--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Newton was born on Christmas Day, 1642…" description: "\"“Newton was born on Christmas Day, 1642, so tiny that, as his mother told him years later, he would have fit into a quart mug. Sickly, feeling abandone..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/carl-sagan-160_christmas-day_newton-was-born-on-christmas-day-1642-so_804718.jpg" --- # Newton was born on Christmas Day, 1642, so tiny that, as… ![“Newton was born on Christmas Day, 1642, so tiny that, as his mother told him years later, he would have fit into a quart mug. Sickly, feeling abandoned by his parents, quarrelsome, unsociable, a virgin to the day he died, Isaac Newton was perhaps the greatest scientific genius who ever lived.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/carl-sagan-160_christmas-day_newton-was-born-on-christmas-day-1642-so_804718.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/carl-sagan-160_christmas-day_newton-was-born-on-christmas-day-1642-so_804718.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/carl-sagan-160_christmas-day_newton-was-born-on-christmas-day-1642-so_804718.jpg) > ““Newton was born on Christmas Day, 1642, so tiny that, as his mother told him years later, he would have fit into a quart mug. Sickly, feeling abandoned by his parents, quarrelsome, unsociable, a virgin to the day he died, Isaac Newton was perhaps the greatest scientific genius who ever lived.”” [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Newton’s difficult childhood and personal quirks contrast with his monumental scientific achievements, highlighting that brilliance can arise despite adversity. **In simple terms:** Great talent can emerge from hardship. Key Takeaway Recognize potential beyond appearances. Themes genius adversity science Mood reflective inspiring Type biographical motivational When to use this quote - education - inspiration - overcoming self‑doubt Key Concepts psychology historical biography Questions to Reflect On - How do personal challenges shape creative output? - Can adversity be a catalyst for innovation? A Different Perspective His personal struggles may have limited his social contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christmas day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-day/) [Feeling Abandoned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-abandoned/) [Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newton/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“ Isaac Newton was born at Woolsthorpe, near Grantham, in Lincolnshire, 1642: a weakly and diminutive infant, of whom it is related that, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-de-morgan/isaac-newton-was-born-at-woolsthorpe-near-grantham-in-lincolnshire/) [Augustus De Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustus-de-morgan/) > [Newton was the greatest genius that ever existed, and the most fortunate, for we cannot find more than once a system of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-louis-lagrange/newton-was-the-greatest-genius-that-ever-existed-and-the-most/) [Joseph-Louis Lagrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-louis-lagrange/) > [In England it was enough that Newton was the greatest mathematican of his century; in France he would have been expected to be agreeable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/in-england-it-was-enough-that-newton-was-the-greatest-mathematican-of/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I think Newton would be the greatest scientist who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-think-newton-would-be-the-greatest-scientist-who-ever-lived/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-a-reward-structure-in-science-that-is-very-interesting-our/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Even Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, and Albert Einstein made serious mistakes. But the scientific enterprise arranges things so that teamwork…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/even-johannes-kepler-isaac-newton-charles-darwin-gregor-mendel-and/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [I guess this is growing up, tears stained pillows every night, staring naked at yourself in the mirror, waiting for the a text that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla/i-guess-this-is-growing-up-tears-stained-pillows-every-night-staring/) [Kayla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla/) > [“Be honest with the Lord. If you’re afraid, say so. If you’re feeling abandoned, tell Him. He already knows every sin you’ve committed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/be-honest-with-the-lord-if-you-re-afraid-say-so-if-you-re-feeling/) [Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/) > [“Sympathy: That self-delusional feeling of assuming that someone you know, who is ignorant, depressed, frustrated, and losing much in life, and maybe even terribly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/sympathy-that-self-delusional-feeling-of-assuming-that-someone-you/) [Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/) > [Basic human contact - the meeting of eyes, the exchanging of words - is to the psyche what oxygen is to the brain. