---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many will, no doubt, prefer to retain old…"
description: "\"Many will, no doubt, prefer to retain old unsystematic names as far as possible, but it is easy to see that the desire to avoid change may carry us too..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/henry-edward-armstrong-46976_abandon_many-will-no-doubt-prefer-to-retain-old_336439.png"
---

#  Many will, no doubt, prefer to retain old unsystematic…

![“Many will, no doubt, prefer to retain old unsystematic names as far as possible, but it is easy to see that the desire to avoid change may carry us too far in this direction; it will undoubtedly be very inconvenient to the present generation of chemists to abandon familiar and cherished names, but…” quote by Henry Edward Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/henry-edward-armstrong-46976_abandon_many-will-no-doubt-prefer-to-retain-old_336439.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/henry-edward-armstrong-46976_abandon_many-will-no-doubt-prefer-to-retain-old_336439.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/henry-edward-armstrong-46976_abandon_many-will-no-doubt-prefer-to-retain-old_336439.png)

> “Many will, no doubt, prefer to retain old unsystematic names as far as possible, but it is easy to see that the desire to avoid change may carry us too far in this direction; it will undoubtedly be very inconvenient to the present generation of chemists to abandon familiar and cherished names, but nevertheless it may be a wise course to boldly face the difficulty, rather than inflict on coming generations a partially illogical and unsystematic nomenclature.”

[Henry Edward Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-edward-armstrong/)

## About This Quote

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

Resisting change in scientific naming hinders progress; embracing new systematic names benefits future generations.

**In simple terms:** Change names for clarity and future benefit.

Key Takeaway

Adopt systematic nomenclature despite discomfort.

Themes

science progress tradition

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

scientific educational

When to use this quote

- renaming chemical compounds
- updating curricula
- publishing new guidelines
- retraining staff

Key Concepts

taxonomy communication standardization

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the long‑term gains of systematic naming?
- How can we ease the shift for current practitioners?

A Different Perspective

Transition may cause short‑term confusion and cost.

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Browse all 1,142 Abandon quotes

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