--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Theorists have wonderful ideas which take…" description: "\"Theorists have wonderful ideas which take years and years to be verified.\" — David Gross" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/david-gross-23995_ideas_theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-tak_1151379.jpg" --- # Theorists have wonderful ideas which take years and years… ![“Theorists have wonderful ideas which take years and years to be verified.” quote by David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/david-gross-23995_ideas_theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-tak_1151379.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/david-gross-23995_ideas_theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-tak_1151379.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/david-gross-23995_ideas_theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-tak_1151379.jpg) > “Theorists have wonderful ideas which take years and years to be verified.” [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Theoretical ideas often take many years before experimental evidence can confirm them. **In simple terms:** Ideas need time to be proven. Key Takeaway Patience is essential for scientific progress. Themes science theory verification Mood thoughtful analytical Type explanatory inspirational When to use this quote - lab work - grant proposals - academic publishing - peer review Key Concepts Scientific method long-term research Questions to Reflect On - What breakthroughs could accelerate verification? - How do we balance speculation with evidence? A Different Perspective Theory may never be testable with current technology. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theorists/) [Verified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/verified/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [The function of genius is to furnish cretins with ideas twenty years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-aragon/the-function-of-genius-is-to-furnish-cretins-with-ideas-twenty-years/) [Louis Aragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-aragon/) > [We know that the nature of genius is to provide idiots with ideas twenty years later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-aragon/we-know-that-the-nature-of-genius-is-to-provide-idiots-with-ideas/) [Louis Aragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-aragon/) > [I do know that kind fate allowed me to find a couple of nice ideas after many years of feverish labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-do-know-that-kind-fate-allowed-me-to-find-a-couple-of-nice-ideas/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I want to come up with lots of weird and wonderful ideas and pieces of work and share them with the people who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-sugg/i-want-to-come-up-with-lots-of-weird-and-wonderful-ideas-and-pieces/) [Joe Sugg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-sugg/) > [Pinterest is awesome. You can get so many wonderful ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabby-barrett/pinterest-is-awesome-you-can-get-so-many-wonderful-ideas/) [Gabby Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabby-barrett/) > [“I have wonderful ideas. And terrible ideas. And terribly wonderful ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/i-have-wonderful-ideas-and-terrible-ideas-and-terribly-wonderful-ideas/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [To know enough about things is one prerequisite for (having) wonderful ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-duckworth/to-know-enough-about-things-is-one-prerequisite-for-having-wonderful/) [Eleanor Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-duckworth/) > [It would be wonderful if ideas could be the new rock 'n roll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/it-would-be-wonderful-if-ideas-could-be-the-new-rock-n-roll/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [There has never been a verified scientific report that chelation therapy, a gluten-free diet, or anything else can cure autism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/there-has-never-been-a-verified-scientific-report-that-chelation/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [Which prophecy of Christ we see wonderfully to be verified, insomuch that the whole course of the Church to this day may seem nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-foxe/which-prophecy-of-christ-we-see-wonderfully-to-be-verified-insomuch/) [John Foxe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-foxe/) > [Organizations worried about the potential for e-voting problems have long-advocated for audit procedures by which votes cast by e-voting machines could be verified through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-barr/organizations-worried-about-the-potential-for-e-voting-problems-have/) [Bob Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-barr/) > [There have been many times when we have not run stories because we cannot get it verified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hart/there-have-been-many-times-when-we-have-not-run-stories-because-we/) [Mary Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hart/) > [“My hens all died and my plow is broke My well is dry and my yak just croaked My farm’s all rotted straight down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/my-hens-all-died-and-my-plow-is-broke-my-well-is-dry-and-my-yak-just/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [Modern science is predicated on 'truths' verified through accurate observation and measurements of physical world phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/modern-science-is-predicated-on-truths-verified-through-accurate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything that you see in 'Unhinged' that's quoted can be verified as documented and corroborated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarosa-manigault-newman/everything-that-you-see-in-unhinged-that-s-quoted-can-be-verified-as/) [Omarosa Manigault Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarosa-manigault-newman/) ## More by David Gross > [Actually, I was more or less determined to be a theoretical physicist at the age of thirteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/actually-i-was-more-or-less-determined-to-be-a-theoretical-physicist/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [Since the founding of quantum mechanics in the 1920s, theoretical physics had nurtured an extremely radical tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/since-the-founding-of-quantum-mechanics-in-the-1920s-theoretical/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [Some wonder whether some day we will arrive at a theory of everything and run out of new problems to solve - much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/some-wonder-whether-some-day-we-will-arrive-at-a-theory-of-everything/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [I was born in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 1941, the eldest of four sons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/i-was-born-in-washington-d-c-on-february-19-1941-the-eldest-of-four/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [I strongly believe that the fundamental laws of nature are not emergent phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/i-strongly-believe-that-the-fundamental-laws-of-nature-are-not/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [The progress of science is much more muddled than is depicted in most history books. This is especially true of theoretical physics, partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/the-progress-of-science-is-much-more-muddled-than-is-depicted-in-most/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [Reading history, one rarely gets the feeling of the true nature of scientific development, in which the element of farce is as great as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/reading-history-one-rarely-gets-the-feeling-of-the-true-nature-of/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [In the lab, we could not see or physically describe the mathematical objects that we called quarks, which we suspected were the key to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/in-the-lab-we-could-not-see-or-physically-describe-the-mathematical/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [The main reason why people should care about research in fundamental physics is the same reason they care about astronomy and cosmology. People, children,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/the-main-reason-why-people-should-care-about-research-in-fundamental/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [“From the age of 13, I was attracted to physics and mathematics. My interest in these subjects derived mostly from popular science books that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/from-the-age-of-13-i-was-attracted-to-physics-and-mathematics-my/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [Indeed, the most important product of knowledge is ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/indeed-the-most-important-product-of-knowledge-is-ignorance/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [From the age of 13, I was attracted to physics and mathematics. My interest in these subjects derived mostly from popular science books that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/from-the-age-of-13-i-was-attracted-to-physics-and-mathematics-my-2/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [My father and mother treated us children as intellectual equals, thus greatly bolstering our self-confidence and our interest in ideas of all kinds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/my-father-and-mother-treated-us-children-as-intellectual-equals-thus/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [My childhood in Arlington, Va., a middle class suburb of Washington, was uneventful. Ours was a very intellectual family, and we were encouraged to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/my-childhood-in-arlington-va-a-middle-class-suburb-of-washington-was/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) > [The Big Bang theory is the idea that if we go back early enough in the history of the universe - and we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/the-big-bang-theory-is-the-idea-that-if-we-go-back-early-enough-in/) [David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) [Explore all 25 David Gross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/) ## More Ideas quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [It revealed a cruelty that really made one wonder if the universe was such a good idea after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/it-revealed-a-cruelty-that-really-made-one-wonder-if-the-universe-was/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Making movies seemed so impossible as far as getting my ideas funded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/making-movies-seemed-so-impossible-as-far-as-getting-my-ideas-funded/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Browse all 24,908 Ideas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Theorists have wonderful ideas which take years and years to be verified.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Gross" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-take-years-and-years-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ideas" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-take-years-and-years-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/david-gross-23995_ideas_theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-tak_1151379.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/david-gross-23995_ideas_theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-tak_1151379.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/david-gross-23995_ideas_theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-tak_1151379.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Theorists have wonderful ideas which take years and years to be verified.” — David Gross", "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": "David Gross", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Theorists have wonderful ideas which take...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-take-years-and-years-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/theorists-have-wonderful-ideas-which-take-years-and-years-to-be/#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 } } ] } ```