--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The modern version of Buridan's ass [a…" description: "\"The modern version of Buridan's ass [a figurative description of a man of indecision] has a Ph.D., but no time to grow up as he is undecided between ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/erwin-chargaff-28739_ass_the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-fi_2127462.png" --- # The modern version of Buridan's ass \[a figurative… ![“The modern version of Buridan's ass [a figurative description of a man of indecision] has a Ph.D., but no time to grow up as he is undecided between making a Leonardo da Vinci in the test tube or planting a Coca Cola sign on Mars.” quote by Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/erwin-chargaff-28739_ass_the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-fi_2127462.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/erwin-chargaff-28739_ass_the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-fi_2127462.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/erwin-chargaff-28739_ass_the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-fi_2127462.png) > “The modern version of Buridan's ass \[a figurative description of a man of indecision\] has a Ph.D., but no time to grow up as he is undecided between making a Leonardo da Vinci in the test tube or planting a Coca Cola sign on Mars.” [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques modern indecision among highly educated individuals, torn between lofty scientific ambition and commercial ventures. **In simple terms:** Highly educated people can be paralyzed by too many choices. Key Takeaway Avoid analysis paralysis. Themes indecision education ambition commercialization Mood reflective critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - research planning - career counseling - entrepreneurial ventures - academic pursuits Key Concepts philosophy of science career choice ethical dilemmas Questions to Reflect On - What drives your ultimate goal: discovery or profit? - How can you prioritize one path without losing balance? A Different Perspective High achievement does not guarantee decisive action; external pressures can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/da-vinci/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Indecision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indecision/) [Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mars/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) ## Related quotes > [The man of decision cannot be stopped! The man of indecision cannot be started! Take your own choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-man-of-decision-cannot-be-stopped-the-man-of-indecision-cannot-be/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [People in London are so much more exposed to danger, or bad things. It took me quite a long time to grow up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-paulina-sumner/people-in-london-are-so-much-more-exposed-to-danger-or-bad-things-it/) [Eliot Paulina Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-paulina-sumner/) > [It was a great time to grow up in Chicago. It was the mid-'80s, and we had the '85 Bears and the Michael Jordan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-chase/it-was-a-great-time-to-grow-up-in-chicago-it-was-the-mid-80s-and-we/) [Bailey Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-chase/) > [My childhood was pretty colorful; I like to use the word turbulent. But it was a great time to grow up, the '70s and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/my-childhood-was-pretty-colorful-i-like-to-use-the-word-turbulent-but/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [There are certain fans who want me to rap about the same exact thing, but it's time to grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/there-are-certain-fans-who-want-me-to-rap-about-the-same-exact-thing/) [Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/) > [I would tell everyone to go to college, no matter what. It gives you time to grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/i-would-tell-everyone-to-go-to-college-no-matter-what-it-gives-you/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [I first met my husband when I was 15. He was very cool, in a band, all that kind of thing, but he took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-mcelhone/i-first-met-my-husband-when-i-was-15-he-was-very-cool-in-a-band-all/) [Natascha McElhone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-mcelhone/) > [“If you cannot keep a relationship seriously, why even start one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-torres/if-you-cannot-keep-a-relationship-seriously-why-even-start-one/) Mario Torres > [Often undecided whether to desert a sinking ship for one that might not float, he would make up his mind to sit on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/often-undecided-whether-to-desert-a-sinking-ship-for-one-that-might/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most people fail at whatever they attempt because of an undecided heart. Should I? Should I not? Go forward? Go back? Success requires the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/most-people-fail-at-whatever-they-attempt-because-of-an-undecided/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [“If you have to convince someone to stay with you then they have already left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-to-convince-someone-to-stay-with-you-then-they-have/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I’ve been all three. And now I’m undecided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/i-ve-been-all-three-and-now-i-m-undecided/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [Obama's major accomplishment is himself. This can be an effective argument to make to undecided voters and something Obama has to artfully address.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-yoffe/obama-s-major-accomplishment-is-himself-this-can-be-an-effective/) [Emily Yoffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-yoffe/) > [The election makes me think of a story of a man who was dying. He had only two minutes to live, so he sent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-election-makes-me-think-of-a-story-of-a-man-who-was-dying-he-had/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“If I say “No decision has been made,” it’s a lie—because I have decided to remain undecided.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-i-say-no-decision-has-been-made-it-s-a-lie-because-i-have-decided/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) ## More by Erwin Chargaff > [Outside his own ever-narrowing field of specialization, a scientist is a layman. What members of an academy of science have in common is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/outside-his-own-ever-narrowing-field-of-specialization-a-scientist-is/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [There is no question in my mind that we live in one of the truly bestial centuries in human history. There are plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/there-is-no-question-in-my-mind-that-we-live-in-one-of-the-truly/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [One of the most insidious and nefarious properties of scientific models is their tendency to take over, and sometimes supplant, reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/one-of-the-most-insidious-and-nefarious-properties-of-scientific/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [Science is wonderfully equipped to answer the question 'How?' but it gets terribly confused when you ask the question 'Why?