--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I worked on the polio vaccine, I had…" description: "\"When I worked on the polio vaccine, I had a theory. I guided each [experiment] by imagining myself in the phenomenon in which I was interested. The int..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/jonas-salk-9307_experiments_when-i-worked-on-the-polio-vaccine-i-had_1162387.jpg" --- # When I worked on the polio vaccine, I had a theory. I… ![“When I worked on the polio vaccine, I had a theory. I guided each [experiment] by imagining myself in the phenomenon in which I was interested. The intuitive realm . . . the realm of the imagination guides my thinking.” quote by Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/jonas-salk-9307_experiments_when-i-worked-on-the-polio-vaccine-i-had_1162387.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/jonas-salk-9307_experiments_when-i-worked-on-the-polio-vaccine-i-had_1162387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/jonas-salk-9307_experiments_when-i-worked-on-the-polio-vaccine-i-had_1162387.jpg) > “When I worked on the polio vaccine, I had a theory. I guided each \[experiment\] by imagining myself in the phenomenon in which I was interested. The intuitive realm . . . the realm of the imagination guides my thinking.” [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. Imagination can steer scientific inquiry, turning abstract ideas into concrete experiments. **In simple terms:** Imagination guides research. Key Takeaway Use creative visualization in problem solving. Themes science creativity research intuition Mood inspired reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - lab work - drug development - theory formation - hypothesis testing Key Concepts cognitive imagination experimental design Questions to Reflect On - How can you visualize a problem before testing it? - What role does imagination play in your field? A Different Perspective Imagination alone cannot replace rigorous data collection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experiment Imagining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment-imagining-3333113/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Imagining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagining/) [Imagining Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagining-phenomenon-3333114/) [Intuitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuitive/) [Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenon/) [Polio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polio/) [Polio vaccine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polio-vaccine/) [Realms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realms/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Vaccine Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vaccine-theory-3333115/) [Vaccines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vaccines/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [When you inoculate children with a polio vaccine, you don't sleep well for two or three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/when-you-inoculate-children-with-a-polio-vaccine-you-don-t-sleep-well/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [Provocation polio. That is the truth about those outbreaks of polio. And I offer a well considered personal opinion that polio is a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viera-scheibner/provocation-polio-that-is-the-truth-about-those-outbreaks-of-polio/) [Viera Scheibner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viera-scheibner/) > [I have studied the effects of our new lots of polio vaccine in 100 adult volunteers and during the next few days shall give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-sabin/i-have-studied-the-effects-of-our-new-lots-of-polio-vaccine-in-100/) [Albert Sabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-sabin/) > [The main problem, certainly, for the people who will not get vaccinated with Thimerosal, which was put into polio vaccine. And the belief was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oshinsky/the-main-problem-certainly-for-the-people-who-will-not-get-vaccinated/) [David Oshinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oshinsky/) > [Even to this day, the government, the FDA is refusing to use the sophisticated biotechnology to evaluate the contaminants in the vaccines such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-horowitz/even-to-this-day-the-government-the-fda-is-refusing-to-use-the/) [Leonard Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-horowitz/) > [I am no saviour. I’m absolutely the last person on the planet who can practically help. I don’t know how to make the different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-am-no-saviour-i-m-absolutely-the-last-person-on-the-planet-who-can/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My two Jamaican cousins ... were studying engineering. 'That's where the money is,' Mom advised. ... I was to be an engineering major, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/my-two-jamaican-cousins-were-studying-engineering-that-s-where-the/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [But cancer can also be fun with its luncheons, theatre parties, and fund raising luaus. ...What will they all do if a cure comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-berman/but-cancer-can-also-be-fun-with-its-luncheons-theatre-parties-and/) [Edgar Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-berman/) > [We have yet to beat our drums for birth control in the way we beat them for polio vaccine. We are still unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-calderone/we-have-yet-to-beat-our-drums-for-birth-control-in-the-way-we-beat/) [Mary Calderone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-calderone/) > [Except for the people who were there that one day they discovered the polio vaccine, being part of history is rarely a good idea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/except-for-the-people-who-were-there-that-one-day-they-discovered-the/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [That is why we have the polio vaccine. People are blazing their own trial. That is what seems to be important. I don't care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-threadgill/that-is-why-we-have-the-polio-vaccine-people-are-blazing-their-own/) [Henry Threadgill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-threadgill/) > [“The drops (polio vaccine) were designed,said these believers. Their intention and effect was genocidal. Nobody was to swallow them, or administer them to infants.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-drops-polio-vaccine-were-designed-said-these-believers-their/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Every child is a gift of Allah, and every child in Pakistan, to me, is like my own child, so I will do my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-afridi/every-child-is-a-gift-of-allah-and-every-child-in-pakistan-to-me-is/) [Shahid Afridi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-afridi/) > [“Who owns the patent on this vaccine?' 'Well, the people, I would say. There is not patent. Could you patent the sun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/who-owns-the-patent-on-this-vaccine-well-the-people-i-would-say-there/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) ## 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 Experiments quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Liberalism is the philosophy for our time, because it does not try to conserve every tradition of the past, because it does not apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/liberalism-is-the-philosophy-for-our-time-because-it-does-not-try-to/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [On July 26, 1916, I announced to all my friends in America that from now on I resolved to write no more poems in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/on-july-26-1916-i-announced-to-all-my-friends-in-america-that-from/) [Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/) > [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) [J. Willard Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-willard-gibbs/) > [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [Once, as an experiment, I travelled around the world with a single suit. Before I left, I went to a tailor in Savile Row…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/once-as-an-experiment-i-travelled-around-the-world-with-a-single-suit/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-people-are-suicidal-their-thinking-is-paralyzed-their-options/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [An observer situated in a nebula and moving with the nebula will observe the same properties of the universe as any other similarly situated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-bondi/an-observer-situated-in-a-nebula-and-moving-with-the-nebula-will/) [Hermann Bondi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-bondi/) > [This isn't a picture filled with wonder and a sense of fun; it's so jaded and crass that I almost wonder if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zacharek/this-isn-t-a-picture-filled-with-wonder-and-a-sense-of-fun-it-s-so/) [Stephanie Zacharek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zacharek/) > [Your responsibility as an artist is to experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/squarepusher/your-responsibility-as-an-artist-is-to-experiment/) [Squarepusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/squarepusher/) > [Now, you might say – “But why should we pay people for doing what they’re supposed to do?” It’s a fair question – but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/now-you-might-say-but-why-should-we-pay-people-for-doing-what-they-re/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) [Browse all 1,721 Experiments quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I worked on the polio vaccine, I had a theory. 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