--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is the essence of science: ask an…" description: "\"That is the essence of science: ask an impertinent question, and you are on the way to a pertinent answer.\" — Jacob Bronowski" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-im_814452.png" --- # That is the essence of science: ask an impertinent… ![“That is the essence of science: ask an impertinent question, and you are on the way to a pertinent answer.” quote by Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-im_814452.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-im_814452.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-im_814452.png) > “That is the essence of science: ask an impertinent question, and you are on the way to a 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. Science progresses by asking bold, seemingly irrelevant questions that lead to meaningful answers. **In simple terms:** Bold questions drive scientific discovery. Key Takeaway Ask daring questions to advance knowledge. Themes science curiosity inquiry progress Mood inquisitive analytical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - research projects - education - problem solving - policy development Key Concepts philosophy of science critical thinking innovation Questions to Reflect On - What questions challenge your assumptions? - How can you test the relevance of a question? A Different Perspective Not all questions yield useful answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) [Ask Impertinent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-impertinent-300273/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Impertinent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impertinent-300275/) [Impertinent Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impertinent-question-300274/) [Pertinent Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pertinent-answer-300277/) [Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question/) [Question Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-way-300276/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you-are-on-the-way-to-the-pertinent/) [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That is the essence of science: ask an impertinent question, and you are on the way to a pertinent answer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacob Bronowski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-im_814452.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-im_814452.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63d/jacob-bronowski-3073_answer_that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-im_814452.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That is the essence of science: ask an impertinent question, and you are on the way to a 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": "That is the essence of science:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/that-is-the-essence-of-science-ask-an-impertinent-question-and-you/#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 } } ] } ```