Curiosity Quote by Gary Jennings
““That is the hazard in curiosity, I thought: all the certainties fragment and dissolve. A man curious enough and persistent enough might find even the round and solid ball of earth to be not so. He might be less proud of his faculty of reasoning when it left him with nothing whereon to stand. But then again, was not the truth a more solid foundation than illusion?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Terrible Death of James Marshall, 1975
Curiosity can dissolve certainty, revealing that even solid foundations may be illusory; truth may be a sturdier base than illusion.
In simple terms: Curiosity shakes certainty, showing truth may be stronger than illusion.
Key Takeaway
Question assumptions, seek deeper truth.
Themes
knowledge
certainty
illusion
Mood
inquisitive
skeptical
Type
philosophical
reflective
When to use this quote
- scientific research
- philosophical debate
- personal belief systems
Key Concepts
epistemology
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- What belief have you questioned recently?
- How do you balance curiosity with stability?
A Different Perspective
Over‑curiosity can lead to paralysis.
![“We have no clear ideas of the agency of [demonic] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but tells us plainly that he is always watching us, and desiring to sift us as wheat. I believe we give him no more than his due, when we charge him with having a…” quote by John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c75/john-newton-6629_abundance_we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of_2907.jpg)
![“[T]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. [...] The point is, perhaps, that I am not looking for a verbal answer, just as when I ask for a kiss, I do not want a piece of paper with "A kiss" written on it. It is rather that metaphysical wonder looks…” quote by Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/705/alan-w-watts-9497_curiosity_t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no_3984.jpg)
![“By profession a biologist, [Thomas Henry Huxley] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences. Absolutely nothing was uninteresting to him. His curiosity ranged from music to theology and from philosophy to history. He didn't simply know something…” quote by H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f46/h-l-mencken-245_absolutely-nothing_by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-h_5368.jpg)
