---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The very essence of gravity was design…"
description: "\"The very essence of gravity was design, and, consequently, deceit; it was a taught trick to gain credit of the world for more sense end knowledge than ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/laurence-sterne-1405_body_the-very-essence-of-gravity-was-design-a_2492343.jpg"
---

#  The very essence of gravity was design, and, consequently…

![“The very essence of gravity was design, and, consequently, deceit; it was a taught trick to gain credit of the world for more sense end knowledge than a man was worth; and that with all its pretensions it was no better, but often worse, than what a French wit had long ago defined it--a mysterious…” quote by Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/laurence-sterne-1405_body_the-very-essence-of-gravity-was-design-a_2492343.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/laurence-sterne-1405_body_the-very-essence-of-gravity-was-design-a_2492343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/775/laurence-sterne-1405_body_the-very-essence-of-gravity-was-design-a_2492343.jpg)

> “The very essence of gravity was design, and, consequently, deceit; it was a taught trick to gain credit of the world for more sense end knowledge than a man was worth; and that with all its pretensions it was no better, but often worse, than what a French wit had long ago defined it--a mysterious carriage of the body to cover the defects of the mind.”

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

## About This Quote

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

Gravity is portrayed as a deceptive force that masks mental flaws, suggesting physical laws can be misused to justify false superiority.

**In simple terms:** Gravity can hide our mental shortcomings.

Key Takeaway

Question assumptions behind accepted truths.

Themes

philosophy criticism humor

Mood

reflective ironic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- scientific debate
- education
- personal growth
- public speaking
- writing

Key Concepts

metaphor skepticism epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you accept explanations without questioning?
- How do you differentiate metaphor from reality?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may over‑simplify complex physics, reducing its scientific value.

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[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Carriages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carriages/) [Consequently Deceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequently-deceit-978004/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Deceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit/) [Deceit Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit-taught-978002/) [Defects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) [Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defined/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Gains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gains/) [Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) [Gravity Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity-design-978003/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [Pretension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretension/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Tricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tricks/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

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