--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not a question of observation which…" description: "\"It is not a question of observation which propels mankind forward as if toward a looking glass of great magnitude; it is an instance of aggrandized ref..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/gaston-bachelard-2318_glasses_it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-whic_2157558.jpg" --- # It is not a question of observation which propels mankind… ![“It is not a question of observation which propels mankind forward as if toward a looking glass of great magnitude; it is an instance of aggrandized reflection that insinuates the human psyche to the inhuman.” quote by Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/gaston-bachelard-2318_glasses_it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-whic_2157558.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/gaston-bachelard-2318_glasses_it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-whic_2157558.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/gaston-bachelard-2318_glasses_it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-whic_2157558.jpg) > “It is not a question of observation which propels mankind forward as if toward a looking glass of great magnitude; it is an instance of aggrandized reflection that insinuates the human psyche to the inhuman.” [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human progress stems from deep, imaginative reflection that transcends ordinary observation. **In simple terms:** Reflection drives advancement. Key Takeaway Cultivate deep thought. Themes creativity philosophy human nature Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - scientific research - personal introspection Key Concepts metaphysics epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What reflective practices spark innovation? - How do you balance observation with imagination? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can paralyze action if not grounded. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aggrandized Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aggrandized-reflection-4563100/) [Glasses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glasses/) [Human psyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-psyche/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inhuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inhuman/) [Insinuates Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insinuates-human-4563102/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Magnitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnitude/) [Mankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mankind/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Reflection Insinuates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection-insinuates-4563101/) [Self-Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-2/) ## Related quotes > [The demands of our reality function require that we adapt to reality, that we constitute ourselves as a reality and that we manufacture works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-demands-of-our-reality-function-require-that-we-adapt-to-reality/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [“through the miracle of consciousness, the human psyche provides the mirror in which Nature sees herself reflected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-stevens/through-the-miracle-of-consciousness-the-human-psyche-provides-the/) [Anthony Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-stevens/) > [I think there's something in the human psyche that we're titillated by the person who flies too close to the candle and their wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-combs/i-think-there-s-something-in-the-human-psyche-that-we-re-titillated/) [Jeffrey Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-combs/) > [I like big escapist films. It's odd because the type of comedian I am and the things I do when I'm writing and directing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-like-big-escapist-films-it-s-odd-because-the-type-of-comedian-i-am/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [It would be a mistake to believe that one could come to any substantive understanding of politics by discussing abstractly the good, the right,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-geuss/it-would-be-a-mistake-to-believe-that-one-could-come-to-any/) [Raymond Geuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-geuss/) > [“She gives physical presence to the depths of the human psyche.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/she-gives-physical-presence-to-the-depths-of-the-human-psyche/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [LSD was not a pharmacological agent generating exotic experiences by its interaction with the neurophysiological processes in the brain. This remarkable substance was clearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislav-grof/lsd-was-not-a-pharmacological-agent-generating-exotic-experiences-by/) [Stanislav Grof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislav-grof/) > [The motif of death plays an important role the human psyche in connection with archetypal and karmic material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislav-grof/the-motif-of-death-plays-an-important-role-the-human-psyche-in/) [Stanislav Grof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislav-grof/) > [I'm funding a new business with money I would have given away in the first place. And I'm starting a responsible business and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horst-rechelbacher/i-m-funding-a-new-business-with-money-i-would-have-given-away-in-the/) [Horst Rechelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horst-rechelbacher/) > [“The human psyche, like human bones, is strongly inclined towards self-healing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bowlby/the-human-psyche-like-human-bones-is-strongly-inclined-towards-self/) [John Bowlby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bowlby/) > [“Negativity is totally unnatural. It is a psychic pollutant, and there is a deep link between the poisoning and destruction of nature and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/negativity-is-totally-unnatural-it-is-a-psychic-pollutant-and-there/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Modern man, seeking a middle position in the evaluation of sense impression and thought, can, following Plato , interpret the process of understanding nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-pauli/modern-man-seeking-a-middle-position-in-the-evaluation-of-sense/) [Wolfgang Pauli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-pauli/) > [“In the twenty-first century it sounds childish to compare the human psyche to a steam engine. Today we know of a far more sophisticated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-twenty-first-century-it-sounds-childish-to-compare-the-human/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Something in our nature cries out to be loved by another. Isolation is devastating to the human psyche. That is why solitary confinement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/something-in-our-nature-cries-out-to-be-loved-by-another-isolation-is/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [“I am now convinced that Google searches are the most important dataset ever collected on the human psyche. This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-stephens-davidowitz/i-am-now-convinced-that-google-searches-are-the-most-important/) [Seth Stephens-Davidowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-stephens-davidowitz/) ## More by Gaston Bachelard > [Dreaming by the river, I dedicated my imagination to water, to clear, green water, the water that makes the meadows green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/dreaming-by-the-river-i-dedicated-my-imagination-to-water-to-clear/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [If we did not have a feminine being within us, how would we rest ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/if-we-did-not-have-a-feminine-being-within-us-how-would-we-rest/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [The image can only be studied through the image, by dreaming images as they gather in reverie. It is a non-sense to claim to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-image-can-only-be-studied-through-the-image-by-dreaming-images-as/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [If there is any realm where distinction is especially difficult, it is the realm of childhood memories, the realm of beloved images harbored in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/if-there-is-any-realm-where-distinction-is-especially-difficult-it-is/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [In