---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have nothing in quantum mechanics…"
description: "\"If you have nothing in quantum mechanics, you will always have something.\" — Lawrence M. Krauss"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_ifs_if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics_520318.png"
---

#  If you have nothing in quantum mechanics, you will always…

![“If you have nothing in quantum mechanics, you will always have something.” quote by Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_ifs_if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics_520318.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_ifs_if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics_520318.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_ifs_if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics_520318.png)

> “If you have nothing in quantum mechanics, you will always have something.”

[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.

Even in quantum mechanics, the absence of something still yields measurable effects.

**In simple terms:** Nothing still produces something.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden influences in empty spaces.

Themes

physics quantum theory uncertainty

Mood

curious analytical

Type

scientific educational

When to use this quote

- laboratory experiments
- theoretical modeling
- philosophical debates

Key Concepts

vacuum fluctuations zero‑point energy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does emptiness affect reality?
- What implications does this have for technology?

A Different Perspective

Complex math may be inaccessible to lay audience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Mechanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanic/) [Mechanics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanics/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Quantum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum/) [Quantum mechanics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum-mechanics/)

## Related quotes

> [Feynman once said, 'Science is imagination in a straitjacket.' It is ironic that in the case of quantum mechanics, the people without the straitjackets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/feynman-once-said-science-is-imagination-in-a-straitjacket-it-is/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

> [The mathematics of quantum mechanics very accurately describes how our universe works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-garrett-lisi/the-mathematics-of-quantum-mechanics-very-accurately-describes-how/)

[Antony Garrett Lisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-garrett-lisi/)

> [I finished up my graduate degree in quantum mechanics, but underwent a bit of a personal crisis, recognizing that I didn't want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-finished-up-my-graduate-degree-in-quantum-mechanics-but-underwent-a/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [Since the founding of quantum mechanics in the 1920s, theoretical physics had nurtured an extremely radical tradition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gross/since-the-founding-of-quantum-mechanics-in-the-1920s-theoretical/)

[David Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gross/)

> [At the heart of quantum mechanics is a rule that sometimes governs politicians or CEOs-as long as no one is watching, anything goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/at-the-heart-of-quantum-mechanics-is-a-rule-that-sometimes-governs/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

> [For the record: Quantum mechanics does not deny the existence of objective reality. Nor does it imply that mere thoughts can change external events.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/for-the-record-quantum-mechanics-does-not-deny-the-existence-of/)

[Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/)

> [What're quantum mechanics?" "I don't know. People who repair quantums, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/what-re-quantum-mechanics-i-don-t-know-people-who-repair-quantums-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [ Anybody who is not shocked by this subject has failed to understand it. \[of quantum mechanics\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anybody-who-is-not-shocked-by-this-subject-has-failed-to-understand/)

[Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/)

> [ It was about three o'clock at night when the final result of the calculation \[which gave birth to quantum mechanics\] lay before me ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/it-was-about-three-o-clock-at-night-when-the-final-result-of-the/)

[Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/)

> [Anyone not shocked by quantum mechanics has not yet understood it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anyone-not-shocked-by-quantum-mechanics-has-not-yet-understood-it/)

[Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/)

> [Yes, I am a quantum mechanic! Those darn quantum computers break all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/yes-i-am-a-quantum-mechanic-those-darn-quantum-computers-break-all/)

[Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/)

> [I liked quantum mechanics very much. The subject was hard to understand but easy to apply to a large number of interesting problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-lamb/i-liked-quantum-mechanics-very-much-the-subject-was-hard-to/)

[Willis Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-lamb/)

> [A popular feel for scientific endeavors should, if possible, be restored given the needs of the twenty-first century. This does not mean that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/a-popular-feel-for-scientific-endeavors-should-if-possible-be/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [Now, what that means is that there is fundamental indeterminacy from quantum mechanics, but besides that there are other sources of effective indeterminacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/now-what-that-means-is-that-there-is-fundamental-indeterminacy-from/)

[Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/)

> [One of the most exciting things about dark energy is that it seems to live at the very nexus of two of our most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-riess/one-of-the-most-exciting-things-about-dark-energy-is-that-it-seems-to/)

[Adam Riess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-riess/)

## 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 Ifs quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/)

[Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/)

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

[Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you have nothing in quantum mechanics, you will always have something.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lawrence M. Krauss"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics-you-will-always-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ifs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics-you-will-always-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_ifs_if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics_520318.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_ifs_if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics_520318.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8a0/lawrence-m-krauss-2566_ifs_if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics_520318.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you have nothing in quantum mechanics, you will always have something.” — Lawrence M. Krauss",
                "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": "Lawrence M. Krauss",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you have nothing in quantum...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics-you-will-always-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/if-you-have-nothing-in-quantum-mechanics-you-will-always-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
