--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...I believe there exists, & I feel…" description: "\"...I believe there exists, & I feel within me, an instinct for the truth, or knowledge or discovery, of something of the same nature as the instinct of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/charles-darwin-507_believe_i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me_1879866.jpg" --- # ...I believe there exists, & I feel within me, an instinct… ![“...I believe there exists, & I feel within me, an instinct for the truth, or knowledge or discovery, of something of the same nature as the instinct of virtue, & that our having such an instinct is reason enough for scientific researches without any practical results ever ensuing from them.” quote by Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/charles-darwin-507_believe_i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me_1879866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/charles-darwin-507_believe_i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me_1879866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/charles-darwin-507_believe_i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me_1879866.jpg) > “...I believe there exists, & I feel within me, an instinct for the truth, or knowledge or discovery, of something of the same nature as the instinct of virtue, & that our having such an instinct is reason enough for scientific researches without any practical results ever ensuing from them.” [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An innate instinct for truth drives scientific inquiry, even without practical outcomes, suggesting curiosity itself justifies research. **In simple terms:** Curiosity fuels science beyond utility. Key Takeaway Pursue knowledge for its own sake. Themes science curiosity philosophy Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - research - education - philosophical inquiry Key Concepts instinct knowledge discovery Questions to Reflect On - What discoveries have emerged from pure curiosity? - Is utility essential for scientific value? A Different Perspective Practical benefits may be delayed or absent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-discovery/) [Scientific research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-research/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes with a comedy it's just having the instinct of how real you play it and what level you want it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-williams/sometimes-with-a-comedy-it-s-just-having-the-instinct-of-how-real-you/) [Robin Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-williams/) > [Personally I prefer to work things out by feel, by instinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/personally-i-prefer-to-work-things-out-by-feel-by-instinct/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) > [“A slow nature such as Maurice's appears insensitive, for it needs time even to feel. Its instinct is to assume that nothing either for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/a-slow-nature-such-as-maurice-s-appears-insensitive-for-it-needs-time/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [“In their wild state, before the appearance of the white man among them, the principal complaints they were subject to were those produced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/in-their-wild-state-before-the-appearance-of-the-white-man-among-them/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [The pleasure of satisfying a savage instinct, undomesticated by the ego, is uncomparably much more intense than the one of satisfying a tamed instinct.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-pleasure-of-satisfying-a-savage-instinct-undomesticated-by-the/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [I believe in instinct, not reason. When reason is right, nine times out of ten it is impotent, and when it prevails, nine times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-benson/i-believe-in-instinct-not-reason-when-reason-is-right-nine-times-out/) [A. C. Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-benson/) > [The opposition of instinct and reason is mainly illusory. Instinct, intuition, or insight is what first leads to the beliefs which subsequent reason confirms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-opposition-of-instinct-and-reason-is-mainly-illusory-instinct/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“They were all intensely excited, and all overflowing with noisy expressions of their loyalty to the Law. Yet I felt an absolute assurance in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-3/they-were-all-intensely-excited-and-all-overflowing-with-noisy/) [H G Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-3/) > [“I’d give up three days just to get three hours with the woman I love. Of course this instinct is the reason why my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-d-give-up-three-days-just-to-get-three-hours-with-the-woman-i-love/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Myth is the practical metabolism of our soulish life, the logic of our obsessions and oversights for which we have no language or code.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/myth-is-the-practical-metabolism-of-our-soulish-life-the-logic-of-our/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [There are some situations which men understand by instinct, by which reason is powerless to explain; in such cases the greatest poet is he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/there-are-some-situations-which-men-understand-by-instinct-by-which/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [Janice used to say that instinct was reason in a hurry; I was not so sure about the reason part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/janice-used-to-say-that-instinct-was-reason-in-a-hurry-i-was-not-so/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) > [The genuinely significant creation, whether an idea, or a work of art, or a scientific discovery, is most likely to be seen at first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/the-genuinely-significant-creation-whether-an-idea-or-a-work-of-art/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-curie/we-must-not-forget-that-when-radium-was-discovered-no-one-knew-that/) [Marie Curie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-curie/) > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) ## More by Charles Darwin > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [The main conclusion here arrived at ... is that man is descended from some less highly organized form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-main-conclusion-here-arrived-at-is-that-man-is-descended-from/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [So great is the economy of nature, that most flowers which are fertilised by crepuscular or nocturnal insects emit their odour chiefly or exclusively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/so-great-is-the-economy-of-nature-that-most-flowers-which-are/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious views of anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-see-no-good-reasons-why-the-views-given-in-this-volume-should-shock/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-quite-conscious-that-my-speculations-run-beyond-the-bounds-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [If worms have the power of acquiring some notion, however rude, of the shape of an object and over their burrows, as seems the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/if-worms-have-the-power-of-acquiring-some-notion-however-rude-of-the/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [We can allow satellites, planets, suns, universe, nay whole systems of universes, to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect, we wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/we-can-allow-satellites-planets-suns-universe-nay-whole-systems-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [May we not suspect that the vague but very real fears of children, which are quite independent of experience, are the inherited effects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/may-we-not-suspect-that-the-vague-but-very-real-fears-of-children/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It may be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing, throughout the world, every variation, even the slightest; rejecting that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-may-be-said-that-natural-selection-is-daily-and-hourly/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“Darwin, landing in Brazil in 1832, had a similar reaction, colored by his reading of his predecessor." Humboldt's glorious descriptions are & will for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/darwin-landing-in-brazil-in-1832-had-a-similar-reaction-colored-by/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [...all nature is perverse & will not do as I wish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/all-nature-is-perverse-will-not-do-as-i-wish-it/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“To admit that species generally become rare before they become extinct—to feel no surprise at the comparative rarity of one species with another, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/to-admit-that-species-generally-become-rare-before-they-become/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/to-suppose-that-the-eye-could-have-been-formed-by-natural-selection/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank clothed with many plants of many kinds with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-is-interesting-to-contemplate-an-entangled-bank-clothed-with-many/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Explore all 497 Charles Darwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "...I believe there exists, & I feel within me, an instinct for the truth, or knowledge or discovery, of something of the same nature as the instinct of virtue, & that our having such an instinct is reason enough for scientific researches without any practical results ever ensuing from them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Darwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me-an-instinct-for-the-truth-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me-an-instinct-for-the-truth-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/charles-darwin-507_believe_i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me_1879866.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/charles-darwin-507_believe_i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me_1879866.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87e/charles-darwin-507_believe_i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me_1879866.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...I believe there exists, & I feel within me, an instinct for the truth, or knowledge or discovery, of…” — Charles Darwin", "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": "Charles Darwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "...I believe there exists, & I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me-an-instinct-for-the-truth-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-believe-there-exists-i-feel-within-me-an-instinct-for-the-truth-or/#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 } } ] } ```