scientific thought, the concept functions all the better for being cut off from all background images. In its full exercise, the scientific concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-scientific-thought-the-concept-functions-all-the-better-for-being/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [It is through the intentionality of poetic imagination that the poet's soul discovers the opening of consciousness common to all true poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/it-is-through-the-intentionality-of-poetic-imagination-that-the-poet/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [In writing, you discover interior sonorities in words. Dipthongs sound differently beneath the pen. One hears them with their sounds divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-writing-you-discover-interior-sonorities-in-words-dipthongs-sound/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Here we are at the very core of the thesis we wish to defend in the present essay: reverie is under the sign of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/here-we-are-at-the-very-core-of-the-thesis-we-wish-to-defend-in-the/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [There are children who will leave a game to go and be bored in a corner of the garret. How often have I wished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/there-are-children-who-will-leave-a-game-to-go-and-be-bored-in-a/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Ideas are refined and multiplied in the commerce of minds. In their splendor, images effect a very simple communion of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/ideas-are-refined-and-multiplied-in-the-commerce-of-minds-in-their/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [The poetic image is a sudden salience on the surface of the psyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/the-poetic-image-is-a-sudden-salience-on-the-surface-of-the-psyche/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [In our view any awareness is an increment to consciousness, an added light, a reinforcement of psychic coherence. Its swiftness or instantaneity can hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/in-our-view-any-awareness-is-an-increment-to-consciousness-an-added/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Imagination is a tree. It has the integrative virtues of a tree. It is root and boughs. It lives between earth and sky. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/imagination-is-a-tree-it-has-the-integrative-virtues-of-a-tree-it-is/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Two half philosophers will probably never a whole metaphysician make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/two-half-philosophers-will-probably-never-a-whole-metaphysician-make/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Irony gives us, at little expense, the impression that we are experienced psychologists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/irony-gives-us-at-little-expense-the-impression-that-we-are/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) [Explore all 166 Gaston Bachelard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) ## More Glasses quotes > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [Putting on a new pair of glasses or sunglasses is a simple way to completely transform your look - just like a new hairstyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/putting-on-a-new-pair-of-glasses-or-sunglasses-is-a-simple-way-to/) [Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/) > [My mom was an enthusiastic, positive, glass-is-half-full type of person and that is how I live my life and I owe that to her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kliff-kingsbury/my-mom-was-an-enthusiastic-positive-glass-is-half-full-type-of-person/) [Kliff Kingsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kliff-kingsbury/) > [I had always been scared of the unknown, and I think it had a lot to do with a lack of self-confidence (and wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-levy/i-had-always-been-scared-of-the-unknown-and-i-think-it-had-a-lot-to/) [Dan Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-levy/) > [“Myrna was not astigmatic; the lenses were clear glass; she wore the glasses to prove her dedication and intensity of purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kennedy-toole/myrna-was-not-astigmatic-the-lenses-were-clear-glass-she-wore-the/) [John Kennedy Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kennedy-toole/) > [I pound on the glass, screaming my head off. Everyone ignores me except for some Capitol attendant who appears behind me and offers me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-pound-on-the-glass-screaming-my-head-off-everyone-ignores-me-except/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Beauty's a doubtful good, a glass, a flower, Lost, faded, broken, dead within an hour; And beauty, blemish'd once, for ever's lost, In spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/beauty-s-a-doubtful-good-a-glass-a-flower-lost-faded-broken-dead/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [I decided to lock myself in. A forced segregation. Sabbatical. A retreat into myself. My selves. Play hide and go seek in the looking-glass.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-decided-to-lock-myself-in-a-forced-segregation-sabbatical-a-retreat/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [I don't see the future as bright, language-wise. I see it as a glass half empty - and evaporating quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cavett/i-don-t-see-the-future-as-bright-language-wise-i-see-it-as-a-glass/) [Dick Cavett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cavett/) > [A ship's engine far away on the water expands the summer-night horizon. Both joy and sorrow swell in the dew's magnifying glass. Without really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-transtromer/a-ship-s-engine-far-away-on-the-water-expands-the-summer-night/) [Tomas Transtromer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-transtromer/) > [Keith was just bringing the glass to his lips when Adrian said, "Mmm. O positive, my favorite." Keith sprayed out the wine he'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/keith-was-just-bringing-the-glass-to-his-lips-when-adrian-said-mmm-o/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Photography is space, light, texture, of course, but the really important element is time - that nanosecond when the image organizes itself on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-stoller/photography-is-space-light-texture-of-course-but-the-really-important/) [Ezra Stoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-stoller/) > [I am out in public and using the phone. I am in a phone booth, got the phone in my hand and a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-engvall/i-am-out-in-public-and-using-the-phone-i-am-in-a-phone-booth-got-the/) [Bill Engvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-engvall/) [Browse all 2,351 Glasses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glasses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not a question of observation which propels mankind forward as if toward a looking glass of great magnitude; it is an instance of aggrandized reflection that insinuates the human psyche to the inhuman.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gaston Bachelard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-which-propels-mankind-forward-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Glasses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-which-propels-mankind-forward-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/gaston-bachelard-2318_glasses_it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-whic_2157558.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/gaston-bachelard-2318_glasses_it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-whic_2157558.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/gaston-bachelard-2318_glasses_it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-whic_2157558.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is not a question of observation which propels mankind forward as if toward a looking glass of great…” — Gaston Bachelard", "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": "Gaston Bachelard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is not a question of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-which-propels-mankind-forward-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/it-is-not-a-question-of-observation-which-propels-mankind-forward-as/#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 } } ] } ```