--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is the awe-inspiring universe of…" description: "\"This is the awe-inspiring universe of magic: There are no atoms, only waves and motions all around. Here, you discard all belief in barriers to underst..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/frank-herbert-262_atoms_this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-ma_881225.jpg" --- # This is the awe-inspiring universe of magic: There are no… ![“This is the awe-inspiring universe of magic: There are no atoms, only waves and motions all around. Here, you discard all belief in barriers to understanding. You put aside understanding itself. This universe cannot be seen, cannot be heard, cannot be detected in any way by fixed perceptions. It…” quote by Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/frank-herbert-262_atoms_this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-ma_881225.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/frank-herbert-262_atoms_this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-ma_881225.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/frank-herbert-262_atoms_this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-ma_881225.jpg) > “This is the awe-inspiring universe of magic: There are no atoms, only waves and motions all around. Here, you discard all belief in barriers to understanding. You put aside understanding itself. This universe cannot be seen, cannot be heard, cannot be detected in any way by fixed perceptions. It is the ultimate void where no preordained screens occur upon which forms may be projected. You have only one awareness here—the screen of the magi: Imagination! Here, you learn what it is to be human. You are a creator of order, of beautiful shapes and systems, an organizer of chaos.” [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes a reality beyond ordinary perception, where imagination replaces fixed concepts and humans become creators of order from chaos. **In simple terms:** Imagination reveals a deeper reality beyond normal senses. Key Takeaway Embrace imagination to shape reality. Themes creativity perception human potential Mood wonderful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - artistic creation - scientific research - spiritual practice - problem solving Key Concepts metaphysics imagination order and chaos Questions to Reflect On - How does imagination influence your understanding of reality? - What limits does reliance on imagination impose? A Different Perspective Imagination alone cannot replace empirical evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atoms/) [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Awe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe/) [Awe inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awe-inspiring/) [Barriers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Creator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creator/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Void](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/void/) ## Related quotes > [In a quantum universe, magic is not the exception but the rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjuna-ardagh/in-a-quantum-universe-magic-is-not-the-exception-but-the-rule/) [Arjuna Ardagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjuna-ardagh/) > [Most people know intuitively that when you fall in love, the world is full of magic. What they don't know is that when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-curott/most-people-know-intuitively-that-when-you-fall-in-love-the-world-is/) [Phyllis Curott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-curott/) > [I believe in the possible. I believe, small though we are, insignificant though we may be, we can reach a full understanding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-believe-in-the-possible-i-believe-small-though-we-are-insignificant/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Our understanding of the universe is like a tale without beginning or end, where the reader creates the script as he reads along. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-figueroa-otero/our-understanding-of-the-universe-is-like-a-tale-without-beginning-or/) [Ivan Figueroa-Otero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-figueroa-otero/) > [“After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with colour, bountiful with life. Within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/after-sleeping-through-a-hundred-million-centuries-we-have-finally/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [At every stage of understanding the universe better, the benefits to civilisation have been immeasurable. None of those big leaps were made with us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/at-every-stage-of-understanding-the-universe-better-the-benefits-to/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [Keep in mind that every single generation before us has worked under the assumption that they possessed all the major tools for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/keep-in-mind-that-every-single-generation-before-us-has-worked-under/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [You have to take seriously the notion that understanding the universe is your responsibility, because the only understanding of the universe that will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/you-have-to-take-seriously-the-notion-that-understanding-the-universe/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [When understanding of the universe has become widespread, when the majority of men know that the stars are not sources of light but worlds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/when-understanding-of-the-universe-has-become-widespread-when-the/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I realized the universe is 15 billion years old and unspeakably complicated. I still love the teachings of Christ, but I also believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-realized-the-universe-is-15-billion-years-old-and-unspeakably/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [I found it stimulating to study the sciences. It was a side of understanding the universe that I hadn't been exposed to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/i-found-it-stimulating-to-study-the-sciences-it-was-a-side-of/) [Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/) > [“Our understanding of the universe is like a story without a beginning or end where the reader is creating the plot as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-figueroa-otero/our-understanding-of-the-universe-is-like-a-story-without-a-beginning/) [Ivan Figueroa-Otero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-figueroa-otero/) > [Logic only tells us what's there; it can't really address what isn't. Even the most devoted empiricist must admit that we have no hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-chance/logic-only-tells-us-what-s-there-it-can-t-really-address-what-isn-t/) [Megan Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-chance/) > [Dad was a difference maker. He reached out to people. He took them by the awe and wonder we feel over the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-sagan/dad-was-a-difference-maker-he-reached-out-to-people-he-took-them-by/) [Nick Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-sagan/) > [We are the only instrument for understanding the universe. We have to ground it in human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-nolan/we-are-the-only-instrument-for-understanding-the-universe-we-have-to/) [Jonathan Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-nolan/) ## More by Frank Herbert > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“A leader, you see, is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people. He maintains the level of individuals. Too few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-leader-you-see-is-one-of-the-things-that-distinguishes-a-mob-from-a/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The surest way to keep a secret is to make someone think they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-surest-way-to-keep-a-secret-is-to-make-someone-think-they-already/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“how inevitable it was that the aristocrat would refuse his final duty—which was to step aside and vanish into history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/how-inevitable-it-was-that-the-aristocrat-would-refuse-his-final-duty/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“What we should have done was test the gift first. We should have probed for dangers. We were too bedazzled by it, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-we-should-have-done-was-test-the-gift-first-we-should-have/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Have you noticed, Stil, how beautiful the young women are this year?