has no philosophers. They are wrong. They now sit in another faculty. Their names are Max Planck and Albert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-von-harnack/people-complain-that-our-generation-has-no-philosophers-they-are/) Adolf von Harnack > [“In the temple of science are many mansions, and various indeed are they that dwell therein and the motives that have led them thither.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/in-the-temple-of-science-are-many-mansions-and-various-indeed-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by Brennan Manning > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/trust-is-our-gift-back-to-god-and-he-finds-it-so-enchanting-that/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Genuine self-acceptance is not derived from the power of positive thinking, mind games or pop psychology. IT IS AN ACT OF FAITH in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/genuine-self-acceptance-is-not-derived-from-the-power-of-positive/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [That which is denied cannot be healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/that-which-is-denied-cannot-be-healed/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“It is not objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/it-is-not-objective-proof-of-god-s-existence-that-we-want-but-the/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“He who is alone with his sins is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/he-who-is-alone-with-his-sins-is-utterly-alone-it-may-be-that/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don't need to apply spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/god-not-only-loves-me-as-i-am-but-also-knows-me-as-i-am-because-of/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Grace abounds in contemporary movies, books, novels, films and music. If God is not in the whirlwind, He may be in a Woody Allen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/grace-abounds-in-contemporary-movies-books-novels-films-and-music-if/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [My trust in God flows out of the experience of his loving me, day in and day out, whether the day is stormy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/my-trust-in-god-flows-out-of-the-experience-of-his-loving-me-day-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [I you think you've done it, then you're wrong. Because you're not finished until you have achieved everything that you never thought you could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/i-you-think-you-ve-done-it-then-you-re-wrong-because-you-re-not/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [May all your expectations be frustrated, may all your plans be thwarted, may all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/may-all-your-expectations-be-frustrated-may-all-your-plans-be/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Our identity rests in God's relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/our-identity-rests-in-god-s-relentless-tenderness-for-us-revealed-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“When I get honest I admit that I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and I get discouraged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-i-get-honest-i-admit-that-i-am-a-bundle-of-paradoxes-i-believe/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“At Sunday worship, as in every dimension of our existence, many of us pretend to believe we are sinners. Consequently, all we can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/at-sunday-worship-as-in-every-dimension-of-our-existence-many-of-us/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“You tell others about Me - that I am a loving God. Your words are glib. My words are written in the blood of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/you-tell-others-about-me-that-i-am-a-loving-god-your-words-are-glib/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) [Explore all 320 Brennan Manning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When Max Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of quantum theory, he said, “Looking back over the long and labyrinthine path which finally led to the discovery, I am vividly reminded of Goethe’s saying that men will always be making mistakes as long as they are striving after something.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brennan Manning" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-prize-for-his-discovery-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-prize-for-his-discovery-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/brennan-manning-959_failure_when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-pr_3232003.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/brennan-manning-959_failure_when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-pr_3232003.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a7/brennan-manning-959_failure_when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-pr_3232003.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When Max Planck was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery of quantum theory, he said, “Looking back over…” — Brennan Manning", "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": "Brennan Manning", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When Max Planck was awarded the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-prize-for-his-discovery-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-max-planck-was-awarded-the-nobel-prize-for-his-discovery-of/#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 } } ] } ```