--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now if Newton had been a very plain, very…" description: "\"“Now if Newton had been a very plain, very dull, very matter-of-fact man, all that would be easily explicable. But I must make you see that he was not...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/jacob-bronowski-3073_book-of-revelation_now-if-newton-had-been-a-very-plain-very_2401270.png" --- # Now if Newton had been a very plain, very dull, very… ![“Now if Newton had been a very plain, very dull, very matter-of-fact man, all that would be easily explicable. But I must make you see that he was not. He was really a most extraordinary, wild character. He practised alchemy. In secret, he wrote immense tomes about the Book of Revelation. He was…” quote by Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/jacob-bronowski-3073_book-of-revelation_now-if-newton-had-been-a-very-plain-very_2401270.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/jacob-bronowski-3073_book-of-revelation_now-if-newton-had-been-a-very-plain-very_2401270.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/357/jacob-bronowski-3073_book-of-revelation_now-if-newton-had-been-a-very-plain-very_2401270.png) > ““Now if Newton had been a very plain, very dull, very matter-of-fact man, all that would be easily explicable. But I must make you see that he was not. He was really a most extraordinary, wild character. He practised alchemy. In secret, he wrote immense tomes about the Book of Revelation. He was convinced that the law of inverse squares was really already to be found in Pythagoras. And for such a man, who in private was full of these wild metaphysical and mystical speculations, to hold this public face and say, ‘I make no hypotheses’ – that is an extraordinary expression of his secret character. William Wordsworth in The Prelude has a vivid phrase, Newton, with his prism and silent face, which sees and says it exactly. Well,”” [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. Newton’s public humility masked a private fascination with mysticism and alchemy, showing the complexity of great minds. **In simple terms:** Newton was both scientific and mystical. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden depths in people. Themes science mysticism complexity Mood thoughtful intriguing Type historical analytical When to use this quote - academic research - creative pursuits - personal curiosity - understanding historical figures Key Concepts philosophy of science human nature Questions to Reflect On - What hidden passions might you have? - How do you reconcile public image with private beliefs? A Different Perspective Focusing on mysticism may overlook scientific contributions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book of revelation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-of-revelation/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newton/) ## Related quotes > [“William Blake admired the work of William Wordsworth but is said to have once been so mad at him over a theological point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-r-spaar/william-blake-admired-the-work-of-william-wordsworth-but-is-said-to/) [Lisa R. 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It needs to be decoded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-ve-read-the-book-of-revelation-a-million-times-it-does-not-make/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The Antichrist is often identified with the second beast in the Book of Revelation that arises from the land, the beast that tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-antichrist-is-often-identified-with-the-second-beast-in-the-book/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) > [If we have to sum up the Book of Revelation in one phrase, it would be, 'Jesus wins.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jud-wilhite/if-we-have-to-sum-up-the-book-of-revelation-in-one-phrase-it-would-be/) [Jud Wilhite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jud-wilhite/) ## 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. 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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 Book of revelation quotes > [If we have to sum up the Book of Revelation in one phrase, it would be, 'Jesus wins.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jud-wilhite/if-we-have-to-sum-up-the-book-of-revelation-in-one-phrase-it-would-be/) [Jud Wilhite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jud-wilhite/) > [The Antichrist is often identified with the second beast in the Book of Revelation that arises from the land, the beast that tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-antichrist-is-often-identified-with-the-second-beast-in-the-book/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) > [I've read the Book of Revelation a million times. It does not make sense, obviously. It needs to be decoded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-ve-read-the-book-of-revelation-a-million-times-it-does-not-make/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [Jesus cries out seven times to the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation, He who has an ear, let him hear what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goddey-wilson/jesus-cries-out-seven-times-to-the-seven-churches-mentioned-in-the/) [GODDEY WILSON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goddey-wilson/) > [It is between fifty and sixty years since I read it (i.e. the Book of Revelations), and I then considered it merely the ravings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-is-between-fifty-and-sixty-years-since-i-read-it-i-e-the-book-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“The world will not change by our position in the Universe. 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Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/holy-holy-holy-is-the-lord-god-almighty/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The Book of Revelation is all about the conflict, the contest between the forces of Good and Evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-pagels/the-book-of-revelation-is-all-about-the-conflict-the-contest-between/) [Elaine Pagels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-pagels/) [Browse all 69 Book of revelation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-of-revelation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Now if Newton had been a very plain, very dull, very matter-of-fact man, all that would be easily explicable. But I must make you see that he was not. He was really a most extraordinary, wild character. He practised alchemy. 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