--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY IS TO AWAIT…" description: "\"IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY IS TO AWAIT ETERNITY.\" — Jonas Salk" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/jonas-salk-9307_certainty_it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-awai_2762776.jpg" --- # IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY IS TO AWAIT ETERNITY. ![“IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY IS TO AWAIT ETERNITY.” quote by Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/jonas-salk-9307_certainty_it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-awai_2762776.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/jonas-salk-9307_certainty_it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-awai_2762776.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/jonas-salk-9307_certainty_it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-awai_2762776.jpg) > “IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY IS TO AWAIT ETERNITY.” [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Waiting for certainty is like waiting forever; it stalls progress. **In simple terms:** Waiting for certainty delays action. Key Takeaway Act despite uncertainty. Themes patience certainty action progress decisionmaking Mood cautious motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - business decisions - medical research - personal goals Key Concepts risk assessment strategic planning personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What risks are you avoiding by waiting? - How can you make decisions with limited information? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on certainty can cause missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“Don’t anticipate outcome,” the man said. “Await the unfolding of events. Remain in the moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/don-t-anticipate-outcome-the-man-said-await-the-unfolding-of-events/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“Let the Kingdom be always before you, and believe with certainty and consistency the things that are yet unseen. Let nothing that is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/let-the-kingdom-be-always-before-you-and-believe-with-certainty-and/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) ## More by Jonas Salk > [Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/hope-lies-in-dreams-in-imagination-and-in-the-courage-of-those-who/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [Nothing happens quite by chance. It's a question of accretion of information and experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/nothing-happens-quite-by-chance-it-s-a-question-of-accretion-of/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [It is courage based on confidence, not daring, and it is confidence based on experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/it-is-courage-based-on-confidence-not-daring-and-it-is-confidence/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [When things get bad enough, then something happens to correct the course. And it's for that reason that I speak about evolution as an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/when-things-get-bad-enough-then-something-happens-to-correct-the/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [Reply when questioned on the safety of the polio vaccine he developed: It is safe, and you can't get safer than safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/reply-when-questioned-on-the-safety-of-the-polio-vaccine-he-developed/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/i-have-had-dreams-and-i-have-had-nightmares-but-i-have-conquered-my/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [Are we being good ancestors?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/are-we-being-good-ancestors/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [My life is pretty well at peace, and the profession is more of an avocation. It's a calling, if you like, rather than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/my-life-is-pretty-well-at-peace-and-the-profession-is-more-of-an/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [As a child I was not interested in science. I was merely interested in things human, the human side of nature, if you like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/as-a-child-i-was-not-interested-in-science-i-was-merely-interested-in/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [“There is no patent. Could you patent the Sun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/there-is-no-patent-could-you-patent-the-sun/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [My ambition was to bring to bear on medicine a chemical approach. I did that by chemical manipulation of viruses and chemical ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/my-ambition-was-to-bring-to-bear-on-medicine-a-chemical-approach-i/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [The worst tragedy that could have befallen me was my success. I knew right away that I was through - cast out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/the-worst-tragedy-that-could-have-befallen-me-was-my-success-i-knew/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [I look upon ourselves as partners in all of this, and that each of us contributes and does what he can do best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/i-look-upon-ourselves-as-partners-in-all-of-this-and-that-each-of-us/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [Risks, I like to say, always pay off. You learn what to do, or what not to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/risks-i-like-to-say-always-pay-off-you-learn-what-to-do-or-what-not/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [If humankind would accept and acknowledge this responsibility and become creatively engaged in the process of evolution, consciously as well as unconsciously, a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/if-humankind-would-accept-and-acknowledge-this-responsibility-and/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) [Explore all 74 Jonas Salk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY IS TO AWAIT ETERNITY.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonas Salk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-await-eternity/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certainty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-await-eternity/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/jonas-salk-9307_certainty_it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-awai_2762776.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/jonas-salk-9307_certainty_it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-awai_2762776.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ca/jonas-salk-9307_certainty_it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-awai_2762776.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY IS TO AWAIT ETERNITY.” — Jonas Salk", "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": "Jonas Salk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "IT IS SAID TO AWAIT CERTAINTY...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-await-eternity/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/it-is-said-to-await-certainty-is-to-await-eternity/#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 } } ] } ```