--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scholars do one of two things when they…" description: "\"Scholars do one of two things when they discover information that doesn't fit what they already know. Either they sweep it aside so it doesn't bring th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/deborah-harkness-3590_bottom_scholars-do-one-of-two-things-when-they_2417795.jpg" --- # Scholars do one of two things when they discover… ![“Scholars do one of two things when they discover information that doesn't fit what they already know. Either they sweep it aside so it doesn't bring their cherished theories into question or they focus on it with laserlike intensity and try to get to the bottom of the mystery.” quote by Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/deborah-harkness-3590_bottom_scholars-do-one-of-two-things-when-they_2417795.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/deborah-harkness-3590_bottom_scholars-do-one-of-two-things-when-they_2417795.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8cb/deborah-harkness-3590_bottom_scholars-do-one-of-two-things-when-they_2417795.jpg) > “Scholars do one of two things when they discover information that doesn't fit what they already know. Either they sweep it aside so it doesn't bring their cherished theories into question or they focus on it with laserlike intensity and try to get to the bottom of the mystery.” [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights two scholarly responses to contradictory evidence: dismissal or intense investigation. **In simple terms:** Scientists either ignore or deeply explore anomalies. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity over denial. Themes science epistemology research Mood thoughtful analytical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - academic publishing - peer review - experimental design Key Concepts bias methodology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle conflicting data? - What fosters rigorous inquiry? A Different Perspective Risk of confirmation bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Cherished Theories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cherished-theories-3857861/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-doesn-1041979/) [Intensity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensity/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Scholars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholars/) [Scholars Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholars-things-6108206/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Things Discover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-discover-735328/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [There are few ideas in the world of thought which contain so much spiritual power as the idea of the Sabbath. Aeons hence, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/there-are-few-ideas-in-the-world-of-thought-which-contain-so-much/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [Academia is the death of cinema. It is the very opposite of passion. Film is not the art of scholars, but of illiterates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/academia-is-the-death-of-cinema-it-is-the-very-opposite-of-passion/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [The Pew Biomedical Scholars are a synergistic community whose connections are reinforced over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-mello/the-pew-biomedical-scholars-are-a-synergistic-community-whose/) [Craig Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-mello/) > [Early Islam was a time of great creativity. Scholars excelled in sciences and literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basmah-bint-saud/early-islam-was-a-time-of-great-creativity-scholars-excelled-in/) [Basmah bint Saud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basmah-bint-saud/) > [Now, scholars can be very useful and necessary, in their own dull and unamusing way. They provide a lot of information. It's just that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/now-scholars-can-be-very-useful-and-necessary-in-their-own-dull-and-2/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [Remember that our nation's first great leaders were also our first great scholars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/remember-that-our-nation-s-first-great-leaders-were-also-our-first/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“Scholars sometimes use technical terms (i.e., Hypostases) for no good reason, other than the fact that they are the technical terms scholars use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/scholars-sometimes-use-technical-terms-i-e-hypostases-for-no-good/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [This is a landmark work in the history of African American studies and American intellectual history. Writing with verve, Jackson brings to life a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-sollors/this-is-a-landmark-work-in-the-history-of-african-american-studies/) [Werner Sollors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-sollors/) > [“I am a great scholar, my mind is full of wonders.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/i-am-a-great-scholar-my-mind-is-full-of-wonders/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Now, scholars can be very useful and necessary, in their own dull and up amusing way. They provide a lot of information. It's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/now-scholars-can-be-very-useful-and-necessary-in-their-own-dull-and/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [I do think that I have been fortunate to make friendships with other scholars, and form reading groups where ideas are exchanged and papers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/i-do-think-that-i-have-been-fortunate-to-make-friendships-with-other/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [Film is not the art of scholars, but of illiterates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/film-is-not-the-art-of-scholars-but-of-illiterates/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Scholars are wont to sell their birthright for a mess of learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/scholars-are-wont-to-sell-their-birthright-for-a-mess-of-learning/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [My school is attended by near three hundred scholars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lancaster/my-school-is-attended-by-near-three-hundred-scholars/) [Joseph Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lancaster/) > [“To be knowledgeable, sit before scholars; to be wise, sit before life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/to-be-knowledgeable-sit-before-scholars-to-be-wise-sit-before-life/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) ## More by Deborah Harkness > [After 20 years of writing academic prose and lectures, it seems very familiar and straightforward to me. Writing a novel for the first time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/after-20-years-of-writing-academic-prose-and-lectures-it-seems-very/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“As far as I can tell there are only two emotions that keep the world spinning year after year...One is fear. The other is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/as-far-as-i-can-tell-there-are-only-two-emotions-that-keep-the-world/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [For me, a $20 wine that drinks like a $40 wine in terms of complexity and interest is a value, while a $5 wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/for-me-a-20-wine-that-drinks-like-a-40-wine-in-terms-of-complexity/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“Some swore he was a maid in man's attire, For in his looks were all that men desire, A pleasant smiling cheeke, a speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/some-swore-he-was-a-maid-in-man-s-attire-for-in-his-looks-were-all/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [I took a course on 'Magic, Alchemy, and Astrology' at Mount Holyoke, and it was a whole new awakening for me, a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/i-took-a-course-on-magic-alchemy-and-astrology-at-mount-holyoke-and/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [Her bark is worse than her bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/her-bark-is-worse-than-her-bite/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [The king just sits there, moving one square at a time. The queen can move so freely. I suppose I’d rather lose the game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/the-king-just-sits-there-moving-one-square-at-a-time-the-queen-can/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [What if 16th century people were right, and the supernatural and natural coexisted? How would that play out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/what-if-16th-century-people-were-right-and-the-supernatural-and/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [I was planning on starting a new file on my computer with the title "Phrases That Sound One Way to Witches but Mean Something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/i-was-planning-on-starting-a-new-file-on-my-computer-with-the-title/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [I think you can learn a lot from primary sources. 'The Penguin Book of Witches,' which is edited by novelist Katherine Howe, is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/i-think-you-can-learn-a-lot-from-primary-sources-the-penguin-book-of/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“History only became more challenging when it became less neat. Every time I pick up a book or document from the past, I'm in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/history-only-became-more-challenging-when-it-became-less-neat-every/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [We live in a world where we think the mysterious is retreating farther and farther from our lives and eventually we will know all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/we-live-in-a-world-where-we-think-the-mysterious-is-retreating/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“Give me knowledge of my end and the measure of my days, so I may know my frailty. My lifetime is no longer than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/give-me-knowledge-of-my-end-and-the-measure-of-my-days-so-i-may-know/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [Memories were short and history unkind. It was the way of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/memories-were-short-and-history-unkind-it-was-the-way-of-the-world/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) > [“All men are fools, Your Majesty,” Matthew said swiftly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-harkness/all-men-are-fools-your-majesty-matthew-said-swiftly/) [Deborah Harkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) [Explore all 122 Deborah Harkness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-harkness/) ## More Bottom quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/) [Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. 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