--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you believe then that the sciences…" description: "\"Do you believe then that the sciences would ever have arisen and become great if there had not before hand been magicians, alchemists, astrologers and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alchemist_do-you-believe-then-that-the-sciences-wo_1361069.jpg" --- # Do you believe then that the sciences would ever have… ![“Do you believe then that the sciences would ever have arisen and become great if there had not before hand been magicians, alchemists, astrologers and wizards, who thirsted and hungered after abscondite and forbidden powers?” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alchemist_do-you-believe-then-that-the-sciences-wo_1361069.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alchemist_do-you-believe-then-that-the-sciences-wo_1361069.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f69/friedrich-nietzsche-15_alchemist_do-you-believe-then-that-the-sciences-wo_1361069.jpg) > “Do you believe then that the sciences would ever have arisen and become great if there had not before hand been magicians, alchemists, astrologers and wizards, who thirsted and hungered after abscondite and forbidden powers?” [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Magical and occult practices historically sparked scientific curiosity, showing that wonder fuels discovery. **In simple terms:** Mysticism inspired early science. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity, even from unconventional sources. Themes history of science philosophy creativity Mood inspired thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research motivation - educational curricula - innovation workshops Key Concepts alchemical tradition epistemic curiosity Questions to Reflect On - What modern “magic” sparks scientific questions? - How can we channel wonder into rigorous inquiry? A Different Perspective Romanticizing magic can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alchemist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alchemist/) [Magician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magician/) [Magicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magicians/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Wizards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wizards/) ## Related quotes > [In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards. We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/in-a-way-we-are-magicians-we-are-alchemists-sorcerers-and-wizards-we/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Perfect alchemists I keep who can transmute substances without end, and thus the corner of my garden is an inexhaustible treasure-chest. 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It's what comes out of their mouths that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-s-not-what-enters-men-s-mouth-that-is-evil-said-the-alchemist-it-s/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Soft fantasy worlds have a much looser cause-and-effect relationship. Alchemists can turn lead into gold and nobody wonders about how it will impact the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/soft-fantasy-worlds-have-a-much-looser-cause-and-effect-relationship/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-secret-is-here-in-the-present-if-you-pay-attention-to-the-present/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When we love, it is not necessary to understand what is happening outside, because everything happens inside us instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-we-love-it-is-not-necessary-to-understand-what-is-happening/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [All that mattered was that he was Adrian, my Adrian. My match. My partner in crime, in the long battle I’d just signed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/all-that-mattered-was-that-he-was-adrian-my-adrian-my-match-my/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) ## More by Friedrich Nietzsche > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. 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Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) [Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More Alchemist quotes > [When we love, it is not necessary to understand what is happening outside, because everything happens inside us instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-we-love-it-is-not-necessary-to-understand-what-is-happening/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The secret is here in the present. 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This remark is true in all the sciences. The alchemists founded chemistry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/even-mistaken-hypotheses-and-theories-are-of-use-in-leading-to/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You've got two good legs. So get up and use them. You're strong enough to make your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromu-arakawa/stand-up-and-walk-keep-moving-forward-you-ve-got-two-good-legs-so-get/) [Hiromu Arakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromu-arakawa/) > [Good intentions do not guarantee good results. Somehow Andrew Keates turns works of merit into evenings of entertainment. Don't call him a dramaturge, call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gambaccini/good-intentions-do-not-guarantee-good-results-somehow-andrew-keates/) [Paul Gambaccini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gambaccini/) > [When we send Love in response to hate, we become spiritual alchemists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-we-send-love-in-response-to-hate-we-become-spiritual-alchemists/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [What about you, Sage? I know we don't have to worry about you violating the dress code. Did you have fun at your Alchemist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/what-about-you-sage-i-know-we-don-t-have-to-worry-about-you-violating/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“You'll have a hard time getting any Alchemist to admit that. 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