--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From my childhood it has been my…" description: "\"From my childhood it has been my conviction that men would reach the planets in my lifetime . . . this conviction . . . rests on two beliefs, one scien..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/freeman-dyson-1435_belief_from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-convict_832820.png" --- # From my childhood it has been my conviction that men would… ![“From my childhood it has been my conviction that men would reach the planets in my lifetime . . . this conviction . . . rests on two beliefs, one scientific and one political: (1) there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in our present-day science. And we shall only find out…” quote by Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/freeman-dyson-1435_belief_from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-convict_832820.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/freeman-dyson-1435_belief_from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-convict_832820.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/freeman-dyson-1435_belief_from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-convict_832820.png) > “From my childhood it has been my conviction that men would reach the planets in my lifetime . . . this conviction . . . rests on two beliefs, one scientific and one political: (1) there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in our present-day science. And we shall only find out what they are if we go out and look for them. (2) it is in the long run essential to the growth of any new and high civilization that small groups of people can escape from their neighbors and from their governments, to go and live as they please in the wilderness.” [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker believes humanity will reach space within his life, driven by scientific curiosity and the political need for isolated groups to explore freely. **In simple terms:** We will reach space; we need freedom to explore. Key Takeaway Pursue scientific discovery and protect small autonomous communities. Themes exploration science politics freedom civilization Mood optimistic reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - space missions - research expeditions - intentist colonies - policy debates Key Concepts curiosity innovation autonomy frontierism Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster both scientific progress and personal autonomy? - What risks arise when small groups isolate themselves? A Different Perspective Balancing collective governance with individual liberty is complex. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Beliefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beliefs/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Heaven and earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven-and-earth/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Long runs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-runs/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Present day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-day/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Small groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-groups/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Wilderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wilderness/) ## Related quotes > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Any account of science which does not explicitly describe it as something we believe in is essentially incomplete and a false pretense. It amounts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rhodes/any-account-of-science-which-does-not-explicitly-describe-it-as/) [Richard Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rhodes/) > [Why has not anyone seen that fossils alone gave birth to a theory about the formation of the earth, that without them, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-cuvier/why-has-not-anyone-seen-that-fossils-alone-gave-birth-to-a-theory/) [Georges Cuvier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-cuvier/) > [Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose. I have read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-my-own-suspicion-is-that-the-universe-is-not-only-queerer-than-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is in the long run essential to the growth of any new and high civilization that small groups of men can escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/it-is-in-the-long-run-essential-to-the-growth-of-any-new-and-high/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [After so many years now, it's just suspected by most people that there simply is no way to change the direction Washington's going or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/after-so-many-years-now-it-s-just-suspected-by-most-people-that-there/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Empowerment of individuals is a key part of what makes open source work, since in the end, innovations tend to come from small groups,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/empowerment-of-individuals-is-a-key-part-of-what-makes-open-source/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [I wish I could see over crowds and small groups of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oates/i-wish-i-could-see-over-crowds-and-small-groups-of-people/) [John Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oates/) > [A small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/a-small-group-had-concentrated-into-their-own-hands-an-almost/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [The lure in art collecting and its financial rewards, not counting for a moment its aesthetic, cultural and intellectual rewards, is like the trust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/the-lure-in-art-collecting-and-its-financial-rewards-not-counting-for/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [I co-taught a seminar called Small Group Processes with my professor. I learned so much from it, so much about myself, about groups, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-beatty/i-co-taught-a-seminar-called-small-group-processes-with-my-professor/) [Paul Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-beatty/) > [That's where we all kind of were in the mid-1960s. Students for a Democratic Society grew from a small group of socialists at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/that-s-where-we-all-kind-of-were-in-the-mid-1960s-students-for-a/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Having small group once a week gives me a lot of encouragement and accountability. Even though I go to church, I dont really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/having-small-group-once-a-week-gives-me-a-lot-of-encouragement-and/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [“STARTUP THINKING New technology tends to come from new ventures—startups. From the Founding Fathers in politics to the Royal Society in science to Fairchild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/startup-thinking-new-technology-tends-to-come-from-new-ventures/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [“Conformity is a problem for many small groups. Members put a higher priority on cohesion than on coming up with a well-reasoned choice. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/conformity-is-a-problem-for-many-small-groups-members-put-a-higher/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Freeman Dyson > [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/) > [“It is impossible to make real progress in technology without gambling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/it-is-impossible-to-make-real-progress-in-technology-without-gambling/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“Sanity is, in essence, nothing more than the ability to live in harmony with nature's laws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/sanity-is-in-essence-nothing-more-than-the-ability-to-live-in-harmony/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“I do not feel like an alien in this universe. The more I examine the universe and study the details of its architecture, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/i-do-not-feel-like-an-alien-in-this-universe-the-more-i-examine-the/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [It makes very little sense to believe the output of the climate models.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/it-makes-very-little-sense-to-believe-the-output-of-the-climate-models/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [The laws of nature are constructed in such a way as to make the universe as interesting as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-laws-of-nature-are-constructed-in-such-a-way-as-to-make-the/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [The history of mathematics is a history of horrendously difficult problems being solved by young people too ignorant to know that they were impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-history-of-mathematics-is-a-history-of-horrendously-difficult/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [You ask: what is the meaning or purpose of life? I can only answer with another question: do you think we are wise enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/you-ask-what-is-the-meaning-or-purpose-of-life-i-can-only-answer-with/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [When World War II came along, which was when I was a teenager, we all expected we would have anthrax bombs and this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/when-world-war-ii-came-along-which-was-when-i-was-a-teenager-we-all/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [It has become part of the accepted wisdom to say that the twentieth century was the century of physics and the twenty-first century will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/it-has-become-part-of-the-accepted-wisdom-to-say-that-the-twentieth/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Lucky individuals in each generation find technology appropriate to their needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/lucky-individuals-in-each-generation-find-technology-appropriate-to/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [A model is done when nothing else can be taken out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/a-model-is-done-when-nothing-else-can-be-taken-out/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [I am hoping that the scientists and politicians who have been blindly demonizing carbon dioxide for 37 years will one day open their eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/i-am-hoping-that-the-scientists-and-politicians-who-have-been-blindly/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Intelligence may indeed be a benign influence creating isolated groups of philosopher-kings far apart in the heavens... On the other hand, intelligence may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/intelligence-may-indeed-be-a-benign-influence-creating-isolated/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Most of the crackpot papers which are submitted to The Physical Review are rejected, not because it is impossible to understand them, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/most-of-the-crackpot-papers-which-are-submitted-to-the-physical/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) [Explore all 241 Freeman Dyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) ## More Belief quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“MIND & GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/) [Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/) [David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/) [J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "From my childhood it has been my conviction that men would reach the planets in my lifetime . . . this conviction . . . rests on two beliefs, one scientific and one political: (1) there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in our present-day science. And we shall only find out what they are if we go out and look for them. (2) it is in the long run essential to the growth of any new and high civilization that small groups of people can escape from their neighbors and from their governments, to go and live as they please in the wilderness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Freeman Dyson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-conviction-that-men-would-reach-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Belief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-conviction-that-men-would-reach-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/freeman-dyson-1435_belief_from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-convict_832820.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/freeman-dyson-1435_belief_from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-convict_832820.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b07/freeman-dyson-1435_belief_from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-convict_832820.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“From my childhood it has been my conviction that men would reach the planets in my lifetime . . . this…” — Freeman Dyson", "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": "Freeman Dyson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "From my childhood it has been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-conviction-that-men-would-reach-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/from-my-childhood-it-has-been-my-conviction-that-men-would-reach-the/#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 } } ] } ```