--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He wrested the world's whereabouts from…" description: "\"“He wrested the world's whereabouts from the stars, and locked the secret in a pocket watch.”\" — Dava Sobel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/dava-sobel-29490_history-of-mankind_he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from_1125676.jpg" --- # He wrested the world's whereabouts from the stars, and… ![“He wrested the world's whereabouts from the stars, and locked the secret in a pocket watch.” quote by Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/dava-sobel-29490_history-of-mankind_he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from_1125676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/dava-sobel-29490_history-of-mankind_he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from_1125676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/dava-sobel-29490_history-of-mankind_he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from_1125676.jpg) > ““He wrested the world's whereabouts from the stars, and locked the secret in a pocket watch.”” [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human curiosity turns celestial mysteries into tangible inventions like the pocket watch. **In simple terms:** Curiosity turns stars into practical tools. Key Takeaway Pursue curiosity to create useful inventions. Themes science exploration innovation timekeeping Mood wonderful inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - navigation - watchmaking - education - museum exhibits Key Concepts astronomy mechanical engineering human ingenuity Questions to Reflect On - What everyday objects hide cosmic origins? - How does curiosity drive technological progress? A Different Perspective Complex ideas may be oversimplified for storytelling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History-of-mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-of-mankind/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Inventors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inventors/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [“With the buck before me suspended in immobility, there seems to be time for all things, time even to turn my gaze inward and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/with-the-buck-before-me-suspended-in-immobility-there-seems-to-be/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [In the secret pocket, she often kept a small pocket dictionary, which she would take out whenever she encountered a word she did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-secret-pocket-she-often-kept-a-small-pocket-dictionary-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It strikes me that the only reason to take apart a pocket watch, or a car engine, aside from the simple delight of disassembly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-busiek/it-strikes-me-that-the-only-reason-to-take-apart-a-pocket-watch-or-a/) [Kurt Busiek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-busiek/) > [I think the time is ripe for a return to the refinement of lifestyle that the pocket watch embodies. A personal pleasure that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-mille/i-think-the-time-is-ripe-for-a-return-to-the-refinement-of-lifestyle/) [Richard Mille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-mille/) > [He did look like the Monopoly man, but it was smooth. I thought he was going to pull a monocle out. That would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sherman/he-did-look-like-the-monopoly-man-but-it-was-smooth-i-thought-he-was/) [Richard Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sherman/) > [I still have your pocket watch, my dear father. 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It just reminds us what to do and what not to do in the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mitchell/history-is-not-a-bad-thing-it-just-reminds-us-what-to-do-and-what-not/) [Phil MItchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mitchell/) > [“History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind." --- Edward Gibbon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/history-is-little-more-than-the-register-of-the-crimes-follies-and/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [“Years later, as a professor, Martin would try to find the words to articulate the power of togetherness in a world where togetherness had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-shattuck/years-later-as-a-professor-martin-would-try-to-find-the-words-to/) [Jessica Shattuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-shattuck/) ## More by Dava Sobel > [ “\[John\] Harrison \[could not\] express himself clearly in writing… No matter how brilliantly ideas formed in his mind, or crystallized in his clockworks, his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/john-harrison-could-not-express-himself-clearly-in-writing-no-matter/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“With his marine clocks, John Harrison tested the waters of space-time. He succeeded, against all odds, in using the fourth—temporal—dimension to link points on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/with-his-marine-clocks-john-harrison-tested-the-waters-of-space-time/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [Earlier maps had underestimated the distances to other continents and exaggerated the outlines of individual nations. Now global dimensions could be set, with authority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/earlier-maps-had-underestimated-the-distances-to-other-continents-and/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“Any clock that can track this sideral schedule proves itself as perfect as God's magnificent clockwork. Dava Sobel”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/any-clock-that-can-track-this-sideral-schedule-proves-itself-as/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“the beaches. In literally hundreds of instances, a vessel’s ignorance of her longitude led swiftly to her destruction. Launched on a mix of bravery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/the-beaches-in-literally-hundreds-of-instances-a-vessel-s-ignorance/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“Time is to clock as mind is to brain. The clock or watch somehow contains the time. 