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/basic-human-contact-the-meeting-of-eyes-the-exchanging-of-words-is-to/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [I believe you can't be an actor if you haven't had the feeling of being abandoned as a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-adjani/i-believe-you-can-t-be-an-actor-if-you-haven-t-had-the-feeling-of/) [Isabelle Adjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-adjani/) > [“While others might feel manipulative, I feel powerless. Sometimes I just hurt so bad from the mean things that people do to me, real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-t-mason/while-others-might-feel-manipulative-i-feel-powerless-sometimes-i/) Paul T. Mason > [“Sometimes you must embrace the feeling of being abandoned, until your deepest self warms to the thought of you being its closest companion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-tyrone-jones/sometimes-you-must-embrace-the-feeling-of-being-abandoned-until-your/) [Curtis Tyrone Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-tyrone-jones/) > [One response to feeling abandoned is to abandon yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-millon/one-response-to-feeling-abandoned-is-to-abandon-yourself/) Theodore Millon > [“Maybe the kid gravitated to Zeb for the same reason children like dinosaurs: when feeling abandoned in a world of forces beyond your control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/maybe-the-kid-gravitated-to-zeb-for-the-same-reason-children-like/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More by Carl Sagan > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) ## More Christmas day quotes > [I love the royal family. I even got up in the middle of the night to watch Kate and William's wedding. And I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-collins/i-love-the-royal-family-i-even-got-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to/) [Lily Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-collins/) > [I was nine or 10 years old and my father was sacked on Christmas Day. He was a manager, the results had not been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mourinho/i-was-nine-or-10-years-old-and-my-father-was-sacked-on-christmas-day/) [Jose Mourinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mourinho/) > [I think it's important not to grow up too fast. I'm 26 now, and I still can't wait for Christmas Day. The inner seven-year-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-haddock/i-think-it-s-important-not-to-grow-up-too-fast-i-m-26-now-and-i-still/) [Laura Haddock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-haddock/) > [“In all my twenty years of wandering over the restless waters of the globe I can only remember one Christmas Day celebrated by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/in-all-my-twenty-years-of-wandering-over-the-restless-waters-of-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Christmas day is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/christmas-day-is-a-day-of-joy-and-charity-may-god-make-you-very-rich/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I know that you observe Christmas Day as you learned it at home. I do not observe it. However, as assistant director of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilo-globocnik/i-know-that-you-observe-christmas-day-as-you-learned-it-at-home-i-do/) Odilo Globocnik > [What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb. If I were a Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/what-can-i-give-him-poor-as-i-am-if-i-were-a-shepherd-i-would-bring-a/) [Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/) > [God rest ye, little children; let nothing you afright, For Jesus Christ, your Saviour, was born this happy night; Along the hills of Galilee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/god-rest-ye-little-children-let-nothing-you-afright-for-jesus-christ/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thomas-ellis/blessed-is-the-season-which-engages-the-whole-world-in-a-conspiracy/) William Thomas Ellis > [On Christmas Day 2016, the greatest singer songwriter of his generation, an icon of his era, George Michael, was lost. A supernova in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ridgeley/on-christmas-day-2016-the-greatest-singer-songwriter-of-his/) [Andrew Ridgeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ridgeley/) > [Opening presents at midnight on Christmas Eve - midnight! As soon as it turns to Christmas Day, we're opening those gifts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-grande/opening-presents-at-midnight-on-christmas-eve-midnight-as-soon-as-it/) [Frankie Grande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-grande/) > [Miramax seems to be showing the same faith in Roberto Benigni's 'Pinocchio' that the Republican Party showed in Trent Lott; the live-action version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/miramax-seems-to-be-showing-the-same-faith-in-roberto-benigni-s/) [Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/) > [Here's me opening my wrists before breakfast, Christmas day, and here's you asking if it hurt. Here's where I choose between mea culpa and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-donaghy/here-s-me-opening-my-wrists-before-breakfast-christmas-day-and-here-s/) [Michael Donaghy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-donaghy/) > [When we made 'Life in a Day,' we asked people around the globe to record their lives on a single ordinary day. 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