--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ask an impertinent question and you are…" description: "\"Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answer.\" — Jacob Bronowski" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are_1415665.png" --- # Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the… ![“Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answer.” quote by Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are_1415665.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are_1415665.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are_1415665.png) > “Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answer.” [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Provoking bold questions leads to deeper, relevant answers. **In simple terms:** Ask daring questions to find important answers. Key Takeaway Challenge assumptions to discover insight. Themes curiosity learning critical thinking Mood inquisitive encouraging Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research - education - problem solving - innovation Key Concepts epistemology inquiry Questions to Reflect On - What question could unlock your current challenge? - How do you handle uncomfortable answers? A Different Perspective Risk of asking irrelevant or offensive questions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answering questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answering-questions/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Pertinent questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pertinent-questions/) [Questioning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questioning/) [Questions and answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions-and-answers/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-life/) ## Related quotes > [That is the essence of science: ask an impertinent question, and you are on the way to a pertinent answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [“They get up every day and go work for money, not taking the time to ask the question, ‘Is there another way?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/they-get-up-every-day-and-go-work-for-money-not-taking-the-time-to/) [Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/) > [You can do a lot of damage if you try to answer a question part-way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-lee/you-can-do-a-lot-of-damage-if-you-try-to-answer-a-question-part-way/) [Mike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-lee/) > [The question is not, "Why is there only one way to God?" but "Why is there even one way?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/the-question-is-not-why-is-there-only-one-way-to-god-but-why-is-there/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“We question ourselves through others by way of stories, advice, and gestures; and we receive our answers form listening to others reactions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-aldana/we-question-ourselves-through-others-by-way-of-stories-advice-and/) [Jeremy Aldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-aldana/) > [“Question: would I do it the same way all over again? Absolutely - because I learned something along the way. Most people don't learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/question-would-i-do-it-the-same-way-all-over-again-absolutely-because/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Phrase the question any way you like…The answer will still be ‘Kiss my ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-a-george/phrase-the-question-any-way-you-like-the-answer-will-still-be-kiss-my/) [M.A. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-a-george/) > [One must not make oneself cheap here - that is a cardinal point - or else one is done. Whoever is most impertinent has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/one-must-not-make-oneself-cheap-here-that-is-a-cardinal-point-or-else/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [“Hardly out of mortal danger and already he gets impertinent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelika-rust/hardly-out-of-mortal-danger-and-already-he-gets-impertinent/) [Angelika Rust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelika-rust/) > [... it's vastly more irksome to give up one's own way, than to hear a few impertinent remarks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/it-s-vastly-more-irksome-to-give-up-one-s-own-way-than-to-hear-a-few/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) > [Whoever is most impertinent has the best chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/whoever-is-most-impertinent-has-the-best-chance/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [One must not make oneself cheap herethat is a cardinalpointor else one is done. Whoever is most impertinent has the best chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/one-must-not-make-oneself-cheap-herethat-is-a-cardinalpointor-else/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [prayer must be, in its own nature, absurd and impertinent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-collyer/prayer-must-be-in-its-own-nature-absurd-and-impertinent/) [Mary Collyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-collyer/) > [It is not the writer's task to answer questions but to question answers. To be impertinent, insolent, and, if necessary, subversive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/it-is-not-the-writer-s-task-to-answer-questions-but-to-question/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [I am shocking, impertinent and insolent that's how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-bardot/i-am-shocking-impertinent-and-insolent-that-s-how-it-is/) [Brigitte Bardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-bardot/) ## More by Jacob Bronowski > [“A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or a scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-man-becomes-creative-whether-he-is-an-artist-or-a-scientist-when-he/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [We are all shot through with enough motives to make a massacre, any day of the week that we want to give them their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/we-are-all-shot-through-with-enough-motives-to-make-a-massacre-any/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [A popular cliche in philosophy says that science is pure analysis or reductionism, like taking the rainbow to pieces; and art is pure synthesis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-popular-cliche-in-philosophy-says-that-science-is-pure-analysis-or/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The great poem and the deep theorem are new to every reader, and yet are his own experiences, because he himself recreates them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-great-poem-and-the-deep-theorem-are-new-to-every-reader-and-yet/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [“The Renaissance established the dignity of man. The Industrial Revolution established the unity of