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They just keep up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/and-since-time-sets-its-own-tempo-like-a-heartbeat-or-an-ebb-tide/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“As earnestly as men may seek to understand the workings of the universe, they must remember that God is not hampered by their limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/as-earnestly-as-men-may-seek-to-understand-the-workings-of-the/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“There was only one trial of Galileo, and yet it seems there were a thousand—the suppression of science by religion, the defense of individualism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/there-was-only-one-trial-of-galileo-and-yet-it-seems-there-were-a/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“To have done work which is widely recognized, to have gained the sincere esteem of many and the real love of even a few,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/to-have-done-work-which-is-widely-recognized-to-have-gained-the/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“In the wake of the Longitude Act, the concept of “discovering the longitude” became a synonym for attempting the impossible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/in-the-wake-of-the-longitude-act-the-concept-of-discovering-the/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“In 1616, a pope and a cardinal inquisitor reprimanded Galileo, warning him to curtail his forays into the supernal realms. The motions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/in-1616-a-pope-and-a-cardinal-inquisitor-reprimanded-galileo-warning/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“The zero-degree parallel of latitude is fixed by the laws of nature, while the zero-degree meridian of longitude shifts like the sands of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/the-zero-degree-parallel-of-latitude-is-fixed-by-the-laws-of-nature/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) > [“The British Parliament, in its famed Longitude Act of 1714, set the highest bounty of all, naming a prize equal to a king’s ransom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/the-british-parliament-in-its-famed-longitude-act-of-1714-set-the/) [Dava Sobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) [Explore all 18 Dava Sobel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/) ## More History-of-mankind quotes > [“Years later, as a professor, Martin would try to find the words to articulate the power of togetherness in a world where togetherness had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-shattuck/years-later-as-a-professor-martin-would-try-to-find-the-words-to/) [Jessica Shattuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-shattuck/) > [“History is little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind." --- Edward Gibbon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/history-is-little-more-than-the-register-of-the-crimes-follies-and/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [“History is not a bad thing. It just reminds us what to do and what not to do in the future.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mitchell/history-is-not-a-bad-thing-it-just-reminds-us-what-to-do-and-what-not/) [Phil MItchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mitchell/) > [“When a man's instincts are evil, repentance has a short lease and brief is his gratitude towards those who have done him good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khuswant-singh/when-a-man-s-instincts-are-evil-repentance-has-a-short-lease-and/) Khuswant Singh > [“Advances in technology can be empowering, progressive and enriching. History has shown this across civilisations and societies. But it has also shown, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/advances-in-technology-can-be-empowering-progressive-and-enriching/) [Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/) > [“History shapes the lives of all men, women and children ... sometimes unraveling humanity into an undesired mess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-i-fisher/history-shapes-the-lives-of-all-men-women-and-children-sometimes/) [Lynda I Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-i-fisher/) > [“Many collectors died in process of searching for new species, and despite persistent reports that the men died from drowning, gunshot and knife wounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hansen/many-collectors-died-in-process-of-searching-for-new-species-and/) [Eric Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hansen/) > [“History is the mighty tower of experience, which time has built amidst the endless fields of bygone ages. - Forward”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-willem-van-loon/history-is-the-mighty-tower-of-experience-which-time-has-built-amidst/) [Hendrik Willem van Loon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-willem-van-loon/) > [“But in its extreme form, belief in the free market is as naive as belief in Santa Claus. There simply is no such thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/but-in-its-extreme-form-belief-in-the-free-market-is-as-naive-as/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“It takes a long time for people like Vorbis to die. They leave echoes in history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-takes-a-long-time-for-people-like-vorbis-to-die-they-leave-echoes/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything.” Edward Johnston”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-puz/if-you-don-t-know-history-you-don-t-know-anything-edward-johnston/) [Richard Puz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-puz/) > [“So perhaps happiness is synchronizing one's personal delusions of meaning with the prevailing collective delusions. As long as my personal narrative is in line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/so-perhaps-happiness-is-synchronizing-one-s-personal-delusions-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“History was interesting to the extent that it was catastrophic and, while that might make absorbing viewing, it made horrible living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/history-was-interesting-to-the-extent-that-it-was-catastrophic-and/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“The present is an age of talkers, and not doers; and the reason is, that the world is growing old. We are so far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-present-is-an-age-of-talkers-and-not-doers-and-the-reason-is-that/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“The Highlanders are Great Thieves”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-historian-cassius-dio-3rd-century-a-d/the-highlanders-are-great-thieves/) Roman Historian Cassius Dio 3rd Century A.D [Browse all 44 History-of-mankind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-of-mankind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He wrested the world's whereabouts from the stars, and locked the secret in a pocket watch.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dava Sobel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from-the-stars-and-locked-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History-of-mankind" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from-the-stars-and-locked-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/dava-sobel-29490_history-of-mankind_he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from_1125676.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/dava-sobel-29490_history-of-mankind_he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from_1125676.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/dava-sobel-29490_history-of-mankind_he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from_1125676.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He wrested the world's whereabouts from the stars, and locked the secret in a pocket watch.” — Dava Sobel", "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": "Dava Sobel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dava-sobel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He wrested the world's whereabouts from...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from-the-stars-and-locked-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dava-sobel/he-wrested-the-world-s-whereabouts-from-the-stars-and-locked-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 } } ] } ```