--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Theory is] an explanation that has been…" description: "\"[Theory is] an explanation that has been confirmed to such a degree, by observation and experiment, that knowledgeable experts accept it as fact. That'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/david-quammen-9256_accepting_theory-is-an-explanation-that-has-been-c_2604502.jpg" --- # \[Theory is\] an explanation that has been confirmed to such… ![“[Theory is] an explanation that has been confirmed to such a degree, by observation and experiment, that knowledgeable experts accept it as fact. That's what scientists mean when they talk about a theory: not a dreamy and unreliable speculation, but an explanatory statement that fits the evidence…” quote by David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/david-quammen-9256_accepting_theory-is-an-explanation-that-has-been-c_2604502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/david-quammen-9256_accepting_theory-is-an-explanation-that-has-been-c_2604502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e66/david-quammen-9256_accepting_theory-is-an-explanation-that-has-been-c_2604502.jpg) > “\[Theory is\] an explanation that has been confirmed to such a degree, by observation and experiment, that knowledgeable experts accept it as fact. That's what scientists mean when they talk about a theory: not a dreamy and unreliable speculation, but an explanatory statement that fits the evidence. They embrace such an explanation confidently but provisionally - taking it as their best available view of reality, at least unil some severely conflicting data or some better explanation might come along.” [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A scientific theory is a well‑supported explanation accepted by experts, yet remains provisional pending new evidence. **In simple terms:** Theories explain data but can change with new facts. Key Takeaway Treat theories as strong but revisable explanations. Themes science theory epistemology Mood analytical thoughtful Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - research proposals - policy decisions - education curricula Key Concepts falsifiability evidence hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - What evidence would change a current theory? - How do you balance confidence and humility? A Different Perspective Theories can be overturned by paradigm shifts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Available](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Dreamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamy/) [Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explanation/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Knowledgeable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledgeable/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Scientists Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists-mean-1974428/) [Speculation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speculation/) [Speculation Explanatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speculation-explanatory-1974427/) [Statements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statements/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Theory Explanation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-explanation-1974426/) [Unreliable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreliable/) [Views](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/views/) ## Related quotes > [I think it laughable, frankly, that the physics community comes up with a theory for everything. There isn't one theory for everything. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/i-think-it-laughable-frankly-that-the-physics-community-comes-up-with/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [ “To the religious spirit … God alone is the cause of all positive effects … \[I\]t solves … most … questions always with the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/to-the-religious-spirit-god-alone-is-the-cause-of-all-positive/) [Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/) > [My father was a dreamy fellow - he read Plato and Socrates and watched Phillies games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/my-father-was-a-dreamy-fellow-he-read-plato-and-socrates-and-watched/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“ Autumn Days Yellow, mellow, ripened days, Sheltered in a golden coating; O'er the dreamy, listless haze, White and dainty cloudlets floating; Winking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-carleton/autumn-days-yellow-mellow-ripened-days-sheltered-in-a-golden-coating/) [Will Carleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-carleton/) > [It's odd how those who dismiss the peace movement as utopian, don't hesitate to proffer the most absurdly dreamy reasons for going to war:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-s-odd-how-those-who-dismiss-the-peace-movement-as-utopian-don-t/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“I just had a dream.” “About what?” “It’s hard to describe. It was very dreamy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/i-just-had-a-dream-about-what-it-s-hard-to-describe-it-was-very-dreamy/) [Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/) > [Dill was off again. Beautiful things floated around in his dreamy head. He could read two books to my one, but he preferred the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/dill-was-off-again-beautiful-things-floated-around-in-his-dreamy-head/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Hark, I hear a robin calling! List, the wind is from the south! And the orchard-bloom is falling Sweet as kisses on the mouth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/hark-i-hear-a-robin-calling-list-the-wind-is-from-the-south-and-the/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [“Ugh. It's caveman romance. All that stuff we're not supposed to think is dreamy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-lofty/ugh-it-s-caveman-romance-all-that-stuff-we-re-not-supposed-to-think/) [Carrie Lofty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-lofty/) > [I hope someday you will join us and the world will live as one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-hope-someday-you-will-join-us-and-the-world-will-live-as-one/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Will