--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a reward structure in science…" description: "\"There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most revered among us...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/carl-sagan-160_contribution_there-is-a-reward-structure-in-science-t_1199004.jpg" --- # There is a reward structure in science that is very… ![“There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most revered among us. So Einstein is revered not just because he made so many fundamental contributions to science, but because he found an imperfection in the…” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/carl-sagan-160_contribution_there-is-a-reward-structure-in-science-t_1199004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/carl-sagan-160_contribution_there-is-a-reward-structure-in-science-t_1199004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/carl-sagan-160_contribution_there-is-a-reward-structure-in-science-t_1199004.jpg) > “There is a reward structure in science that is very interesting: Our highest honors go to those who disprove the findings of the most revered among us. So Einstein is revered not just because he made so many fundamental contributions to science, but because he found an imperfection in the fundamental contribution of Isaac Newton.” [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. Science rewards those who challenge established ideas, showing progress comes from questioning revered work. **In simple terms:** Science advances by disproving old theories. Key Takeaway Question accepted knowledge to drive discovery. Themes science progress critical thinking Mood inquisitive inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research - education - policy making - innovation - peer review Key Concepts falsifiability paradigm shift Questions to Reflect On - What are the risks of constantly challenging authority? - How can we balance respect for tradition with innovation? A Different Perspective It may undervalue the role of building on existing work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Contributions Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contributions-science-2310974/) [Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/einstein/) [Einstein Revered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/einstein-revered-3588793/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Imperfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfection/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isaac/) [Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isaac-newton/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newton/) [Revered Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revered-einstein-3588794/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Imperfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-imperfection-3588795/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Very interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-interesting/) ## Related quotes > [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 think one of the great historical contributions of science is to weaken the hold of religion. That's a good thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/i-think-one-of-the-great-historical-contributions-of-science-is-to/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [The great Sir Isaac Newton, He once made a valid proclamation, That the forces equal to a nominated mass, when multiplied by acceleration That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-digance/the-great-sir-isaac-newton-he-once-made-a-valid-proclamation-that-the/) [Richard Digance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-digance/) > [Could we have entered into the mind of Sir Isaac Newton, and have traced all the steps by which he produced his great works,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-priestley/could-we-have-entered-into-the-mind-of-sir-isaac-newton-and-have/) [Joseph Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-priestley/) > [Some day the laws of glamour must be discovered, because they are so important that the world would be wiser now if Sir Isaac…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booth-tarkington/some-day-the-laws-of-glamour-must-be-discovered-because-they-are-so/) [Booth Tarkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booth-tarkington/) > [The split between religion and science is relatively new. Isaac Newton, who first worked out the laws by which gravity held the planets and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-split-between-religion-and-science-is-relatively-new-isaac-newton/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [A learned parson, rusting in his cell at Oxford or Cambridge, will reason admirably well upon the nature of man; will profoundly analyze the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/a-learned-parson-rusting-in-his-cell-at-oxford-or-cambridge-will/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [It is not therefore the business of philosophy, in our present situation in the universe, to attempt to take in at once, in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-maclaurin/it-is-not-therefore-the-business-of-philosophy-in-our-present/) [Colin Maclaurin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-maclaurin/) > [Along with William Shakespeare and Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin is Britain's greatest gift to the world. He was our greatest thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/along-with-william-shakespeare-and-isaac-newton-charles-darwin-is/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The birth of science as we know it arguably began with Isaac Newton's formulation of the laws of gravitation and motion. It is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/the-birth-of-science-as-we-know-it-arguably-began-with-isaac-newton-s/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Ever since Sir Isaac Newton's times, scientists have worked in the same sort of way: They show a great respect for experiment and observation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/ever-since-sir-isaac-newton-s-times-scientists-have-worked-in-the/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [I remember from my school days Archimedes jumping into his bath and displacing water and coming up with his famous principle, and of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-marsh/i-remember-from-my-school-days-archimedes-jumping-into-his-bath-and/) [James Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-marsh/) > [I believe in logic, the sequence of cause and effect, and in science its only begotten son our law, which was conceived by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-in-logic-the-sequence-of-cause-and-effect-and-in-science/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'd go back and hang out with Isaac Newton. I'm torn between do I hang out with him or do I bring him into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-d-go-back-and-hang-out-with-isaac-newton-i-m-torn-between-do-i-hang/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [But whatever be their degree of talent it is no measure of their rights. Because Sir Isaac Newton was superior to others in understanding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/but-whatever-be-their-degree-of-talent-it-is-no-measure-of-their/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## 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 Contribution quotes > [You should avoid hedging, at least that's what I think. You should be ashamed to die until you've made some contribution to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-johns/you-should-avoid-hedging-at-least-that-s-what-i-think-you-should-be/) [Vernon Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-johns/) > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I love Black Sabbath. They made an amazing contribution to music today. Almost every band that made it big in the Nineties owed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-love-black-sabbath-they-made-an-amazing-contribution-to-music-today/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [There is still zero empirical evidence that anthropogenic production of CO2 is making any measurable contribution to the world's present warming trend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-still-zero-empirical-evidence-that-anthropogenic-production/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [The way a culture treats women in birth is a good indicator of how well women and their contributions to society are valued and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/the-way-a-culture-treats-women-in-birth-is-a-good-indicator-of-how/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [The excellence of this important contribution to genre literature CANNOT be overstated A masterwork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-nolan/the-excellence-of-this-important-contribution-to-genre-literature/) [William F. Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-nolan/) > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Fundamentally transforming the foundations of the economy is the biggest contribution we can make towards building a sustainable future. 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