---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science studies the relations of things…"
description: "\"Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.\" — John Ruskin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/john-ruskin-314_accounts_science-studies-the-relations-of-things_455189.jpg"
---

#  Science studies the relations of things to each other: but…

![“Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.” quote by John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/john-ruskin-314_accounts_science-studies-the-relations-of-things_455189.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/john-ruskin-314_accounts_science-studies-the-relations-of-things_455189.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/john-ruskin-314_accounts_science-studies-the-relations-of-things_455189.jpg)

> “Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.”

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

## About This Quote

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

Science explores interrelationships among things; art focuses on how those things affect humans.

**In simple terms:** Science studies things, art studies human impact.

Key Takeaway

Consider both scientific and artistic perspectives.

Themes

science art human experience

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- design
- policy making
- communication

Key Concepts

ontology aesthetics interdisciplinary

Questions to Reflect On

- What can science learn from art?
- How does art influence scientific inquiry?

A Different Perspective

Art may overlook objective facts.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [Science deals exclusively with things as they are in themselves; and art exclusively with things as they affect the human sense and human soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/science-deals-exclusively-with-things-as-they-are-in-themselves-and/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [...man is an analogist, and studies relations in all objects. He is placed in the center of beings, and a ray of relation passes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/man-is-an-analogist-and-studies-relations-in-all-objects-he-is-placed/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [People Propose, Science Studies, Technology Conforms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-norman/people-propose-science-studies-technology-conforms/)

[Donald A. Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-norman/)

> [One of Kuhn's marvellous legacies is science studies as we know it today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/one-of-kuhn-s-marvellous-legacies-is-science-studies-as-we-know-it/)

[Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/)

> [Engineering is not a science. Science studies particular events to find general laws. Engineering design makes use of the laws to solve particular practical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ove-arup/engineering-is-not-a-science-science-studies-particular-events-to/)

Ove Arup

> [Science talks about very simple things, and asks hard questions about them. As soon as things become too complex, science can't deal with them...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/science-talks-about-very-simple-things-and-asks-hard-questions-about/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Educational exchange can turn nations into people, contributing as no other form of communication can to the humanizing of international relations. Man's capacity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/educational-exchange-can-turn-nations-into-people-contributing-as-no/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [Man's relations to man do not captivate my fancy. It is man's relation to the cosmos--to the unknown--which alone arouses in me the spark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/man-s-relations-to-man-do-not-captivate-my-fancy-it-is-man-s-relation/)

[H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/)

> [The relations between a man and his or her god is a personal matter; you can't go out and challenge the belief of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/the-relations-between-a-man-and-his-or-her-god-is-a-personal-matter/)

[Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/)

> [“Well, all the President is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing and kicking people to get them do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/well-all-the-president-is-is-a-glorified-public-relations-man-who/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [“As to our going on together as we were going, in a sort of friendly way, the people round us would have made it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-to-our-going-on-together-as-we-were-going-in-a-sort-of-friendly/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [The great fault of all ethics hitherto has been that they believed themselves to have to deal only with the relations of man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/the-great-fault-of-all-ethics-hitherto-has-been-that-they-believed/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [“I know women are taught by other women that they must never admit the full truth to a man. But the highest form of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-know-women-are-taught-by-other-women-that-they-must-never-admit-the/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“Relations between a man and a woman are always strange: nothing can be foreseen, they have no predictable direction, no law. Sometimes you come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/relations-between-a-man-and-a-woman-are-always-strange-nothing-can-be/)

[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/)

> [All the president is, is a glorified public relations man who spends his time flattering, kissing, and kicking people to get them to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman-2/all-the-president-is-is-a-glorified-public-relations-man-who-spends/)

[Harry S Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman-2/)

## More by John Ruskin

> [“Occult Theft,--Theft which hides itself even from itself, and is legal, respectable, and cowardly,--corrupts the body and soul of man, to the last fibre…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/occult-theft-theft-which-hides-itself-even-from-itself-and-is-legal/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Mighty of heart, mighty of mind, magnanimous-to be this is indeed to be great in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/mighty-of-heart-mighty-of-mind-magnanimous-to-be-this-is-indeed-to-be/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Life is a magic vase filled to the brim, so made that you cannot dip from it nor draw from it; but it overflows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/life-is-a-magic-vase-filled-to-the-brim-so-made-that-you-cannot-dip/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [As in the instances of alchemy, astrology, witchcraft, and other such popular creeds, political economy, has a plausible idea at the root of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/as-in-the-instances-of-alchemy-astrology-witchcraft-and-other-such/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [I am far more provoked at being thought foolish by foolish people, than pleased at being thought sensible by sensible people; and the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/i-am-far-more-provoked-at-being-thought-foolish-by-foolish-people/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [When we build ... let it not be for present delights nor for present use alone. Let it be such work as our descendants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/when-we-build-let-it-not-be-for-present-delights-nor-for-present-use/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [It is far more difficult to be simple than to be complicated; far more difficult to sacrifice skill and easy execution in the proper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-is-far-more-difficult-to-be-simple-than-to-be-complicated-far-more/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [It is a good and safe rule to sojourn in every place as if you meant to spend your life there, never omitting an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-is-a-good-and-safe-rule-to-sojourn-in-every-place-as-if-you-meant/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [“You may trust to the truth of my sympathy; but you must remember that I am engaged in the investigation of enormous religious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/you-may-trust-to-the-truth-of-my-sympathy-but-you-must-remember-that/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [And remember, child, that nothing is ever done beautifully, which is done in rivalship; or nobly, which is done in pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/and-remember-child-that-nothing-is-ever-done-beautifully-which-is/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/it-s-unwise-to-pay-too-much-but-it-s-worse-to-pay-too-little/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [The world is full of vulgar Purists, who bring discredit on all selection by the silliness of their choice; and this the more, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-world-is-full-of-vulgar-purists-who-bring-discredit-on-all/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Like other beautiful things in this world, its end (that of a shaft) is to be beautiful; and, in proportion to its beauty, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/like-other-beautiful-things-in-this-world-its-end-that-of-a-shaft-is/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [All are to be men of genius in their degree,--rivulets or rivers, it does not matter, so that the souls be clear and pure;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/all-are-to-be-men-of-genius-in-their-degree-rivulets-or-rivers-it/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [The art of drawing which is of more real importance to the human race than that of writing...should be taught to every child just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/the-art-of-drawing-which-is-of-more-real-importance-to-the-human-race/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

[Explore all 696 John Ruskin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

## More Accounts quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/)

[Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/)

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

> [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Ruskin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/science-studies-the-relations-of-things-to-each-other-but-art-studies/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accounts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/science-studies-the-relations-of-things-to-each-other-but-art-studies/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/john-ruskin-314_accounts_science-studies-the-relations-of-things_455189.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/john-ruskin-314_accounts_science-studies-the-relations-of-things_455189.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f07/john-ruskin-314_accounts_science-studies-the-relations-of-things_455189.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Science studies the relations of things to each other: but art studies only their relations to man.” — John Ruskin",
                "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 Ruskin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Science studies the relations of things...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/science-studies-the-relations-of-things-to-each-other-but-art-studies/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/science-studies-the-relations-of-things-to-each-other-but-art-studies/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
