--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One might say science is the sum total of…" description: "\"One might say science is the sum total of our knowledge of the universe, the great library of the known, but the practice of science happens at the bor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/brian-cox-8883_borders_one-might-say-science-is-the-sum-total-o_688417.jpg" --- # One might say science is the sum total of our knowledge of… ![“One might say science is the sum total of our knowledge of the universe, the great library of the known, but the practice of science happens at the border between the known and the unknown. Standing on the shoulders of giants, we peer into the darkness with eyes opened not in fear but in wonder.” quote by Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/brian-cox-8883_borders_one-might-say-science-is-the-sum-total-o_688417.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/brian-cox-8883_borders_one-might-say-science-is-the-sum-total-o_688417.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/brian-cox-8883_borders_one-might-say-science-is-the-sum-total-o_688417.jpg) > “One might say science is the sum total of our knowledge of the universe, the great library of the known, but the practice of science happens at the border between the known and the unknown. Standing on the shoulders of giants, we peer into the darkness with eyes opened not in fear but in wonder.” [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science explores the edge between known knowledge and the unknown, driven by curiosity rather than fear. **In simple terms:** Science thrives at the frontier of knowledge. Key Takeaway Pursue unknown with curiosity. Themes science exploration curiosity Mood wonderful inspiring Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - research projects - education - public talks - innovation labs Key Concepts epistemology philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - What unknowns intrigue you most? - How can you turn fear into curiosity? A Different Perspective Fear can still hinder progress; courage is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Shoulders Of Giants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders-of-giants/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [“The practice of science happens at the border between the known and the unknown. 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I'm looking forward why i've fallen for you ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaypee/in-science-everything-happens-for-a-reason-i-m-looking-forward-why-i/) [Jaypee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaypee/) > [History is the science of what never happens twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/history-is-the-science-of-what-never-happens-twice/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [Doesn't it get on my nerves when people say science doesn't know everything. Science knows it doesn't know everything otherwise it would stop. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-o-briain/doesn-t-it-get-on-my-nerves-when-people-say-science-doesn-t-know/) [Dara O Briain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-o-briain/) > [You might say that science operates pragmatically and religion by divine guidance. 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Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) ## More by Brian Cox > [You dig deeper and it gets more and more complicated, and you get confused, and it's tricky and it's hard, but... It is beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/you-dig-deeper-and-it-gets-more-and-more-complicated-and-you-get/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [I didn't have this feeling that I should be a leading actor in the cinema. 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For the first time in its life, the universe will be permanent and unchanging.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/the-story-of-the-universe-finally-comes-to-an-end-for-the-first-time/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [I did a film in which Andy Garcia and Michael Keaton both played the leads, 'Desperate Measures,' and interestingly enough it was their biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/i-did-a-film-in-which-andy-garcia-and-michael-keaton-both-played-the/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [Science is too important not to be a part of popular culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/science-is-too-important-not-to-be-a-part-of-popular-culture/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [I always think I look like the Elephant Man - I can't get used to my own image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/i-always-think-i-look-like-the-elephant-man-i-can-t-get-used-to-my/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) [Explore all 77 Brian Cox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) ## More Borders quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. 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As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [The troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-troops-were-occasionally-occupied-in-pursuing-scattered-bands/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. 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But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/) [Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. 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