you look at us by the river! The whole restless mob of us on spread blankets in the dreamy briny sunshine skylarking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/will-you-look-at-us-by-the-river-the-whole-restless-mob-of-us-on/) [Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/) > [We talked through Gillie's life from start to finish, including all her accomplishments and major life events. The woman fell asleep with a dreamy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/we-talked-through-gillie-s-life-from-start-to-finish-including-all/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [Rocking on a lazy billow With roaming eyes, Cushioned on a dreamy pillow, Thou art now wise. Wake the power within thee slumbering, Trim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-blackie/rocking-on-a-lazy-billow-with-roaming-eyes-cushioned-on-a-dreamy/) [John Stuart Blackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-blackie/) > [Will not the very moment of great disillusionment with my brother or sister be incomparably wholesome for me becuase it so thoroughly teaches me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/will-not-the-very-moment-of-great-disillusionment-with-my-brother-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I am not born to make dreamy movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-kashyap/i-am-not-born-to-make-dreamy-movies/) [Anurag Kashyap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-kashyap/) ## More by David Quammen > [I wrote four novels, but then I realized that the world didn't need me to be a novelist, but the world could use me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-wrote-four-novels-but-then-i-realized-that-the-world-didn-t-need-me/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Most Americans know nothing about the African forest, and it seems to them a very scary, spooky dangerous place. I've spent a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/most-americans-know-nothing-about-the-african-forest-and-it-seems-to/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [“Horses aren’t native to Australia. They are exotic, first brought there by European settlers barely more than two centuries ago. Hendra is probably an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/horses-aren-t-native-to-australia-they-are-exotic-first-brought-there/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Viruses have to live somewhere. They can only replicate in living creatures. So, when the Ebola virus disappears between outbreaks, it has to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/viruses-have-to-live-somewhere-they-can-only-replicate-in-living/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [“People and gorillas, horses and duikers and pigs, monkeys and chimps and bats and viruses: We’re all in this together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/people-and-gorillas-horses-and-duikers-and-pigs-monkeys-and-chimps/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Islands are havens and breeding grounds for the unique and anomalous. They are natural laboratories of extravagant evolutionary experimentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/islands-are-havens-and-breeding-grounds-for-the-unique-and-anomalous/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [“Each outbreak, by this view, represents a local event primarily explicable by a larger cause—the arrival of the wave. The main proponent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/each-outbreak-by-this-view-represents-a-local-event-primarily/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [“The Towner paper contained a very interesting statement, as an aside, concerning the five ebolaviruses: “Viruses of each species have genomes that are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/the-towner-paper-contained-a-very-interesting-statement-as-an-aside/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [I used to read only fiction. Now I don't read much, only occasionally, such as a Cormac McCarthy or a Jim Harrison novel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-used-to-read-only-fiction-now-i-don-t-read-much-only-occasionally/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [The swallow that hibernates underwater is a creature called yearning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/the-swallow-that-hibernates-underwater-is-a-creature-called-yearning/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [“It comes and it goes. But epidemiologists have recognized that, with measles virus, as with other pathogens, there’s a critical minimum size of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/it-comes-and-it-goes-but-epidemiologists-have-recognized-that-with/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Whether you like the label 'Anthropocene' or not, whether you find the prospect of what it signifies inevitable or appalling (or both), the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/whether-you-like-the-label-anthropocene-or-not-whether-you-find-the/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Ebola isn't a respiratory virus. It doesn't spread through the airborne route. So it's not likely to spread like wildfire around the world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/ebola-isn-t-a-respiratory-virus-it-doesn-t-spread-through-the/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [I'm a white, middle-class male who had a happy childhood in Ohio. The world does not need me to be a novelist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-m-a-white-middle-class-male-who-had-a-happy-childhood-in-ohio-the/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) [Explore all 73 David Quammen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) ## More Accepting quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) [Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[Theory is] an explanation that has been confirmed to such a degree, by observation and experiment, that knowledgeable experts accept it as fact. That's what scientists mean when they talk about a theory: not a dreamy and unreliable speculation, but an explanatory statement that fits the evidence. 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