--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Curiosity-driven research may seem…" description: "\"“Curiosity-driven research may seem self-indulgent and far from the immediate public good. However, essentially all of our current quality of life, for..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_curiosity_curiosity-driven-research-may-seem-self_1254767.jpg" --- # Curiosity-driven research may seem self-indulgent and far… ![“Curiosity-driven research may seem self-indulgent and far from the immediate public good. However, essentially all of our current quality of life, for people living in the first world, has arisen from the fruits of such research, including all the electric power that drives almost every device we…” quote by Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_curiosity_curiosity-driven-research-may-seem-self_1254767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_curiosity_curiosity-driven-research-may-seem-self_1254767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43e/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_curiosity_curiosity-driven-research-may-seem-self_1254767.jpg) > ““Curiosity-driven research may seem self-indulgent and far from the immediate public good. However, essentially all of our current quality of life, for people living in the first world, has arisen from the fruits of such research, including all the electric power that drives almost every device we use. Two”” [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fundamental research may seem unrelated to immediate needs, yet it underpins modern comforts and technologies essential to daily life. **In simple terms:** Basic research fuels everyday tech. Key Takeaway Support curiosity‑driven science. Themes science policy innovation public good Mood optimistic thought‑provoking Type scientific policy When to use this quote - government budgeting - educational curricula - entrepreneurship Key Concepts research funding long‑term impact technology development Questions to Reflect On - How can society better value long‑term research? - What mechanisms ensure basic science translates to public benefit? A Different Perspective Immediate benefits are rare, but long‑term gains are profound. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Quality of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality-of-life/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [It is important to fund young researchers who want to do curiosity-driven research. Curiosity-driven research is a part of life. Some people are curious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-haroche/it-is-important-to-fund-young-researchers-who-want-to-do-curiosity/) Serge Haroche > [In the long run, curiosity-driven research just works better... Real breakthroughs come from people focusing on what they're excited about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-hinton/in-the-long-run-curiosity-driven-research-just-works-better-real/) [Geoffrey Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-hinton/) > [The type of science that I do is sometimes known as 'curiosity-driven research.' This means that my work will never result in a marketable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-type-of-science-that-i-do-is-sometimes-known-as-curiosity-driven/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“a prerequisite for the creation of the intellectual edifice upon which your spreadsheets, air-conditioned offices and mobile phones rest was the curiosity-driven quest to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox/a-prerequisite-for-the-creation-of-the-intellectual-edifice-upon/) [Brian Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox/) > [“The book depicts thoughts, unveils imaginings, answers unspoken questions, clarifies doubts, resolves arguments, and finally reveals the very atoms of the most curiosity-driven desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-book-depicts-thoughts-unveils-imaginings-answers-unspoken/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Fitness training not only strengthens you, but also promotes a wholesome quality of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/fitness-training-not-only-strengthens-you-but-also-promotes-a/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“human population growth mushroomed as quality of life plummeted. The shift to agriculture, wrote author Jared Diamond, is a “catastrophe from which we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-ryan/human-population-growth-mushroomed-as-quality-of-life-plummeted-the/) [Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-ryan/) > [As to virtue . . . it is an act of the will, a habit which increases the quantity, intensity and quality of life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-carrel/as-to-virtue-it-is-an-act-of-the-will-a-habit-which-increases-the/) [Alexis Carrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-carrel/) > [The quality of life depends on the quality of your judgment about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-fennis/the-quality-of-life-depends-on-the-quality-of-your-judgment-about-it/) [Alexander Fennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-fennis/) > [The first major issue you need to consider when focusing on today's workers: You have to know what motivates them. If you think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-rottenberg/the-first-major-issue-you-need-to-consider-when-focusing-on-today-s/) [Linda Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-rottenberg/) > [“Let's make no mistake about this: The American Dream starts with the neighborhoods. If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/let-s-make-no-mistake-about-this-the-american-dream-starts-with-the/) [Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/) > [There's a side to reality TV that is part education, as well. I've seen that since doing "MasterChef Junior," in terms of the effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/there-s-a-side-to-reality-tv-that-is-part-education-as-well-i-ve-seen/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [Whether you face reality head on and make a life change, or deny your responsibility, you've made a choice. The way I see it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-phillips/whether-you-face-reality-head-on-and-make-a-life-change-or-deny-your/) [Shawn Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-phillips/) > [I don't have to have the biggest house or the biggest car or the longest mink, but quality of life is really glamorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-don-t-have-to-have-the-biggest-house-or-the-biggest-car-or-the/) [Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) ## More by Lawrence M. Krauss > [If our species is to survive, our future will probably require outposts beyond our own planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-our-species-is-to-survive-our-future-will-probably-require/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Our modern conception of the universe is so foreign to what even scientists generally believed a mere century ago that it is a tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/our-modern-conception-of-the-universe-is-so-foreign-to-what-even/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [The Internet is a clear example of how our lives have changed in ways we couldn't have imagined: a distributed information source, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/the-internet-is-a-clear-example-of-how-our-lives-have-changed-in-ways/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“He always found a simple, easy way to reach the correct answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/he-always-found-a-simple-easy-way-to-reach-the-correct-answer/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Now, almost one hundred years later, it is difficult to fully appreciate how much our picture of the universe has changed in the span…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/now-almost-one-hundred-years-later-it-is-difficult-to-fully/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“the universe is big and old and, as a result, rare events happen all the time. Go out some night into the woods or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/the-universe-is-big-and-old-and-as-a-result-rare-events-happen-all/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Science is not just there for technology. It's part of what addressing who you are in the universe and understanding your place in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/science-is-not-just-there-for-technology-it-s-part-of-what-addressing/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Teaching and writing, to me, is really just seduction; you go to where people are and you find something that they're interested in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/teaching-and-writing-to-me-is-really-just-seduction-you-go-to-where/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [There are areas of philosophy that are important, but I think of them as being subsumed by other fields. In the case of descriptive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/there-are-areas-of-philosophy-that-are-important-but-i-think-of-them/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [If innovations were predictable, they wouldn't be discoveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-innovations-were-predictable-they-wouldn-t-be-discoveries/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. and, the atoms in your left hand probably came from a different star…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/every-atom-in-your-body-came-from-a-star-that-exploded-and-the-atoms/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“(For those who like to quote Aristotle’s wisdom when appealing to his “Prime Mover” argument for the existence of God, let us remember that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/for-those-who-like-to-quote-aristotle-s-wisdom-when-appealing-to-his/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [A snowflake is another beautifully ordered example of what simple, natural meteorological processes can produce. Stars form by gravity, collapsing into spherically ordered structures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/a-snowflake-is-another-beautifully-ordered-example-of-what-simple/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“One of the most poetic facts I know about the universe is that essentially every atom in your body was once inside a star…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/one-of-the-most-poetic-facts-i-know-about-the-universe-is-that/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [Science is only truly consistent with an atheistic worldview with regards to the claimed miracles of the gods of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/science-is-only-truly-consistent-with-an-atheistic-worldview-with/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) [Explore all 161 Lawrence M. Krauss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) ## More Curiosity quotes > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Metal makes everything magical. Just ask a unicorn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/metal-makes-everything-magical-just-ask-a-unicorn/) [Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Curiosity Can Kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anison/curiosity-can-kill/) [Anison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anison/) > [“So curious you must be. Like little calves poking their heads through the fence with big eyes and a headful of curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carew-papritz/so-curious-you-must-be-like-little-calves-poking-their-heads-through/) [Carew Papritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carew-papritz/) > [ “\[T\]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. \[...\] The point is, perhaps, that I am not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no-meaning-even-though-it-seems/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [How do we know that we have a right to kill creatures that we are so little above, as dogs, for our curiosity or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/how-do-we-know-that-we-have-a-right-to-kill-creatures-that-we-are-so/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/) Unknow > [There is nothing so carking as the pangs of unsatisfied curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/there-is-nothing-so-carking-as-the-pangs-of-unsatisfied-curiosity/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/) [G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/) > [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it sure has earned a lot of people graduate degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-irving/curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-it-sure-has-earned-a-lot-of/) Robyn Irving [Browse all 2,721 Curiosity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Curiosity-driven research may seem self-indulgent and far from the immediate public good. 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