--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During the century after Newton, it was…" description: "\"During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/isaac-asimov-309_attainment_during-the-century-after-newton-it-was-s_1946168.jpg" --- # During the century after Newton, it was still possible for… ![“During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/isaac-asimov-309_attainment_during-the-century-after-newton-it-was-s_1946168.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/isaac-asimov-309_attainment_during-the-century-after-newton-it-was-s_1946168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/isaac-asimov-309_attainment_during-the-century-after-newton-it-was-s_1946168.jpg) > “During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. But by 1800, this had become entirely impracticable.” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Specialization grew as knowledge expanded, making mastery of all sciences impossible. **In simple terms:** Science became too vast for one person to know all. Key Takeaway Focus on a niche. Themes specialization knowledge history of science Mood reflective analytical Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - career planning - education policy - personal learning - scientific collaboration Key Concepts interdisciplinary expertise intellectual breadth Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance depth with interdisciplinary insight? - What structures support broad learning today? A Different Perspective Depth may limit breadth, risking siloed thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newton/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-knowledge/) ## Related quotes > [It's impracticable to halt the exponential advancement of technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goertzel/it-s-impracticable-to-halt-the-exponential-advancement-of-technology/) Ben Goertzel > [“I hold it to be impracticable”4 to try to define it or any right narrowly in a Bill of Rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-hartmann/i-hold-it-to-be-impracticable-4-to-try-to-define-it-or-any-right/) [Thom Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-hartmann/) > [Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail of success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/few-things-are-impracticable-in-themselves-and-it-is-for-want-of-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Existence would be a quite impracticable enterprise if we stopped granting importance to what has none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/existence-would-be-a-quite-impracticable-enterprise-if-we-stopped/) [Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/) > [It is evident from the state of the country, from the habits of the people, from the experience we have had on the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-is-evident-from-the-state-of-the-country-from-the-habits-of-the/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [All virtue which is impracticable is spurious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/all-virtue-which-is-impracticable-is-spurious/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, rather than of means, that men fail to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/few-things-are-impracticable-in-themselves-and-it-is-for-want-of/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [To have ideals is not the same as to have impracticable ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stebbing/to-have-ideals-is-not-the-same-as-to-have-impracticable-ideals/) [Susan Stebbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stebbing/) > [Scientific apparatus offers a window to knowledge, but as they grow more elaborate, scientists spend ever more time washing the windows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/scientific-apparatus-offers-a-window-to-knowledge-but-as-they-grow/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“He had steeled himself just a little for the Jump through hyper-space, a phenomenon one did not experience in simple interplanetary trips. The Jump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/he-had-steeled-himself-just-a-little-for-the-jump-through-hyper-space/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“To the point: A woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy has to make her decision in the context of a culture that shames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-parker/to-the-point-a-woman-who-wants-to-terminate-her-pregnancy-has-to-make/) [Willie Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-parker/) > [“Yet the paradox is that scientific methodology is the product of human hands and thus cannot reach some permanent truth. We build scientific theories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/yet-the-paradox-is-that-scientific-methodology-is-the-product-of/) [Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/) > [“If my duty to my parents is a superstition, then so is my duty to posterity. If justice is a superstition, then so is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-my-duty-to-my-parents-is-a-superstition-then-so-is-my-duty-to/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Science is not marginal. Like art, it is a universal possession of humanity, and scientific knowledge has become a vital part of our species'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/science-is-not-marginal-like-art-it-is-a-universal-possession-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Isaac Asimov > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Attainment quotes > [Life, whether in this world or any other, is the sum of our attainment, our experience, our character. The conditions are secondary. In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/life-whether-in-this-world-or-any-other-is-the-sum-of-our-attainment/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [The Attainment of freedom, whether for a person, a nation or a world, must be in exact proportion to the attainment of nonviolence for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-attainment-of-freedom-whether-for-a-person-a-nation-or-a-world/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/all-achievements-whether-in-the-business-intellectual-or-spiritual/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [In transmitting the dharma, there is neither explanation nor teaching; there is neighter hearing nor attainment. Since explanations never really explains, nor are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daido-loori/in-transmitting-the-dharma-there-is-neither-explanation-nor-teaching/) [John Daido Loori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daido-loori/) > [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self. Real attainment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-mind-of-one-meditating-on-a-single-object-becomes-one-pointed-and/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [Not merely by rules of conduct and religious observances, nor by much learning either, nor even by attainment of concentration, nor by sleeping alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-merely-by-rules-of-conduct-and-religious-observances-nor-by-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most important rules that I ever adopted to help me in achieving my goals were those I learned from a very successful man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-most-important-rules-that-i-ever-adopted-to-help-me-in-achieving/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Like myself, all Americans have a deep concern for the well-being of Iran. With them I have watched closely your courageous efforts, your steadfastness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/like-myself-all-americans-have-a-deep-concern-for-the-well-being-of/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The ability to discriminate between that which is true and that which is false is one of the last attainments of the human mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/the-ability-to-discriminate-between-that-which-is-true-and-that-which/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [The more clearly defined and keenly desired your goals, the more of your natural creativity will be released for goal attainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-more-clearly-defined-and-keenly-desired-your-goals-the-more-of/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [Every attainment, every step forward in knowledge, follows from courage, from hardness against oneself, from cleanliness in relation to oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-attainment-every-step-forward-in-knowledge-follows-from-courage/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And only the very courageous will be able to keep alive the spirit of individualism and dissent which gave birth to this nation, nourished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/and-only-the-very-courageous-will-be-able-to-keep-alive-the-spirit-of/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Some read for style, and some for argument: one has little care about the sentiment, he observes only how it is expressed; another regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/some-read-for-style-and-some-for-argument-one-has-little-care-about/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) Browse all 363 Attainment quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "During the century after Newton, it was still possible for a man of unusual attainments to master all fields of scientific knowledge. 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