---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Astronomers are spherical bastards. No…"
description: "\"Astronomers are spherical bastards. No matter how you look at them they are just bastards.\" — Fritz Zwicky"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/fritz-zwicky-32507_astronomers_astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-ma_2806662.png"
---

#  Astronomers are spherical bastards. No matter how you look…

![“Astronomers are spherical bastards. No matter how you look at them they are just bastards.” quote by Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/fritz-zwicky-32507_astronomers_astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-ma_2806662.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/fritz-zwicky-32507_astronomers_astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-ma_2806662.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/fritz-zwicky-32507_astronomers_astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-ma_2806662.png)

> “Astronomers are spherical bastards. No matter how you look at them they are just bastards.”

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Astronomers, despite their expertise, are humorously labeled as obstinate, highlighting frustration with their perceived rigidity.

**In simple terms:** Astronomers are stubborn, according to the speaker.

Key Takeaway

Approach scientific discourse with patience.

Themes

frustration science humor

Mood

ironic critical

Type

satirical observational

When to use this quote

- academic meetings
- peer review
- public outreach
- policy discussions

Key Concepts

skepticism professional dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we stereotype scientists?
- How can we foster constructive dialogue?

A Different Perspective

Labeling may oversimplify complex motivations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astronomers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomers/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/)

## Related quotes

> [The reason bubbles are spherical is that a sphere is the smallest, most economical form possible to contain a given volume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-noddy/the-reason-bubbles-are-spherical-is-that-a-sphere-is-the-smallest/)

[Tom Noddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-noddy/)

> [First of all, we must note that the universe is spherical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/first-of-all-we-must-note-that-the-universe-is-spherical/)

[Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/)

> [At one time, the earth was supposed to be flat. Well, so it is, even today, from Paris to Asnieres. But that fact doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/at-one-time-the-earth-was-supposed-to-be-flat-well-so-it-is-even/)

[Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/)

> [I have always read that the world, both land and water, was spherical, as the authority and researches of Ptolemy and all the others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/i-have-always-read-that-the-world-both-land-and-water-was-spherical/)

[Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/)

> [“Using freshman level calculus you can show that the one and only shape that has the smallest surface area for an enclosed volume is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/using-freshman-level-calculus-you-can-show-that-the-one-and-only/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Bubbles are round for the same reason that planets are spherical. The universe itself is like bubbles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-noddy/bubbles-are-round-for-the-same-reason-that-planets-are-spherical-the/)

[Tom Noddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-noddy/)

> [In first place we must observe that the universe is spherical. This is either because that figure is the most perfect, as not being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/in-first-place-we-must-observe-that-the-universe-is-spherical-this-is/)

[Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/)

> [The earth also is spherical, since it presses upon its center from every direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/the-earth-also-is-spherical-since-it-presses-upon-its-center-from/)

[Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/)

> [Karl Pilkington has the roundest head, I think, in the world. It's not technically a deformity, but I've never seen anything quite that spherical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/karl-pilkington-has-the-roundest-head-i-think-in-the-world-it-s-not/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [Asking about a time before the beginning of our spherical spacetime is like asking what lies north of the North Pole. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taner-edis/asking-about-a-time-before-the-beginning-of-our-spherical-spacetime/)

[Taner Edis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taner-edis/)

> [The shape of the heaven is of necessity spherical; for that is the shape most appropriate to its substance and also by nature primary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-shape-of-the-heaven-is-of-necessity-spherical-for-that-is-the/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [UNGRATEFUL BASTARDS WILL ALWAYS BE UNGRATEFUL BECAUSE THAT IS WHO THEY ARE. THEY HAVE MANIPULATING THEIR WAY THROUGH LIFE SINCE BIRTH AND THERE IS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/relentless/ungrateful-bastards-will-always-be-ungrateful-because-that-is-who/)

Relentless

> [“The ones who got away never really get away. Those sick bastards&lt; i&gt;changed us – have their fingerprints all over our lives – and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roni-loren/the-ones-who-got-away-never-really-get-away-those-sick-bastards-i/)

[Roni Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roni-loren/)

> [“Gentlemen Bastards." hissed Locke, "do not abandon one another, and we do not run when we owe vengeance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/gentlemen-bastards-hissed-locke-do-not-abandon-one-another-and-we-do/)

[Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/)

> [Some's bastards, some's ain't. That's the score.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/some-s-bastards-some-s-ain-t-that-s-the-score/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## More by Fritz Zwicky

