Certainty Quote by Djuna Barnes
“Certainty always produces questions, uncertainty statements. It is a balancing law of nature.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Book of the Dead, 1938
Certainty leads to more questions, while uncertainty creates clear statements, reflecting nature's balance.
In simple terms: Certainty creates questions; uncertainty creates statements.
Key Takeaway
Embrace uncertainty to reduce questioning.
Themes
philosophy
nature
logic
Mood
contemplative
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- scientific research
- personal decision making
- policy development
- risk assessment
Key Concepts
Epistemology
balance
law of nature
Questions to Reflect On
- How does certainty limit inquiry?
- When does uncertainty become paralyzing?
A Different Perspective
Uncertainty can cause anxiety and indecision.
![“[The aim of science is] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task of empirical science constantly renews itself. We may go on forever, proceeding to explanations of a higher and higher universality...” quote by Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f4e/karl-popper-2167_aim_the-aim-of-science-is-to-explain-what-so_121944.jpg)
![“[A]s it must be admitted that the remedy under the Constitution lies where it has been marked out by the Constitution; and that no appeal can be consistently made from that remedy by those who were and still profess to be parties to it, but the appeal to the parties themselves having an authority…” quote by James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/803/james-madison-373_appeals_a-s-it-must-be-admitted-that-the-remedy_69293.jpg)
![“[I]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics, in so far as disposed through it we are able to reach certainty in other sciences and truth by the exclusion of error.” quote by Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d13/roger-bacon-15067_able_i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-a_24209.jpg)