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/science-is-wonderfully-equipped-to-answer-the-question-how-but-it/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [There are no such men today. We have created a mechanism that makes it practically impossible for a real genius to appear. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/there-are-no-such-men-today-we-have-created-a-mechanism-that-makes-it/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [Life is the continuing intervention of the inexplicable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/life-is-the-continuing-intervention-of-the-inexplicable/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [ He \[said of one or other eminent colleagues\] is a very busy man, and half of what he publishes is true, but I don't… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/he-said-of-one-or-other-eminent-colleagues-is-a-very-busy-man-and/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [A scientific autobiography belongs to a most awkward literary genre. If the difficulties facing a man trying to record his life are great -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/a-scientific-autobiography-belongs-to-a-most-awkward-literary-genre/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [When the so-called think tanks began to replace the thought processes of human beings, I called them the aseptic tanks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/when-the-so-called-think-tanks-began-to-replace-the-thought-processes/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [The narrow slit through which the scientist, if he wants to be successful, must view nature constructs, if this goes on for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/the-narrow-slit-through-which-the-scientist-if-he-wants-to-be/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [You can stop splitting the atom; you can stop visiting the moon; you can stop using aerosols; you may even decide not to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/you-can-stop-splitting-the-atom-you-can-stop-visiting-the-moon-you/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [Molecular biology is essentially the practice of biochemistry without a license.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/molecular-biology-is-essentially-the-practice-of-biochemistry-without/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [If at one time or another I have brushed a few colleagues the wrong way, I must apologize: I had not realized that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/if-at-one-time-or-another-i-have-brushed-a-few-colleagues-the-wrong/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [The results serve to disprove the tetranucleotide hypothesis. It is, however, noteworthy-whether this is more than accidental, cannot yet be said-that in all desoxypentose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/the-results-serve-to-disprove-the-tetranucleotide-hypothesis-it-is/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) > [Scientific fashions last longer than women's fashions but not as long as men's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/scientific-fashions-last-longer-than-women-s-fashions-but-not-as-long/) [Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) [Explore all 19 Erwin Chargaff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/) ## More Ass quotes > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“There was once an old but clever donkey, who never liked the sting of any bee, Nor for all the Slung mud, did he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyavrat-thareja/there-was-once-an-old-but-clever-donkey-who-never-liked-the-sting-of/) [Priyavrat Thareja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyavrat-thareja/) > [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [What is this world?--A term which men have got, To signify not one in ten knows what; A term, which with no more precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/what-is-this-world-a-term-which-men-have-got-to-signify-not-one-in/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [I can tell you this. It is not going to be evenly constituted and when she was Speaker Pelosi, she certainly showed no interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-can-tell-you-this-it-is-not-going-to-be-evenly-constituted-and-when/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [Whoa. He had ghouls on speed dial. My lawyer kicks so much ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/whoa-he-had-ghouls-on-speed-dial-my-lawyer-kicks-so-much-ass/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [“Employment is an employee’s kissing of an employer’s ass. A salary is the employer’s pretense to be cleaning his ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/employment-is-an-employee-s-kissing-of-an-employer-s-ass-a-salary-is/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I just had a pedicure. My feet are soft like a baby's behind. If his ass was covered in calluses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saget/i-just-had-a-pedicure-my-feet-are-soft-like-a-baby-s-behind-if-his/) [Bob Saget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saget/) > [Now people are really inspired to do a lot, and the fire got lit under our asses to be more politically aware and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasheer-zamata/now-people-are-really-inspired-to-do-a-lot-and-the-fire-got-lit-under/) [Sasheer Zamata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasheer-zamata/) > [Friends, haters, it's Twitter poll time. What do you think most holds back justice and equality for women? All thoughts welcome!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/friends-haters-it-s-twitter-poll-time-what-do-you-think-most-holds/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/) Robert M. Hayes Browse all 1,551 Ass quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The modern version of Buridan's ass [a figurative description of a man of indecision] has a Ph.D., but no time to grow up as he is undecided between making a Leonardo da Vinci in the test tube or planting a Coca Cola sign on Mars.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erwin Chargaff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-figurative-description-of-a-man/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ass" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-figurative-description-of-a-man/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/erwin-chargaff-28739_ass_the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-fi_2127462.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/erwin-chargaff-28739_ass_the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-fi_2127462.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/696/erwin-chargaff-28739_ass_the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-fi_2127462.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The modern version of Buridan's ass [a figurative description of a man of indecision] has a Ph.D., but no…” — Erwin Chargaff", "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": "Erwin Chargaff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The modern version of Buridan's ass...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-figurative-description-of-a-man/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/the-modern-version-of-buridan-s-ass-a-figurative-description-of-a-man/#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 } } ] } ```