--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's…" description: "\"“What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's classic phrase, accounts for the 'unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics'?”\" — Francis S. Collins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/francis-s-collins-30626_quote_what-to-use-noble-laureate-wigner-s-clas_1912632.jpg" --- # What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's classic phrase… ![“What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's classic phrase, accounts for the 'unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics'?” quote by Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/francis-s-collins-30626_quote_what-to-use-noble-laureate-wigner-s-clas_1912632.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/francis-s-collins-30626_quote_what-to-use-noble-laureate-wigner-s-clas_1912632.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82d/francis-s-collins-30626_quote_what-to-use-noble-laureate-wigner-s-clas_1912632.jpg) > ““What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's classic phrase, accounts for the 'unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics'?”” [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mathematics works surprisingly well in describing the natural world, prompting wonder about why. **In simple terms:** Math fits nature well, which is surprising. Key Takeaway Explore how math models reality. Themes science philosophy mathematics wonder Mood curious reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - physics research - engineering design - data analysis - education curriculum Key Concepts unreasonable effectiveness epistemology modeling Questions to Reflect On - Why does math seem so apt for nature? - Can we create new math for unknown phenomena? A Different Perspective The quote may overstate mystery, ignoring practical development of math. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) ## Related quotes > [But in spite of the obvious effectiveness of mathematics in physics, I have never heard of a good a prioriargument that the world must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/but-in-spite-of-the-obvious-effectiveness-of-mathematics-in-physics-i/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Eugene Wigner wrote a famous essay on the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in natural sciences. He meant physics, of course. There is only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-gelfand/eugene-wigner-wrote-a-famous-essay-on-the-unreasonable-effectiveness/) [Israel Gelfand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-gelfand/) > [“Wheeler wasn’t the first to point out that quantum mechanics slips into paradox the minute you introduce a second observer. The Nobel Prize–winning physicist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gefter/wheeler-wasn-t-the-first-to-point-out-that-quantum-mechanics-slips/) [Amanda Gefter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gefter/) > [“One is the notion that knowledge is worth acquiring, all knowledge, and that a solid grounding in mathematics provides one with the essential language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-patterson-jr/one-is-the-notion-that-knowledge-is-worth-acquiring-all-knowledge-and/) [William H. Patterson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-patterson-jr/) > [“How in the world did I ever find you?” Mackenzie Winters “Math class.” Brandon Knight”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/how-in-the-world-did-i-ever-find-you-mackenzie-winters-math-class/) [Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/) > [In school math and science were my favorite subjects, but I probably in my true self I'm more of a people person. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/in-school-math-and-science-were-my-favorite-subjects-but-i-probably/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/there-s-no-reason-for-men-to-be-better-at-maths-than-women-it-s-just/) [Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [“π is a mathematician’s dessert”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-maslakovic/is-a-mathematician-s-dessert/) Neve Maslakovic > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) ## More by Francis S. Collins > [“Science is progressive and self-correcting: no significantly erroneous conclusions or false hypotheses can be sustained for long, as newer observations will ultimately knock down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/science-is-progressive-and-self-correcting-no-significantly-erroneous/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“Yeah, it’s true we’re all dealt a set of cards. But it’s also true that it’s up to us to figure out how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/yeah-it-s-true-we-re-all-dealt-a-set-of-cards-but-it-s-also-true-that/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“I was vaguely aware that same of those around me thought that this pairing of explorations was contradictory and I was headed over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/i-was-vaguely-aware-that-same-of-those-around-me-thought-that-this/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“In that context, I find theistic evolution, or BioLogos, to be by far the most scientifically consistent and spiritually satisfying of the alternatives. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/in-that-context-i-find-theistic-evolution-or-biologos-to-be-by-far/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“At this point, godless materialists might be cheering. If humans evolved strictly by mutation and natural selection, who needs God to explain us? To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/at-this-point-godless-materialists-might-be-cheering-if-humans/) [Francis s. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“Will we turn our backs on science because it is perceived as a threat to God, abandoning all the promise of advancing our understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/will-we-turn-our-backs-on-science-because-it-is-perceived-as-a-threat/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“As the leader of the international Human Genome Project, which had labored mightily over more than a decade to reveal this DNA sequence, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/as-the-leader-of-the-international-human-genome-project-which-had/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“...to apply scientific arguments to the question of God's existence, as if this were somehow a showstopper, is committing a category error.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/to-apply-scientific-arguments-to-the-question-of-god-s-existence-as/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“while the long history of religious oppression and hypocrisy is profoundly sobering, the earnest seeker must look beyond the behavior of flawed humans in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/while-the-long-history-of-religious-oppression-and-hypocrisy-is/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“There are many subtle variants of theistic evolution, but a typical version rests upon the following premises: The universe came into being out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/there-are-many-subtle-variants-of-theistic-evolution-but-a-typical/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“Faith and reason are not, as many seem to be arguing today, mutually exclusive. They never have been. The letter to the Hebrews in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/faith-and-reason-are-not-as-many-seem-to-be-arguing-today-mutually/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“In this modern era of cosmology, evolution, and the human genome, is there still the possibility of a richly satisfying harmony between the scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/in-this-modern-era-of-cosmology-evolution-and-the-human-genome-is/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“...let us recognize that a large fraction of our suffering and that of our fellow human beings is brought about by what we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/let-us-recognize-that-a-large-fraction-of-our-suffering-and-that-of/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“There were long stretches of DNA in between genes that didn't seem to be doing very much; some even referred to these as "junk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/there-were-long-stretches-of-dna-in-between-genes-that-didn-t-seem-to/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) > [“a discussion about the miraculous quickly devolves to an argument about whether or not one is willing to consider any possibility whatsoever of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-s-collins/a-discussion-about-the-miraculous-quickly-devolves-to-an-argument/) [Francis S. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) [Explore all 17 Francis S. Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-s-collins/) ## More Mathematics quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [“π is a mathematician’s dessert”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-maslakovic/is-a-mathematician-s-dessert/) Neve Maslakovic > [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/there-s-no-reason-for-men-to-be-better-at-maths-than-women-it-s-just/) [Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [In school math and science were my favorite subjects, but I probably in my true self I'm more of a people person. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/in-school-math-and-science-were-my-favorite-subjects-but-i-probably/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [“How in the world did I ever find you?” Mackenzie Winters “Math class.” Brandon Knight”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/how-in-the-world-did-i-ever-find-you-mackenzie-winters-math-class/) [Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/) > [“One is the notion that knowledge is worth acquiring, all knowledge, and that a solid grounding in mathematics provides one with the essential language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-patterson-jr/one-is-the-notion-that-knowledge-is-worth-acquiring-all-knowledge-and/) [William H. Patterson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-patterson-jr/) > [The mathematical facts worthy of being studied are those which, by their analogy with other facts, are capable of leading us to the knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/the-mathematical-facts-worthy-of-being-studied-are-those-which-by/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [“When one day Lagrange took out of his pocket a paper which he read at the Académe, and which contained a demonstration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-biot/when-one-day-lagrange-took-out-of-his-pocket-a-paper-which-he-read-at/) Jean-Baptiste Biot > [“We are not told, or not told early enough so that it sinks in, that mathematics is a language, and that we can learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/we-are-not-told-or-not-told-early-enough-so-that-it-sinks-in-that/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) [Browse all 5,382 Mathematics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What, to use Noble Laureate Wigner's classic phrase, accounts for the 'unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics'?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Francis S. 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