> [Major actions by courageous and wise men will be necessary to avoid our continuing to blunder into the space age like unenlightened and selfish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/major-actions-by-courageous-and-wise-men-will-be-necessary-to-avoid/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [To base the unexplainabilty and the immense wonder of nature onto an other miracle, God, is unnecessary and not acceptable for any serious thinker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/to-base-the-unexplainabilty-and-the-immense-wonder-of-nature-onto-an/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [Astronautics, strictly speaking, will be concerned with voyages to other stars. Remarkably enough, to achieve such feats, we might not even have to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/astronautics-strictly-speaking-will-be-concerned-with-voyages-to/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [I soon became convinced... that all the theorizing would be empty brain exercise and therefore a waste of time unless one first ascertained what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/i-soon-became-convinced-that-all-the-theorizing-would-be-empty-brain/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [Every evening, I come home tired and have just enough energy to fill out the endless tax forms, to pay bills, not to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/every-evening-i-come-home-tired-and-have-just-enough-energy-to-fill/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [If many things in the past have gone wrong in the lives of men and in the lives of their communities, it is because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/if-many-things-in-the-past-have-gone-wrong-in-the-lives-of-men-and-in/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [Jupiter is so big and its gravitational pull so strong that man would find it difficult to move about on the surface. The answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/jupiter-is-so-big-and-its-gravitational-pull-so-strong-that-man-would/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [“To base the unexplainabilty and the immense wonder of nature onto an other miracle (God) is unnecessary and not acceptable for any serious thinker.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/to-base-the-unexplainabilty-and-the-immense-wonder-of-nature-onto-an-2/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [Mountains were once my big adventure but is is over since a long time; I still dream from the wonderful days sometimes, read also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/mountains-were-once-my-big-adventure-but-is-is-over-since-a-long-time/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [To eliminate the discrepancy between men's plans and the results achieved, a new approach is necessary. Morphological thinking suggests that this new approach cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/to-eliminate-the-discrepancy-between-men-s-plans-and-the-results/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [With all reserve we advance the view that a supernova represents the transition of an ordinary star into a neutron star consisting mainly of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/with-all-reserve-we-advance-the-view-that-a-supernova-represents-the/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [I have a good idea every two years. Give me a topic, I will give you the idea!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/i-have-a-good-idea-every-two-years-give-me-a-topic-i-will-give-you/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [I have a good idea every two years. Give me a topic, I will give you the idea! \[Reputed to have been a remark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/i-have-a-good-idea-every-two-years-give-me-a-topic-i-will-give-you-2/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

> [The universe is so unique and perfect that it could not have originated by chance but was divined by flawless, creative design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/the-universe-is-so-unique-and-perfect-that-it-could-not-have/)

[Fritz Zwicky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

[Explore all 15 Fritz Zwicky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/)

## More Astronomers quotes

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [Culture implies all which gives the mind possession of its own powers, as languages to the critic, telescope to the astronomer. Culture alters the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/culture-implies-all-which-gives-the-mind-possession-of-its-own-powers/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By the way, were we to find life-forms on Venus, we would probably call them Venutians, just as people from Mars would be Martians.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/by-the-way-were-we-to-find-life-forms-on-venus-we-would-probably-call/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“In college, what had always stuck with him in Astronomy 101 was that the first astronomers to think of points of light not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/in-college-what-had-always-stuck-with-him-in-astronomy-101-was-that/)

[Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/)

> [I may remind you that history is not a branch of literature. The facts of history, like the facts of geology or astronomy, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-bury/i-may-remind-you-that-history-is-not-a-branch-of-literature-the-facts/)

[J. B. Bury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-bury/)

> [Throughout history, humankind has been resistant to change and to the acceptance of new ideas... When Galileo discovered the moons of Jupiter, the astronomers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-weiss/throughout-history-humankind-has-been-resistant-to-change-and-to-the/)

[Brian Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-weiss/)

> [I started out, as most astronomers do, with a university job. But in my generation, women weren't very welcome at universities, and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-roman/i-started-out-as-most-astronomers-do-with-a-university-job-but-in-my/)

[Nancy Roman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-roman/)

> [I was a kind of a one-man army. I could solder circuits together, I could turn out things on the lathe, I could work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-allen/i-was-a-kind-of-a-one-man-army-i-could-solder-circuits-together-i/)

[James Van Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-allen/)

> [John Kerry and Ralph Nader met face-to-face, it was a historic meeting. Astronomers said today their meeting actually created what is called a 'charisma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/john-kerry-and-ralph-nader-met-face-to-face-it-was-a-historic-meeting/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Have you noticed that the astronomers and mathematicians are much the most cheerful people of the lot? I suppose that perpetually contemplating things on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/have-you-noticed-that-the-astronomers-and-mathematicians-are-much-the/)

[Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/)

> [Astronomers ought to be able to ask fundamental questions without accelerators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-perlmutter/astronomers-ought-to-be-able-to-ask-fundamental-questions-without/)

[Saul Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-perlmutter/)

> [For seventeenth-century astronomers, the Epicurean doctrine of multiple worlds separated by void space was seen to fit with the new Copernican system in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/for-seventeenth-century-astronomers-the-epicurean-doctrine-of/)

[Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/)

> [Just because a man glances up at the sky at night does not make him an astronomer, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/just-because-a-man-glances-up-at-the-sky-at-night-does-not-make-him/)

[John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/)

> [“Astronomers research outer space and I research inner space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/astronomers-research-outer-space-and-i-research-inner-space/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [ “\[In high school\] my interests outside my academic work were debating, tennis, and to a lesser extent, acting. I became intensely interested in astronomy… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-mcleod-cormack/in-high-school-my-interests-outside-my-academic-work-were-debating/)

Allan McLeod Cormack

[Browse all 163 Astronomers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomers/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Astronomers are spherical bastards. No matter how you look at them they are just bastards.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Fritz Zwicky"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-matter-how-you-look-at-them/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astronomers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-matter-how-you-look-at-them/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/fritz-zwicky-32507_astronomers_astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-ma_2806662.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/fritz-zwicky-32507_astronomers_astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-ma_2806662.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/862/fritz-zwicky-32507_astronomers_astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-ma_2806662.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Astronomers are spherical bastards. No matter how you look at them they are just bastards.” — Fritz Zwicky",
                "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": "Fritz Zwicky",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritz-zwicky/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Astronomers are spherical bastards. No matter...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-matter-how-you-look-at-them/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-zwicky/astronomers-are-spherical-bastards-no-matter-how-you-look-at-them/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
