--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For most people, the major hurdle in…" description: "\"For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using math..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/brian-greene-2334_development_for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-gras_260419.png" --- # For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern… ![“For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using mathematics.” quote by Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/brian-greene-2334_development_for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-gras_260419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/brian-greene-2334_development_for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-gras_260419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/brian-greene-2334_development_for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-gras_260419.png) > “For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using mathematics.” [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific ideas often seem inaccessible because they are expressed in mathematical language, creating a barrier for non‑specialists. **In simple terms:** Math makes modern science hard to understand for many. Key Takeaway Learn to translate math into plain concepts. Themes science communication education accessibility Mood curious inspired Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - teaching - popular science writing - science outreach - curriculum design Key Concepts mathematical abstraction public understanding Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance accuracy with clarity? - What analogies help convey abstract ideas? A Different Perspective Complex concepts may still be oversimplified, losing nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/development/) [Grasping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grasping/) [Grasping Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grasping-modern-2568234/) [Hurdle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurdle/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Major Hurdle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/major-hurdle-1809940/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Modern Insights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-insights-2568232/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Developments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-developments-2568233/) [Using Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/using-mathematics-806654/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [I'm always looking for the next major hurdle and doing something that the world has never seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nik-wallenda/i-m-always-looking-for-the-next-major-hurdle-and-doing-something-that/) [Nik Wallenda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nik-wallenda/) > [Many people suggest using mathematics to talk to the aliens, and Dutch computer scientist Alexander Ollongren has developed an entire language (Lincos) based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/many-people-suggest-using-mathematics-to-talk-to-the-aliens-and-dutch/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [The only thing I am interested in using mathematics for is to have a good time and to help others do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lockhart/the-only-thing-i-am-interested-in-using-mathematics-for-is-to-have-a/) [Paul Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lockhart/) > [But I quite like the way you can talk about science without necessarily using mathematics, but using metaphors instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/but-i-quite-like-the-way-you-can-talk-about-science-without/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [I don't stumble at any hurdle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-collins/i-don-t-stumble-at-any-hurdle/) [Gemma Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-collins/) > [Turkey's path toward Europe started back in 1959, almost 50 years ago. But we have been pushed to the side ever since. Despite all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/recep-tayyip-erdogan/turkey-s-path-toward-europe-started-back-in-1959-almost-50-years-ago/) [Recep Tayyip Erdogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/recep-tayyip-erdogan/) > [One of the biggest hurdles in the path of entrepreneurship is home loans!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishwas-mudagal/one-of-the-biggest-hurdles-in-the-path-of-entrepreneurship-is-home/) [Vishwas Mudagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishwas-mudagal/) > [If you hold back in hurdles, you are going to fall over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-pearson/if-you-hold-back-in-hurdles-you-are-going-to-fall-over/) [Sally Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-pearson/) > [Whether I'm trying to figure out what the U.S. military is doing in Latin America or Africa, Afghanistan or Qatar, the response is remarkably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-turse/whether-i-m-trying-to-figure-out-what-the-u-s-military-is-doing-in/) [Nick Turse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-turse/) > [Four of my children are daughters, and I've watched them devote themselves to reading books about how little girls learn to become women -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-k-massie/four-of-my-children-are-daughters-and-i-ve-watched-them-devote/) [Robert K. Massie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-k-massie/) > [Trample the weak. Hurdle the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/attila-the-hun/trample-the-weak-hurdle-the-dead/) [Attila the Hun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/attila-the-hun/) > [Getting started as a volunteer anywhere can be a challenge to a lot of people. The biggest hurdle is that people think they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-joyner-kersee/getting-started-as-a-volunteer-anywhere-can-be-a-challenge-to-a-lot/) [Jackie Joyner-Kersee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-joyner-kersee/) > [I've been motivated by overcoming challenge and overcoming the hurdles and obstacles that face me. There still is plenty out there to get motivated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-agassi/i-ve-been-motivated-by-overcoming-challenge-and-overcoming-the/) [Andre Agassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-agassi/) > [If you're not ready to fall, you're not ready to hurdle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonie-campbell/if-you-re-not-ready-to-fall-you-re-not-ready-to-hurdle/) [Tonie Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonie-campbell/) > [The less obvious hurdle is that of preparing parents emotionally and putting forward realistic images of parenthood and motherhood. There also needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-less-obvious-hurdle-is-that-of-preparing-parents-emotionally-and/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) ## More by Brian Greene > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The number of e-mails and letters that I get from choreographers, from sculptors, from composers who are being inspired by science is huge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-number-of-e-mails-and-letters-that-i-get-from-choreographers-from/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [One of the wonders of science is that it is completely universal. It crosses national boundaries with total ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/one-of-the-wonders-of-science-is-that-it-is-completely-universal-it/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [String theory is the most developed theory with the capacity to unite general relativity and quantum mechanics in a consistent manner. I do believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/string-theory-is-the-most-developed-theory-with-the-capacity-to-unite/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [But, as Einstein once said, “For we convinced physicists, the distinction between past, present, and future is only an illusion, however persistent.”5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/but-as-einstein-once-said-for-we-convinced-physicists-the-distinction/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Sometimes attaining the deepest familiarity with a question is our best substitute for actually having the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/sometimes-attaining-the-deepest-familiarity-with-a-question-is-our/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [When kids look up to great scientists the way they do to great musicians and actors, civilization will jump to the next level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/when-kids-look-up-to-great-scientists-the-way-they-do-to-great/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [I have long thought that anyone who does not regularly - or ever - gaze up and see the wonder and glory of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/i-have-long-thought-that-anyone-who-does-not-regularly-or-ever-gaze/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [There are many of us thinking of one version of parallel universe theory or another. If it's all a lot of nonsense, then it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/there-are-many-of-us-thinking-of-one-version-of-parallel-universe/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [As every parent knows, children begin life as uninhibited, unabashed explorers of the unknown. From the time we can walk and talk, we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/as-every-parent-knows-children-begin-life-as-uninhibited-unabashed/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The full name of string theory is really superstring theory. The 'super' stands for this feature called supersymmetry, which, without getting into any details,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-full-name-of-string-theory-is-really-superstring-theory-the-super/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [Writing for the stage is different from writing for a book. You want to write in a way that an actor has material to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/writing-for-the-stage-is-different-from-writing-for-a-book-you-want/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [We know that if supersymmetric particles exist, they must be very heavy; otherwise we would have spotted them by now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/we-know-that-if-supersymmetric-particles-exist-they-must-be-very/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [The beauty of string theory is the metaphor kind of really comes very close to the reality. The strings of string theory are vibrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-beauty-of-string-theory-is-the-metaphor-kind-of-really-comes-very/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [So: if you buy the notion that reality consists of the things in your freeze-frame mental image right now, and if you agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/so-if-you-buy-the-notion-that-reality-consists-of-the-things-in-your/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) [Explore all 168 Brian Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) ## More Development quotes > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [A lot of times I'll show someone a technique I got really good with, but I didn't put all the hours in. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bravo/a-lot-of-times-i-ll-show-someone-a-technique-i-got-really-good-with/) [Eddie Bravo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-bravo/) > [Thoroughly understand what it is to understand, and not only will you understand the broad lines of all there is to be understood but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lonergan/thoroughly-understand-what-it-is-to-understand-and-not-only-will-you/) [Bernard Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-lonergan/) > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [Close contact between science and the practice of collective farms and State farms creates inexhaustible opportunities for the development of theoretical knowledge, enabling us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trofim-lysenko/close-contact-between-science-and-the-practice-of-collective-farms/) [Trofim Lysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trofim-lysenko/) > [The chances are that you have already come to believe that happiness is unattainable. But men have attained it. And they have attained it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-chances-are-that-you-have-already-come-to-believe-that-happiness/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/) [Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [Here we were talking about economic development, about investing billions of dollars in various programs, and I could see it wasn't billions of dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/here-we-were-talking-about-economic-development-about-investing/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [Without a vision there is no possibility of creating something larger than what al-ready exists. An entrepreneur has to be able to bring something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/without-a-vision-there-is-no-possibility-of-creating-something-larger/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [I've developed a huge regard for Toyota for its environmental awareness, for its immense commitment to research and development in this field, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-developed-a-huge-regard-for-toyota-for-its-environmental/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) [Browse all 4,447 Development quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/development/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using mathematics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Greene" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-grasping-modern-insights-into-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Development" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-grasping-modern-insights-into-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/brian-greene-2334_development_for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-gras_260419.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/brian-greene-2334_development_for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-gras_260419.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/217/brian-greene-2334_development_for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-gras_260419.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these…” — Brian Greene", "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": "Brian Greene", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For most people, the major hurdle...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-grasping-modern-insights-into-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/for-most-people-the-major-hurdle-in-grasping-modern-insights-into-the/#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 } } ] } ```