--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Theories crumble, but good observations…" description: "\"Theories crumble, but good observations never fade.\" — Harlow Shapley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/harlow-shapley-52678_never-fade_theories-crumble-but-good-observations-n_569965.jpg" --- # Theories crumble, but good observations never fade. ![“Theories crumble, but good observations never fade.” quote by Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/harlow-shapley-52678_never-fade_theories-crumble-but-good-observations-n_569965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/harlow-shapley-52678_never-fade_theories-crumble-but-good-observations-n_569965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/harlow-shapley-52678_never-fade_theories-crumble-but-good-observations-n_569965.jpg) > “Theories crumble, but good observations never fade.” [Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observations that are accurate and insightful endure even when theories change. **In simple terms:** Good observations outlast theories. Key Takeaway Value careful observation. Themes science philosophy knowledge Mood analytical reflective Type epistemic critical When to use this quote - research - education - policy analysis - historical study Key Concepts empiricism epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify an observation’s reliability? - What makes an observation “good”? A Different Perspective Observations can be misinterpreted without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Never fade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-fade/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [Observations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observations/) [Theories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theories/) ## Related quotes > [You make observations, write theories to fit them, try experiments to disprove the theories and, if you can't, you've got something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kary-mullis/you-make-observations-write-theories-to-fit-them-try-experiments-to/) [Kary Mullis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kary-mullis/) > [“Chubs didn’t have to finish. I knew what I’d been when I’d found them: a terrified splinter of a girl who had been shattered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/chubs-didn-t-have-to-finish-i-knew-what-i-d-been-when-i-d-found-them/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Like an old photograph, time can make a feeling fade, but the memory of a first love never fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/like-an-old-photograph-time-can-make-a-feeling-fade-but-the-memory-of/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [“That is physically impossible," Chubs groused. "He'd be--" "Actually," Liam began, "Cole once did try to--What?" "Oh, I'm sorry," Chubs said, "apparently the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/that-is-physically-impossible-chubs-groused-he-d-be-actually-liam/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [And he knew at that moment that love world never die, that it would never fade away altogether. The time might come when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/and-he-knew-at-that-moment-that-love-world-never-die-that-it-would/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“Jude was down there. He was down there. And the last place I would ever leave Jude was alone in the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/jude-was-down-there-he-was-down-there-and-the-last-place-i-would-ever-2/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [The darkest minds never fade in the afterlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/the-darkest-minds-never-fade-in-the-afterlight/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [“So thought crossed my mind," Liam said suddenly. "That must've been a lonely journey," Chubs said flipping the pages of his book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/so-thought-crossed-my-mind-liam-said-suddenly-that-must-ve-been-a/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/elegance-is-the-only-beauty-that-never-fades/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [“What?” The word exploded out of me. “What do you want me to tell you? You want to hear about how they tied us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/what-the-word-exploded-out-of-me-what-do-you-want-me-to-tell-you-you/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Memories and thoughts age, just as people do. But certain thoughts can never age, and certain memories can never fade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memories-and-thoughts-age-just-as-people-do-but-certain-thoughts-can/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Jude was down there. He was down there. And the last place I would ever leave Jude was alone in the darl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/jude-was-down-there-he-was-down-there-and-the-last-place-i-would-ever/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [“Cate had told me once, a long time ago, that the only way to survive your past was to find a way to close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/cate-had-told-me-once-a-long-time-ago-that-the-only-way-to-survive/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [“I can't--I can't think about anything or anyone else," he whispered. A hand drifted up, dragging back through his hair. "I can't think straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-can-t-i-can-t-think-about-anything-or-anyone-else-he-whispered-a/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [When a little pleasure has flashed for a moment against the dark, I have made that jewel mine. I have hundreds of them ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/when-a-little-pleasure-has-flashed-for-a-moment-against-the-dark-i/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) ## More by Harlow Shapley > [A hypothesis or theory is clear, decisive, and positive, but it is believed by no one but the man who created it. Experimental findings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/a-hypothesis-or-theory-is-clear-decisive-and-positive-but-it-is/) [Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) > [It seems to me that the evidence ... is opposed to the view that the spirals are individual galaxies comparable with our own. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/it-seems-to-me-that-the-evidence-is-opposed-to-the-view-that-the/) [Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) > [Some piously record 'In the beginning God', but I say 'In the beginning hydrogen'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/some-piously-record-in-the-beginning-god-but-i-say-in-the-beginning/) [Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) > [Chaos is but unperceived order; it is a word indicating the limitations of the human mind and the paucity of observational facts. The words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/chaos-is-but-unperceived-order-it-is-a-word-indicating-the/) [Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) > [The solar system is off center and consequently man is too ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/the-solar-system-is-off-center-and-consequently-man-is-too/) [Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) > [No one trusts a model except the man who wrote it; everyone trusts an observation, except the man who made it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/no-one-trusts-a-model-except-the-man-who-wrote-it-everyone-trusts-an/) [Harlow Shapley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) [Explore all 7 Harlow Shapley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/) ## More Never fade quotes > [When a little pleasure has flashed for a moment against the dark, I have made that jewel mine. I have hundreds of them ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-reed/when-a-little-pleasure-has-flashed-for-a-moment-against-the-dark-i/) [Myrtle Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-reed/) > [“I can't--I can't think about anything or anyone else," he whispered. A hand drifted up, dragging back through his hair. "I can't think straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-can-t-i-can-t-think-about-anything-or-anyone-else-he-whispered-a/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [“Cate had told me once, a long time ago, that the only way to survive your past was to find a way to close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/cate-had-told-me-once-a-long-time-ago-that-the-only-way-to-survive/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [“Jude was down there. He was down there. And the last place I would ever leave Jude was alone in the darl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/jude-was-down-there-he-was-down-there-and-the-last-place-i-would-ever/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Memories and thoughts age, just as people do. But certain thoughts can never age, and certain memories can never fade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memories-and-thoughts-age-just-as-people-do-but-certain-thoughts-can/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“What?” The word exploded out of me. “What do you want me to tell you? You want to hear about how they tied us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/what-the-word-exploded-out-of-me-what-do-you-want-me-to-tell-you-you/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/elegance-is-the-only-beauty-that-never-fades/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [“So thought crossed my mind," Liam said suddenly. "That must've been a lonely journey," Chubs said flipping the pages of his book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/so-thought-crossed-my-mind-liam-said-suddenly-that-must-ve-been-a/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [The darkest minds never fade in the afterlight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/the-darkest-minds-never-fade-in-the-afterlight/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [“Jude was down there. He was down there. And the last place I would ever leave Jude was alone in the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/jude-was-down-there-he-was-down-there-and-the-last-place-i-would-ever-2/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [And he knew at that moment that love world never die, that it would never fade away altogether. The time might come when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/and-he-knew-at-that-moment-that-love-world-never-die-that-it-would/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“That is physically impossible," Chubs groused. "He'd be--" "Actually," Liam began, "Cole once did try to--What?" "Oh, I'm sorry," Chubs said, "apparently the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/that-is-physically-impossible-chubs-groused-he-d-be-actually-liam/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [Like an old photograph, time can make a feeling fade, but the memory of a first love never fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/like-an-old-photograph-time-can-make-a-feeling-fade-but-the-memory-of/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [“Chubs didn’t have to finish. I knew what I’d been when I’d found them: a terrified splinter of a girl who had been shattered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/chubs-didn-t-have-to-finish-i-knew-what-i-d-been-when-i-d-found-them/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [And that's what innocence is. It's simple and trusting like a child, not judgmental and committed to one narrow point of view. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/and-that-s-what-innocence-is-it-s-simple-and-trusting-like-a-child/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) [Browse all 46 Never fade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-fade/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Theories crumble, but good observations never fade.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harlow Shapley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/theories-crumble-but-good-observations-never-fade/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Never fade" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/theories-crumble-but-good-observations-never-fade/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/harlow-shapley-52678_never-fade_theories-crumble-but-good-observations-n_569965.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/harlow-shapley-52678_never-fade_theories-crumble-but-good-observations-n_569965.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13e/harlow-shapley-52678_never-fade_theories-crumble-but-good-observations-n_569965.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Theories crumble, but good observations never fade.” — Harlow Shapley", "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": "Harlow Shapley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlow-shapley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Theories crumble, but good observations never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/theories-crumble-but-good-observations-never-fade/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlow-shapley/theories-crumble-but-good-observations-never-fade/#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 } } ] } ```