--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must learn a new modesty. We have…" description: "\"We must learn a new modesty. We have stormed the heavens, but succeeded only in building fog upon fog, a mist which will not support anybody who earnes..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/hermann-weyl-16709_building_we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stor_2659542.jpg" --- # We must learn a new modesty. We have stormed the heavens… ![“We must learn a new modesty. We have stormed the heavens, but succeeded only in building fog upon fog, a mist which will not support anybody who earnestly desires to stand upon it. What is valid seems so insignificant that it may be seriously doubted whether anlaysis is at all possible.” quote by Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/hermann-weyl-16709_building_we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stor_2659542.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/hermann-weyl-16709_building_we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stor_2659542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/hermann-weyl-16709_building_we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stor_2659542.jpg) > “We must learn a new modesty. We have stormed the heavens, but succeeded only in building fog upon fog, a mist which will not support anybody who earnestly desires to stand upon it. What is valid seems so insignificant that it may be seriously doubted whether anlaysis is at all possible.” [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human ambition creates complex layers that obscure true understanding, making genuine insight hard to achieve. **In simple terms:** We build complicated structures that hide simple truths, limiting real progress. Key Takeaway Simplify foundations to uncover genuine knowledge. Themes philosophy science humility Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - academic research - technological development - spiritual practice - policy making Key Concepts modesty complexity knowledge epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance ambition with clarity? - What methods reveal underlying simplicity? A Different Perspective Complexity can be necessary for advancement, not just obstruction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Fog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fog/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Mist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mist/) [Modesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modesty/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) ## Related quotes > [Bling is over. Red carpet covered with rhinestones is out. I call it 'the new modesty.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/bling-is-over-red-carpet-covered-with-rhinestones-is-out-i-call-it/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [It may well be doubted whether human ingenuity can construct an enigma... which human ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/it-may-well-be-doubted-whether-human-ingenuity-can-construct-an/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“He doubted the hand of God but did not discount it - discarding only the God of the pulpit and the pious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-lent/he-doubted-the-hand-of-god-but-did-not-discount-it-discarding-only/) Jeffrey Lent > [During the war, a battle was fought here, not only for the creation of a new Yugoslavia, but also a battle for Bosnia and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josip-broz-tito/during-the-war-a-battle-was-fought-here-not-only-for-the-creation-of/) [Josip Broz Tito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josip-broz-tito/) > [My whole life, people have doubted me. My mom did. People told me in high school I'm too short and not fast enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-butler/my-whole-life-people-have-doubted-me-my-mom-did-people-told-me-in/) [Jimmy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-butler/) > [“doubted the condo portion of the building had any black or Dominican owners.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettye-griffin/doubted-the-condo-portion-of-the-building-had-any-black-or-dominican/) Bettye Griffin > [Had thought ever doubted my ability upon once, be it not so, presently, at thine own hubris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/had-thought-ever-doubted-my-ability-upon-once-be-it-not-so-presently/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Have you doubted your progress, regretted your choices, put yourself down? Remember that you are doing just fine. Remind yourself right now that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/have-you-doubted-your-progress-regretted-your-choices-put-yourself/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [He whose faith never doubted, may justly doubt of his faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-boyle/he-whose-faith-never-doubted-may-justly-doubt-of-his-faith/) [Robert Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-boyle/) > [Her underwear, her jeans, the comforter, my corduroys and my boxers between us, I thought. Five layers, and yet I felt it, the nervous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/her-underwear-her-jeans-the-comforter-my-corduroys-and-my-boxers/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Redtail was a brave warrior. His loyalty to ThunderClan could never be doubted. I always relied on his judgment, for it bore witness to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-hunter/redtail-was-a-brave-warrior-his-loyalty-to-thunderclan-could-never-be/) [Erin Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-hunter/) > [I was given the gifts of the artist, and the trouble that goes with them: So I have that blessing, and there was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/i-was-given-the-gifts-of-the-artist-and-the-trouble-that-goes-with/) [Louise Berliawsky Nevelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-berliawsky-nevelson/) > [The purposes of the United States should not be doubted. The Security Council resolutions will be enforced - the just demands of peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-purposes-of-the-united-states-should-not-be-doubted-the-security/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [“For the longest time, Cinderella had doubted Friedrich was ever serious about her. Now, as she saw the way his fingers twitched with nervousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-shea/for-the-longest-time-cinderella-had-doubted-friedrich-was-ever/) [K.M. Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-shea/) > [Nor would anybody suspect. If was one thing all people took for granted, was conviction that if you feed honest figures into a computer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/nor-would-anybody-suspect-if-was-one-thing-all-people-took-for/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Hermann Weyl > [For mathematics, even to the logical forms in which it moves, is entirely dependent on the concept of natural number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/for-mathematics-even-to-the-logical-forms-in-which-it-moves-is/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [Mathematics has the inhuman quality of starlight, brilliant and sharp, but cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/mathematics-has-the-inhuman-quality-of-starlight-brilliant-and-sharp/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [The introduction of numbers as coordinates by reference to the particular division scheme of the open one-dimensional continuum is an act of violence whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-introduction-of-numbers-as-coordinates-by-reference-to-the/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [“Our generation is witness to a development of physical knowledge such as has not been seen since the days of Kepler, Galileo and Newton,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/our-generation-is-witness-to-a-development-of-physical-knowledge-such/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [“the problem is then to develop a theory of invariance with respect to arbitrary linear transformations, in which, however, in contra-distinction to the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-problem-is-then-to-develop-a-theory-of-invariance-with-respect-to/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [Before you generalize, formalize, and axiomatize there must be mathematical substance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/before-you-generalize-formalize-and-axiomatize-there-must-be/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [The whole is always more, is more capable of a much greater variety of wave states, than the combination of its parts. ... In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-whole-is-always-more-is-more-capable-of-a-much-greater-variety-of/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [You can not apply mathematics as long as words still becloud reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/you-can-not-apply-mathematics-as-long-as-words-still-becloud-reality/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [Not only in geometry, but to a still more astonishing degree in physics, has it become more and more evident that as soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/not-only-in-geometry-but-to-a-still-more-astonishing-degree-in/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [The introduction of numbers as coordinates is an act of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-introduction-of-numbers-as-coordinates-is-an-act-of-violence/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [“The goal of mathematics is the symbolic comprehension of the infinite with human, that is finite, means.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/the-goal-of-mathematics-is-the-symbolic-comprehension-of-the-infinite/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [God exists because arithmetic is consistent - the Devil exists because we can't prove it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/god-exists-because-arithmetic-is-consistent-the-devil-exists-because/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [Without the concepts, methods and results found and developed by previous generations right down to Greek antiquity one cannot understand either the aims or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/without-the-concepts-methods-and-results-found-and-developed-by/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [Besides language and music, mathematics is one of the primary manifestations of the free creative power of the human mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/besides-language-and-music-mathematics-is-one-of-the-primary/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [Our mathematics of the last few decades has wallowed in generalities and formalizations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/our-mathematics-of-the-last-few-decades-has-wallowed-in-generalities/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) [Explore all 39 Hermann Weyl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must learn a new modesty. We have stormed the heavens, but succeeded only in building fog upon fog, a mist which will not support anybody who earnestly desires to stand upon it. What is valid seems so insignificant that it may be seriously doubted whether anlaysis is at all possible.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hermann Weyl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stormed-the-heavens-but-succeeded/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Building" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stormed-the-heavens-but-succeeded/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/hermann-weyl-16709_building_we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stor_2659542.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/hermann-weyl-16709_building_we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stor_2659542.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/hermann-weyl-16709_building_we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stor_2659542.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We must learn a new modesty. We have stormed the heavens, but succeeded only in building fog upon fog, a…” — Hermann Weyl", "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": "Hermann Weyl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We must learn a new modesty....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stormed-the-heavens-but-succeeded/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/we-must-learn-a-new-modesty-we-have-stormed-the-heavens-but-succeeded/#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 } } ] } ```