nature. That”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-renaissance-established-the-dignity-of-man-the-industrial/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [One original thought is worth the sum total of human knowledge, because it advances the sum total of human knowledge by that one original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/one-original-thought-is-worth-the-sum-total-of-human-knowledge/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The richness of human life is that we have many lives, we live the events that do not happen (and some that cannot) as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-richness-of-human-life-is-that-we-have-many-lives-we-live-the/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Einstein was a man who could ask immensely simple questions. And what his work showed is that when the answers are simple too, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/einstein-was-a-man-who-could-ask-immensely-simple-questions-and-what/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Revolutions are not made by fate but by men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/revolutions-are-not-made-by-fate-but-by-men/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [“I am infinitely saddened to find myself suddenly surrounded in the west by a sense of terrible loss of nerve, a retreat from knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/i-am-infinitely-saddened-to-find-myself-suddenly-surrounded-in-the/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The most remarkable discovery ever made by scientists is science itself. The discovery must be compared in importance with the invention of cave-painting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-most-remarkable-discovery-ever-made-by-scientists-is-science/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [There are three creative ideas which, each in its turn, have been central to science. They are the idea of order, the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/there-are-three-creative-ideas-which-each-in-its-turn-have-been/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [It is important that students bring a certain rafamuffin, barefoot, irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/it-is-important-that-students-bring-a-certain-rafamuffin-barefoot/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-hand-is-the-cutting-edge-of-the-mind/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [To me the most interesting thing about man is that he is an animal who practices art and science and in every known society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/to-me-the-most-interesting-thing-about-man-is-that-he-is-an-animal/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) [Explore all 140 Jacob Bronowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) ## More Answer quotes > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [What you are is a question only you can answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/what-you-are-is-a-question-only-you-can-answer/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) > [The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/the-boldness-of-asking-deep-questions-may-require-unforeseen/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [“And if you can’t say yes, answer anyway. Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/) Jon Ellis > [“There is a cure and answer to everything, we just haven't found them yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-halimi/there-is-a-cure-and-answer-to-everything-we-just-haven-t-found-them/) [Eve Halimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-halimi/) > [Whenever I'm asked about Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, I always answer: 'Neymar is the best,' not just because of his goals but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-carlos/whenever-i-m-asked-about-cristiano-ronaldo-or-lionel-messi-i-always/) [Roberto Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-carlos/) > [A wiki works best where you're trying to answer a question that you can't easily pose, where there's not a natural structure that's known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-cunningham/a-wiki-works-best-where-you-re-trying-to-answer-a-question-that-you/) [Ward Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-cunningham/) > [“Those are good questions. I recognize good questions, because I can come up with them myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-brust/those-are-good-questions-i-recognize-good-questions-because-i-can/) [Steven Brust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-brust/) > [My answer is bring 'em on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/my-answer-is-bring-em-on/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'll answer anything... I'm brutally honest, actually, which gets me in trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-ll-answer-anything-i-m-brutally-honest-actually-which-gets-me-in/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“...I guess I can put two and two together." "Sometimes the answer's four," I said, "and sometimes it's twenty-two...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dashiell-hammett/i-guess-i-can-put-two-and-two-together-sometimes-the-answer-s-four-i/) [Dashiell Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dashiell-hammett/) > [Jumping someone is never the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jumping-someone-is-never-the-answer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I play along myself, even though I can't help the player. So I can't say what I think the answer might be. But I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paddy-mcguinness/i-play-along-myself-even-though-i-can-t-help-the-player-so-i-can-t/) [Paddy McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paddy-mcguinness/) > [Sometimes the question is complicated, but the answers are simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-suess/sometimes-the-question-is-complicated-but-the-answers-are-simple/) [Dr Suess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-suess/) Browse all 2,090 Answer quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacob Bronowski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are-on-the-way-to-the-pertinent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are-on-the-way-to-the-pertinent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are_1415665.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are_1415665.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/578/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are_1415665.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answer.” — Jacob Bronowski", "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": "Jacob Bronowski", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ask an impertinent question and you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are-on-the-way-to-the-pertinent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are-on-the-way-to-the-pertinent/#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 } } ] } ```