---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until…"
description: "\"No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon.\" — John Archibald Wheeler"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_phenomenon_no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until_1391443.png"
---

#  No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed…

![“No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon.” quote by John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_phenomenon_no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until_1391443.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_phenomenon_no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until_1391443.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_phenomenon_no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until_1391443.png)

> “No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon.”

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A phenomenon only becomes real when it is observed, highlighting the role of measurement in defining reality.

**In simple terms:** Observation defines reality.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge the observer’s influence.

Themes

science philosophy physics

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

- Scientific research
- philosophical discussion
- education
- technology development

Key Concepts

Quantum measurement observer effect

Questions to Reflect On

- How does observation shape our understanding of reality?
- Can unobserved events be meaningful?

A Different Perspective

Some phenomena may exist independently of observation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Observed Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observed-phenomenon-305833/) [Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenon/) [Phenomenon Observed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenon-observed-4585726/) [Phenomenon Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenon-real-1451985/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-phenomenon-4850755/)

## Related quotes

> [We say Fine, even though we may be dying, and this is commonly known as taking one's courage in both hands, a phenomenon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/we-say-fine-even-though-we-may-be-dying-and-this-is-commonly-known-as/)

[Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/)

> [“In the town where I live, I have frequently observed a phenomenon I have come to think of as Samish-Sex Marriage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-the-town-where-i-live-i-have-frequently-observed-a-phenomenon-i/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [“That was when I first observed a phenomenon I now call the "New York Slide": you offer your words to try to communicate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-cutrone/that-was-when-i-first-observed-a-phenomenon-i-now-call-the-new-york/)

[Kelly Cutrone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-cutrone/)

> [...separation of the observer from the phenomenon to be observed is no longer possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/separation-of-the-observer-from-the-phenomenon-to-be-observed-is-no/)

[Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/)

> [I happen to be privileged enough to be in on the fact that we have been visited on this planet, and the UFO phenomenon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/i-happen-to-be-privileged-enough-to-be-in-on-the-fact-that-we-have/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [The phenomenon is something real and not visionary or fictitious. There are objects approximating the shape of a disc, some of which appear flat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-farragut-twining/the-phenomenon-is-something-real-and-not-visionary-or-fictitious/)

[Nathan Farragut Twining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-farragut-twining/)

> [This 'flying saucer' situation is not at all imaginary or seeing too much in some natural phenomena. Something is really flying around. The phenomenon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-farragut-twining/this-flying-saucer-situation-is-not-at-all-imaginary-or-seeing-too/)

[Nathan Farragut Twining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-farragut-twining/)

> [As a full-time, and serious-minded, UFO investigator, I strongly side with the proponents. It seems indisputable that the phenomenon is real, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-davenport/as-a-full-time-and-serious-minded-ufo-investigator-i-strongly-side/)

[Peter Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-davenport/)

> [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huangbo-xiyun/the-nature-of-the-absolute-is-neither-perceptible-nor-imperceptible/)

[Huangbo Xiyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huangbo-xiyun/)

> [“Empirically, things are poignant, tragic, beautiful, humorous, settled, disturbed, comfortable, annoying, barren, harsh, consoling, splendid, fearful; are such immediately and in their own right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/empirically-things-are-poignant-tragic-beautiful-humorous-settled/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/)

[Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/)

> [One of the most abused country on earth is Mexico. The marketing spills over the border, and people are persuaded to eat food that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-patel/one-of-the-most-abused-country-on-earth-is-mexico-the-marketing/)

[Raj Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-patel/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/)

[Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

## More by John Archibald Wheeler

> [“Never make a calculation until you know the answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/never-make-a-calculation-until-you-know-the-answer/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [Spacetime tells matter how to move; matter tells spacetime how to curve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/spacetime-tells-matter-how-to-move-matter-tells-spacetime-how-to-curve/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [“Never make a calculation until you know the answer. Make an estimate before every calculation, try a simple physical argument (symmetry! invariance! conservation!) before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/never-make-a-calculation-until-you-know-the-answer-make-an-estimate/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [One can only learn by teaching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/one-can-only-learn-by-teaching/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [Time, among all concepts in the world of physics, puts up the greatest resistance to being dethroned from ideal continuum to the world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/time-among-all-concepts-in-the-world-of-physics-puts-up-the-greatest/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [The laws of physics that we regard as 'sacred,' as immutable, are anything but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/the-laws-of-physics-that-we-regard-as-sacred-as-immutable-are/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [There are many modes of thinking about the world around us and our place in it. I like to consider all the angles from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/there-are-many-modes-of-thinking-about-the-world-around-us-and-our/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/if-you-haven-t-found-something-strange-during-the-day-it-hasn-t-been/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [In order to more fully understand this reality, we must take into account other dimensions of a broader reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/in-order-to-more-fully-understand-this-reality-we-must-take-into/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [I like to say, when asked why I pursue science, that it is to satisfy my curiosity, that I am by nature a searcher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/i-like-to-say-when-asked-why-i-pursue-science-that-it-is-to-satisfy/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> ['Participant' is the incontrovertible new concept given by quantum mechanics. It strikes down the 'observer' of classical theory, the man who stands safely behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/participant-is-the-incontrovertible-new-concept-given-by-quantum/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [We will first understand how simple the universe is when we recognize how strange it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/we-will-first-understand-how-simple-the-universe-is-when-we-recognize/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [I like to think that someone will trace how the deepest thinking of India made its way to Greece and from there to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/i-like-to-think-that-someone-will-trace-how-the-deepest-thinking-of/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [Of all heroes , Spinoza was Einstein 's greatest. No one expressed more strongly then he a belief in the harmony , the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/of-all-heroes-spinoza-was-einstein-s-greatest-no-one-expressed-more/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [We are not only observers. We are participators. In some strange sense this is aparticipatory universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/we-are-not-only-observers-we-are-participators-in-some-strange-sense/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

[Explore all 36 John Archibald Wheeler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

## More Phenomenon quotes

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“Empirically, things are poignant, tragic, beautiful, humorous, settled, disturbed, comfortable, annoying, barren, harsh, consoling, splendid, fearful; are such immediately and in their own right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/empirically-things-are-poignant-tragic-beautiful-humorous-settled/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [One of the most abused country on earth is Mexico. The marketing spills over the border, and people are persuaded to eat food that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-patel/one-of-the-most-abused-country-on-earth-is-mexico-the-marketing/)

[Raj Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-patel/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The "health, education, and welfare" section of government is another boondoggle. First we manufacture indigent and superfluous people by legal monopolies in land, money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurance-labadie/the-health-education-and-welfare-section-of-government-is-another/)

[Laurance Labadie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurance-labadie/)

> [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/)

[Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/)

> [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Virtually every major technological advance in the history of the human species- back to the invention of stone tools and the domestication of fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/virtually-every-major-technological-advance-in-the-history-of-the/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

> [Fly flight is just a great phenomenon to study. It has everything - from the most sophisticated sensory biology; really, really interesting physics; really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/fly-flight-is-just-a-great-phenomenon-to-study-it-has-everything-from/)

[Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/)

> [Marriage is going to disappear, should disappear. And now the point is coming in the history of humanity where it becomes possible that marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/marriage-is-going-to-disappear-should-disappear-and-now-the-point-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. But to one who has discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huangbo-xiyun/the-nature-of-the-absolute-is-neither-perceptible-nor-imperceptible/)

[Huangbo Xiyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huangbo-xiyun/)

> [Hunger is a people-made phenomenon, so the central issue is power: the power of those who make the decisions about what is grown and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-moore-lapp/hunger-is-a-people-made-phenomenon-so-the-central-issue-is-power-the/)

[Frances Moore Lappé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-moore-lapp/)

> [The feedback that I get from my association with Gomez is heartwarming. It is very difficult for me to take anything but a positive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-astin/the-feedback-that-i-get-from-my-association-with-gomez-is/)

[John Astin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-astin/)

> [I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-want-to-know-how-god-created-this-world-i-am-not-interested-in-this/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [The phenomenon of creativity, we know, is closely related to the ability to yoke together separate, and even seemingly incompatible, matrices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-phenomenon-of-creativity-we-know-is-closely-related-to-the/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

[Browse all 1,095 Phenomenon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenon/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Archibald Wheeler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until-it-is-an-observed-phenomenon/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Phenomenon"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until-it-is-an-observed-phenomenon/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_phenomenon_no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until_1391443.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_phenomenon_no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until_1391443.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/john-archibald-wheeler-17976_phenomenon_no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until_1391443.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No phenomenon is a real phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon.” — John Archibald Wheeler",
                "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": "John Archibald Wheeler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No phenomenon is a real phenomenon...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until-it-is-an-observed-phenomenon/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/no-phenomenon-is-a-real-phenomenon-until-it-is-an-observed-phenomenon/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```