---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No law of nature, however general, has…"
description: "\"No law of nature, however general, has been established all at once; its recognition has always been preceded by many presentiments.\" — Dmitri Mendeleev"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/dmitri-mendeleev-22878_law_no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-bee_1553206.jpg"
---

#  No law of nature, however general, has been established…

![“No law of nature, however general, has been established all at once; its recognition has always been preceded by many presentiments.” quote by Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/dmitri-mendeleev-22878_law_no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-bee_1553206.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/dmitri-mendeleev-22878_law_no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-bee_1553206.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/dmitri-mendeleev-22878_law_no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-bee_1553206.jpg)

> “No law of nature, however general, has been established all at once; its recognition has always been preceded by many presentiments.”

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Scientific laws emerge gradually, preceded by many doubts and observations.

**In simple terms:** Science develops through incremental validation.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty as part of discovery.

Themes

science philosophy of science progress

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- research labs
- academic curricula
- policy making
- public education

Key Concepts

empiricism theory formation skepticism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we balance skepticism with openness?
- What role does peer review play?

A Different Perspective

Overreliance on early data can mislead conclusions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-of-nature/) [Laws of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-of-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Recognition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recognition/)

## Related quotes

> [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ \[I\]t being reasonable and just, I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction: for by the fundamental law of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/i-t-being-reasonable-and-just-i-should-have-a-right-to-destroy-that/)

[John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/)

> [The doctrines thus delivered we call the revealed or divine law, and they are to be found only in the holy scriptures.. are found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/the-doctrines-thus-delivered-we-call-the-revealed-or-divine-law-and/)

[William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/)

> [The closest thing to a law of nature in business is that form has an affinity for expense, while substance has an affinity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-hock/the-closest-thing-to-a-law-of-nature-in-business-is-that-form-has-an/)

[Dee Hock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-hock/)

> [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is-2/)

[H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/)

> [It is a common law of nature, which no time will ever change, that superiors shall rule their inferiors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dionysius-of-halicarnassus/it-is-a-common-law-of-nature-which-no-time-will-ever-change-that/)

[Dionysius of Halicarnassus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dionysius-of-halicarnassus/)

> [Money never made any man rich, but his mind. He that can order himself to the law of nature, is not only without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/money-never-made-any-man-rich-but-his-mind-he-that-can-order-himself/)

[Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/)

> [It seems like the first law of Nature is that everybody likes to receive things, but nobody likes to feel grateful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seems-like-the-first-law-of-nature-is-that-everybody-likes-to/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life; second, to liberty; third, to property; together with the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/among-the-natural-rights-of-the-colonists-are-these-first-a-right-to/)

[Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/)

> [I can tell you for sure: people who are at their peak right now will not sustain that. You can't. It's against the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/i-can-tell-you-for-sure-people-who-are-at-their-peak-right-now-will/)

[Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/)

> [Upon these two foundations, the law of nature and the law of revelation, depend all human laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/upon-these-two-foundations-the-law-of-nature-and-the-law-of/)

[William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/)

> [ \[The aim of science is\] to explain what so far has taken to be an explicans, such as a law of nature. The task… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/the-aim-of-science-is-to-explain-what-so-far-has-taken-to-be-an/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [“Remember that your dominating thoughts attract, through a definite law of nature, by the shortest and most convenient route, their physical counterpart. Be careful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/remember-that-your-dominating-thoughts-attract-through-a-definite-law/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [In the state of nature, wrong-doing is impossible; or, if anyone does wrong, it is to himself, not to another. For no one by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/in-the-state-of-nature-wrong-doing-is-impossible-or-if-anyone-does/)

[Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/)

> [It is manifestly contrary to the law of nature, however defined, that a handful of people should gorge themselves with superfluities while the hungry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/it-is-manifestly-contrary-to-the-law-of-nature-however-defined-that-a/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

## More by Dmitri Mendeleev

> [It is the function of science to discover the existence of a general reign of order in nature and to find the causes governing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/it-is-the-function-of-science-to-discover-the-existence-of-a-general/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [I want you to have this feeling too - it is my moral responsibility to help you achieve this inner freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/i-want-you-to-have-this-feeling-too-it-is-my-moral-responsibility-to/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [If all the elements are arranged in the order of their atomic weights, a periodic repetition of properties is obtained. This is expressed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/if-all-the-elements-are-arranged-in-the-order-of-their-atomic-weights/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [No one nor anything can silence me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/no-one-nor-anything-can-silence-me/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [There is nothing in this world that I fear to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/there-is-nothing-in-this-world-that-i-fear-to-say/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [I saw in a dream a table where all the elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/i-saw-in-a-dream-a-table-where-all-the-elements-fell-into-place-as/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [We could live at the present day without a Plato, but a double number of Newtons is required to discover the secrets of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/we-could-live-at-the-present-day-without-a-plato-but-a-double-number/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [I have to talk like this! It's my job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/i-have-to-talk-like-this-it-s-my-job/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [The magnitude of the atomic weight determines the character of the element, just as the magnitude of the molecule determines the character of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/the-magnitude-of-the-atomic-weight-determines-the-character-of-the/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [There exists everywhere a medium in things, determined by equilibrium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/there-exists-everywhere-a-medium-in-things-determined-by-equilibrium/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [The establishment of a law, moreover, does not take place when the first thought of it takes form, or even when its significance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/the-establishment-of-a-law-moreover-does-not-take-place-when-the/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [Work, look for peace and calm in work: You will find it nowhere else. Pleasures flit by -- they are only for yourself; work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/work-look-for-peace-and-calm-in-work-you-will-find-it-nowhere-else/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [ Why do they \[Americans\] quarrel, why do they hate Negroes, Indians, even Germans, why do they not have science and poetry commensurate with themselves,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/why-do-they-americans-quarrel-why-do-they-hate-negroes-indians-even-2/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [We must expect the discovery of many as yet unknown elements-for example, elements analogous to aluminum and silicon- whose atomic weight would be between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/we-must-expect-the-discovery-of-many-as-yet-unknown-elements-for/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

> [Work, look for peace and calm in work: you will find it nowhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/work-look-for-peace-and-calm-in-work-you-will-find-it-nowhere-else-2/)

[Dmitri Mendeleev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

[Explore all 26 Dmitri Mendeleev quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/)

## More Law quotes

> [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/)

[Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/)

> [The law is like apparel, which alters with the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dodderidge/the-law-is-like-apparel-which-alters-with-the-time/)

John Dodderidge

> [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/)

[Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/)

> [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/)

[Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/)

> [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/)

[Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Laws undertake to punish only overt acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laws-undertake-to-punish-only-overt-acts/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [In relations between the rich and the strong, between the rich and the poor, between the master and the servant, it's liberty that grinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-relations-between-the-rich-and-the-strong-between-the-rich-and-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Browse all 16,973 Law quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No law of nature, however general, has been established all at once; its recognition has always been preceded by many presentiments.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dmitri Mendeleev"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-been-established-all-at-once-its/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Law"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-been-established-all-at-once-its/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/dmitri-mendeleev-22878_law_no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-bee_1553206.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/dmitri-mendeleev-22878_law_no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-bee_1553206.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/dmitri-mendeleev-22878_law_no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-bee_1553206.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No law of nature, however general, has been established all at once; its recognition has always been…” — Dmitri Mendeleev",
                "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": "Dmitri Mendeleev",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-mendeleev/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No law of nature, however general,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-been-established-all-at-once-its/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-mendeleev/no-law-of-nature-however-general-has-been-established-all-at-once-its/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
