--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the Universe came to an end every time…" description: "\"If the Universe came to an end every time there was some uncertainty about what had happened in it, it would never have got beyond the first picosecond..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/433/douglas-adams-122_body_if-the-universe-came-to-an-end-every-tim_2345075.png" --- # If the Universe came to an end every time there was some… ![“If the Universe came to an end every time there was some uncertainty about what had happened in it, it would never have got beyond the first picosecond. And many of course don't. It's like a human body, you see. A few cuts and bruises here and there don't hurt it. Not even major surgery if it's…” quote by Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/433/douglas-adams-122_body_if-the-universe-came-to-an-end-every-tim_2345075.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/433/douglas-adams-122_body_if-the-universe-came-to-an-end-every-tim_2345075.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/433/douglas-adams-122_body_if-the-universe-came-to-an-end-every-tim_2345075.png) > “If the Universe came to an end every time there was some uncertainty about what had happened in it, it would never have got beyond the first picosecond. And many of course don't. It's like a human body, you see. A few cuts and bruises here and there don't hurt it. Not even major surgery if it's done properly. Paradoxes are just the scar tissue. Time and space heal themselves up around them and people simply remember a version of events which makes as much sense as they require it to make.” [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Uncertainty and paradoxes are natural; they heal over time, leaving a functional reality. **In simple terms:** Uncertainty is like scar tissue that heals. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty as part of reality. Themes science philosophy uncertainty Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - personal growth - decision making - creative work Key Concepts quantum mechanics cosmology psychology Questions to Reflect On - What paradoxes do you ignore? - How can you turn uncertainty into opportunity? A Different Perspective Paradoxes can hinder progress if not addressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Paradoxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradoxes/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar/) [Scar tissue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar-tissue/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Surgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surgery/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time and space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-space/) [Uncertainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncertainty/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [“But that can't work, can it?" Said Richard. "If we do that, then this won't have happened. Don't we generate all sorts of paradoxes?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-that-can-t-work-can-it-said-richard-if-we-do-that-then-this-won-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [When you're a child, grownups always tell you that "sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you". They say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/when-you-re-a-child-grownups-always-tell-you-that-sticks-and-stones/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [At first it was a bit strange and daunting to have to wear a mask, but afterwards I came to enjoy it. In warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/at-first-it-was-a-bit-strange-and-daunting-to-have-to-wear-a-mask-but/) [Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/) > [How could one sentence uttered in anger cause so much damage? But then words were the most powerful thing in the universe. Cuts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/how-could-one-sentence-uttered-in-anger-cause-so-much-damage-but-then/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [My generation is one of the first generations of "choiceful" women - women who have actually had the choice of how they architect their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/my-generation-is-one-of-the-first-generations-of-choiceful-women/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) > [I hate slick and pretty things. I prefer mistakes and accidents. Which is why I like things like cuts and bruises - they're like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/i-hate-slick-and-pretty-things-i-prefer-mistakes-and-accidents-which/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [You have to stop thinking logically to argue that the universe came into being by itself, out of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/you-have-to-stop-thinking-logically-to-argue-that-the-universe-came/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [One theory is that the universe came from nothing. i.e. perhaps bubble-universes collided, as in a bubble bath, and gave birth to the universe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/one-theory-is-that-the-universe-came-from-nothing-i-e-perhaps-bubble/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Assuming the universe came from nothing, it is empty to begin with... Only by the constant action of an agent outside the universe, such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-stenger/assuming-the-universe-came-from-nothing-it-is-empty-to-begin-with/) [Victor J. Stenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-stenger/) > [A universe that came from nothing in the big bang will disappear into nothing at the big crunch. Its glorious few zillion years of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/a-universe-that-came-from-nothing-in-the-big-bang-will-disappear-into/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [“In truth, Father said, at the first instant of the universe, all of time was present, all our yesterdays and today and all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-truth-father-said-at-the-first-instant-of-the-universe-all-of-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is only myth that attempts to say how the universe came to be, either four thousand or twenty billion years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannes-alfven/it-is-only-myth-that-attempts-to-say-how-the-universe-came-to-be/) [Hannes Alfven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannes-alfven/) > [Maybe we'll understand more about how the universe came to be, and what forces drove it in the early days and which forces drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-boyden/maybe-we-ll-understand-more-about-how-the-universe-came-to-be-and/) [Edward Boyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-boyden/) > [After a while, another voice said: One, two, three, four- And the universe came into being. It was wrong to call it a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/after-a-while-another-voice-said-one-two-three-four-and-the-universe/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I don’t know where the universe came from or what happens to creatures when they die. I don’t know if the whole thing’s an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-don-t-know-where-the-universe-came-from-or-what-happens-to/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) ## More by Douglas Adams > [2,000 years ago one man got nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be if everyone was nice to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/2-000-years-ago-one-man-got-nailed-to-a-tree-for-saying-how-great-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [The technology involved in making anything invisible is so infinitely complex that nine hundred and ninety-nine billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-technology-involved-in-making-anything-invisible-is-so-infinitely/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [One is never alone with a rubber duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/one-is-never-alone-with-a-rubber-duck/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/this-must-be-thursday-i-never-could-get-the-hang-of-thursdays/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [There are some oddities in the perspective with which we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/there-are-some-oddities-in-the-perspective-with-which-we-see-the-world/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“Eight hours West sat a man alone on a beach mourning an inexplicable loss. He could only think of his loss in little packets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/eight-hours-west-sat-a-man-alone-on-a-beach-mourning-an-inexplicable/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The Universe, the whole infinite Universe. The infinite suns, the infinite distances between them, and yourself an invisible dot on an invisible dot, infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-universe-the-whole-infinite-universe-the-infinite-suns-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [People always make this totally artificial distinction between what is commercial and what is good. They quote that maxim "Nobody ever lost money underestimating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/people-always-make-this-totally-artificial-distinction-between-what/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/any-man-who-can-hitch-the-length-and-breadth-of-the-galaxy-rough-it/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [ Does God know he \[exists\]?" "Of course he does. Otherwise, you could not have asked the question, and I could not have answered. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/does-god-know-he-exists-of-course-he-does-otherwise-you-could-not/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“When we told our guide that we didn't want to go to all the tourist places he took us instead to the places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/when-we-told-our-guide-that-we-didn-t-want-to-go-to-all-the-tourist/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“But Douglas was a genius, because he saw the world differently, and more importantly, he could communicate the world he saw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/but-douglas-was-a-genius-because-he-saw-the-world-differently-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“The bits which did mean anything were often so wonderfully buried that no one could ever spot them slipping past in the avalanche of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-bits-which-did-mean-anything-were-often-so-wonderfully-buried/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [You come to me for advice, but you can't cope with anything you don't recognize. Hmmm. So we'll have to tell you something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/you-come-to-me-for-advice-but-you-can-t-cope-with-anything-you-don-t/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Explore all 1,168 Douglas Adams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the Universe came to an end every time there was some uncertainty about what had happened in it, it would never have got beyond the first picosecond. And many of course don't. It's like a human body, you see. A few cuts and bruises here and there don't hurt it. 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