---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were excesses in science and there…"
description: "\"“There were excesses in science and there were excesses in religion. A reasonable man wouldn’t be stampeded by either one. There were many interpretati..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/carl-sagan-160_natural-world_there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there_2774724.jpg"
---

#  There were excesses in science and there were excesses in…

![“There were excesses in science and there were excesses in religion. A reasonable man wouldn’t be stampeded by either one. There were many interpretations of Scripture and many interpretations of the natural world. Both were created by God, so both must be mutually consistent. Wherever a…” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/carl-sagan-160_natural-world_there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there_2774724.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/carl-sagan-160_natural-world_there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there_2774724.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/carl-sagan-160_natural-world_there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there_2774724.jpg)

> ““There were excesses in science and there were excesses in religion. A reasonable man wouldn’t be stampeded by either one. There were many interpretations of Scripture and many interpretations of the natural world. Both were created by God, so both must be mutually consistent. Wherever a discrepancy seems to exist, either a scientist or a theologian—maybe both—hasn’t been doing his job. Palmer””

[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 and religion both seek truth; contradictions signal incomplete understanding.

**In simple terms:** Both fields aim for truth; gaps need work.

Key Takeaway

Seek harmony between science and faith.

Themes

science religion truth seeking

Mood

inquisitive balanced

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- interfaith dialogue
- policy making

Key Concepts

epistemology faith logic

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we foster dialogue between scientists and theologians?
- What methods resolve apparent contradictions?

A Different Perspective

Conflicts may arise from differing methodologies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Created By God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/created-by-god/) [Natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) [Reasonable man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable-man/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [“intended as a dig at my father, the enterprise being another of science’s excesses, like cloning or whisking up a bunch of genes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/intended-as-a-dig-at-my-father-the-enterprise-being-another-of/)

[Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/)

> [I'm a scientist, not a theologian. I don't know if there is a God or not. Religion requires certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/i-m-a-scientist-not-a-theologian-i-don-t-know-if-there-is-a-god-or-2/)

[James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/)

> [“Since the earliest days the church as an organization has thrown itself violently against every effort to liberate the body and mind of man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-t-joshi/since-the-earliest-days-the-church-as-an-organization-has-thrown/)

[S.T. Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-t-joshi/)

> [“Fynn disguise nobody but Fynn. At the time of writing I have known him for a couple of years. But there is another way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-sproxton/fynn-disguise-nobody-but-fynn-at-the-time-of-writing-i-have-known-him/)

[Vernon Sproxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-sproxton/)

> [“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world around him; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-reasonable-man-adapts-himself-to-the-world-around-him-the/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [While there is a chance of the world getting through its troubles, I hold that a reasonable man has to behave as though he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/while-there-is-a-chance-of-the-world-getting-through-its-troubles-i/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [“She looked at him. She was feeling reckless, emotional, out of sorts, and she was tired of his constant hints. “I found the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/she-looked-at-him-she-was-feeling-reckless-emotional-out-of-sorts-and/)

[Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/)

> [“However,he also found himself constantly stalked by marriage-minded mamas and their braying daughters, and, frankly, while he'd thought it rather amusing in a twisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/however-he-also-found-himself-constantly-stalked-by-marriage-minded/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

> [I want to be a reasonable man in an unreasonable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-want-to-be-a-reasonable-man-in-an-unreasonable-world/)

[Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/)

> [An act of God was defined as something which no reasonable man could have expected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/an-act-of-god-was-defined-as-something-which-no-reasonable-man-could/)

[A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/)

> [“Sometimes, you simply must follow your heart," she said. "No reasonable man can blame you for that." A smile. "No reasonable woman can, either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts-jr/sometimes-you-simply-must-follow-your-heart-she-said-no-reasonable/)

[Leonard Pitts Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts-jr/)

> [The essential tendency of life is toward happiness . . . . Optimism is the only true condition for a reasonable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-essential-tendency-of-life-is-toward-happiness-optimism-is-the/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [The most reasonable man always manages, when he pulls the trigger, to become a dispenser of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/the-most-reasonable-man-always-manages-when-he-pulls-the-trigger-to/)

[Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/)

> [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/)

[Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/)

> [“He’d parted reluctantly from Amily, thinking again with envy of Lena and Bear. One thing that they hadn’t been forced to deal with during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/he-d-parted-reluctantly-from-amily-thinking-again-with-envy-of-lena/)

[Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/)

## 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 Natural world quotes

> [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/)

[Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/)

> [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/)

[Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/)

> [The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-voice-of-the-natural-world-would-be-could-you-please-give-us/)

[Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/)

> [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/)

[Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/)

> [To care for the natural world is the most effective insurance policy we can have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-harding/to-care-for-the-natural-world-is-the-most-effective-insurance-policy/)

[Phil Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-harding/)

> [“Redemption is not just about being saved \*from\* the consequences of sin, it is also about being saved \*to\* something- to resume the task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/redemption-is-not-just-about-being-saved-from-the-consequences-of-sin/)

[Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/)

> [“George didn't do quiet or subtle. His big paws kicked up rocks as he stretched into his own version of a freight train.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kaniut-cobb/george-didn-t-do-quiet-or-subtle-his-big-paws-kicked-up-rocks-as-he/)

[Lisa Kaniut Cobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kaniut-cobb/)

> [“Where I had expected to appreciate the monuments and love the natural environment, the reality was entirely the reverse. The immense beauty of many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/where-i-had-expected-to-appreciate-the-monuments-and-love-the-natural/)

[Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/)

> [“huigan—causes us to turn inward and reflect as the liquor coats our tongues, shimmers down our throats, and then rises again as fragrance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/huigan-causes-us-to-turn-inward-and-reflect-as-the-liquor-coats-our/)

[Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/)

> [If we do not appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the human heart, how can we appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/if-we-do-not-appreciate-the-sensitivity-and-subtlety-of-the-human/)

[Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/)

> [In a way, human beings have never been part of the natural order; we're not biological in the normal sense. Normal biological animals stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/in-a-way-human-beings-have-never-been-part-of-the-natural-order-we-re/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [I think a healthy connection with the natural world actually makes us more human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-think-a-healthy-connection-with-the-natural-world-actually-makes-us/)

[Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/)

> [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/)

[Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/)

[Browse all 672 Natural world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There were excesses in science and there were excesses in religion. A reasonable man wouldn’t be stampeded by either one. There were many interpretations of Scripture and many interpretations of the natural world. Both were created by God, so both must be mutually consistent. Wherever a discrepancy seems to exist, either a scientist or a theologian—maybe both—hasn’t been doing his job. Palmer”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Sagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there-were-excesses-in-religion-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Natural world"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there-were-excesses-in-religion-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/carl-sagan-160_natural-world_there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there_2774724.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/carl-sagan-160_natural-world_there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there_2774724.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/311/carl-sagan-160_natural-world_there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there_2774724.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There were excesses in science and there were excesses in religion. A reasonable man wouldn’t be stampeded…” — Carl Sagan",
                "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": "Carl Sagan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There were excesses in science and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there-were-excesses-in-religion-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-were-excesses-in-science-and-there-were-excesses-in-religion-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
