Amusement Quote by Gilbert Burnet
“...learning chiefly in mathematical sciences can so swallow up and fix one's thought, as to possess it entirely for some time; but when that amusement is over, nature will return, and be where it was, being rather diverted than overcome by such speculations.”
About This Quote
Source Treat: Sermons to the People, 1705
Intense focus on abstract study can dominate thought, but natural reality reasserts itself afterward.
In simple terms: Study can dominate mind, but reality returns.
Key Takeaway
Balance study with real‑world engagement.
Themes
education
focus
reality
Mood
contemplative
balanced
Type
philosophical
advice
When to use this quote
- academic research
- creative work
- problem solving
- personal development
Key Concepts
cognitive immersion
intellectual humility
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconnect with reality after deep study?
- What practices keep you grounded?
A Different Perspective
Over‑immersion may cause tunnel vision.
![“... the sciences are like a beautiful river, of which the course is easy to follow, when it has acquired a certain regularity; but if one wants to go back to the source, one will find it nowhere, because it is everywhere; it is spread so much [as to be] over all the surface of the earth; it is the…” quote by Lazare Carnot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/33f/lazare-carnot-71332_beautiful_the-sciences-are-like-a-beautiful-river_1920482.jpg)