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/have-you-noticed-stil-how-beautiful-the-young-women-are-this-year/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Humans are born with a susceptibility to that most persistent and debilitating disease of intellect: self-deception. The best of all possible worlds and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/humans-are-born-with-a-susceptibility-to-that-most-persistent-and/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Face your fears or they will climb over your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/face-your-fears-or-they-will-climb-over-your-back/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Many have marked the speed with which Muad'Dib learned the necessities of Arrakis. The Bene Gesserit, of course, know the basis of this speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/many-have-marked-the-speed-with-which-muad-dib-learned-the/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“The assumption that a whole system can be made to work better through an assault on its conscious elements betrays a dangerous ignorance. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-assumption-that-a-whole-system-can-be-made-to-work-better-through/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-power-to-destroy-a-thing-is-the-absolute-control-over-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [If you ask "Should we be in space?" you ask a nonsense question. We are in space. We will be in space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-ask-should-we-be-in-space-you-ask-a-nonsense-question-we-are/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) [Explore all 776 Frank Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## More Atoms quotes > [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/) Giulio Natta > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [A monkey is unaware that atoms exist. Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/a-monkey-is-unaware-that-atoms-exist-likewise-our-brainpower-may-not/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Though an atom is invisible, unthinkable, yet in it are the whole power and potency of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/though-an-atom-is-invisible-unthinkable-yet-in-it-are-the-whole-power/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Traditional nationalism cannot survive the fissioning of the atom. One world or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/traditional-nationalism-cannot-survive-the-fissioning-of-the-atom-one/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [I am not sure why, but I have been obsessed by the Atom Bomb ever since it first happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-am-not-sure-why-but-i-have-been-obsessed-by-the-atom-bomb-ever/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [History is the short trudge from Adam to atom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/history-is-the-short-trudge-from-adam-to-atom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The dogma of the impossibility of determining the atomic constitution of substances, which until recently was advocated with such fervor by the most able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-korner/the-dogma-of-the-impossibility-of-determining-the-atomic-constitution/) Wilhelm Korner > [I have never seen what to me seemed an atom of proof that there is a future life. And yet-I am inclined to expect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-seen-what-to-me-seemed-an-atom-of-proof-that-there-is-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“An atom is mostly made up of empty space. If you remove the empty space from every atom, the entire world's human population could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weike-wang/an-atom-is-mostly-made-up-of-empty-space-if-you-remove-the-empty/) [Weike Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weike-wang/) > [Nature is full of wonders; every atom is a standing miracle, and endowed with such qualities, as could not be impressed on it by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/nature-is-full-of-wonders-every-atom-is-a-standing-miracle-and/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [ “\[Think\] of an experience from your childhood. Something you remember clearly, something you can see, feel, maybe even smell, as if you were really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-grand/think-of-an-experience-from-your-childhood-something-you-remember/) [Steve Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-grand/) > [The books remind us that way down deep in our hearts, part of us knows that we are creatures of light and we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-books-remind-us-that-way-down-deep-in-our-hearts-part-of-us-knows/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) [Browse all 852 Atoms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atoms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This is the awe-inspiring universe of magic: There are no atoms, only waves and motions all around. Here, you discard all belief in barriers to understanding. You put aside understanding itself. This universe cannot be seen, cannot be heard, cannot be detected in any way by fixed perceptions. It is the ultimate void where no preordained screens occur upon which forms may be projected. You have only one awareness here—the screen of the magi: Imagination! Here, you learn what it is to be human. You are a creator of order, of beautiful shapes and systems, an organizer of chaos.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Herbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-magic-there-are-no-atoms-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atoms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-magic-there-are-no-atoms-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/frank-herbert-262_atoms_this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-ma_881225.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/frank-herbert-262_atoms_this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-ma_881225.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d82/frank-herbert-262_atoms_this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-ma_881225.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is the awe-inspiring universe of magic: There are no atoms, only waves and motions all around. Here…” — Frank Herbert", "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": "Frank Herbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This is the awe-inspiring universe of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-magic-there-are-no-atoms-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/this-is-the-awe-inspiring-universe-of-magic-there-are-no-atoms-only/#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 } } ] } ```