--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like the old twistor theorists, the few…" description: "\"“Like the old twistor theorists, the few followers Connes has acquired are committed. For a conference at Penn State University on different approaches..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/lee-smolin-4171_different-approach_like-the-old-twistor-theorists-the-few-f_2828419.png" --- # Like the old twistor theorists, the few followers Connes… ![“Like the old twistor theorists, the few followers Connes has acquired are committed. For a conference at Penn State University on different approaches to quantum gravity, Alain recommended a famous elder French physicist named Daniel Kastler. The gentleman broke his leg in a bicycle accident a…” quote by Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/lee-smolin-4171_different-approach_like-the-old-twistor-theorists-the-few-f_2828419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/lee-smolin-4171_different-approach_like-the-old-twistor-theorists-the-few-f_2828419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/lee-smolin-4171_different-approach_like-the-old-twistor-theorists-the-few-f_2828419.png) > ““Like the old twistor theorists, the few followers Connes has acquired are committed. For a conference at Penn State University on different approaches to quantum gravity, Alain recommended a famous elder French physicist named Daniel Kastler. The gentleman broke his leg in a bicycle accident a week before the conference, but he clambered out of the hospital and got himself to the Marseille airport, arriving just in time to open the proceedings with the following proclamation: "There is one true Alain, and I am his messenger." String theorists aren't the only ones who have their true believers, but the noncommutative geometers surely have a better sense of humor.”” [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous anecdote highlighting the tight-knit, self‑referential culture of noncommutative geometry and its devoted followers. **In simple terms:** Physicists in a niche field share inside jokes and strong loyalty. Key Takeaway Embrace community humor while staying critical. Themes science community humor loyalty Mood playful ironic Type anecdotal humorous When to use this quote - academic conferences - research collaborations - field meetings Key Concepts noncommutative geometry scientific culture inside jokes Questions to Reflect On - How does humor shape group identity? - When does insider language become exclusionary? A Different Perspective The joke may alienate outsiders unfamiliar with the field. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alain Recommended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alain-recommended-3640678/) [Different approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-approach/) [Gravity Alain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity-alain-3640675/) [Penn state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penn-state/) [Sense of humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-humor/) [String Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/string-theorists-1317610/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [True Alain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-alain-3640677/) [Twistor Theorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twistor-theorists-3640676/) ## Related quotes > [Some string theorists prefer to believe that string theory is too arcane to be understood by human beings, rather than consider the possibility that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/some-string-theorists-prefer-to-believe-that-string-theory-is-too/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Galileo discovered new stars and moons, and later astronomers discovered new planets. All this would pale in the face of the discovery of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/galileo-discovered-new-stars-and-moons-and-later-astronomers/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“On the other hand, if string theorists are wrong, they can't be just a little wrong. If the new dimensions and symmetries do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/on-the-other-hand-if-string-theorists-are-wrong-they-can-t-be-just-a/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“The subject of this chapter is string theory, and I begin it with these reflections for two reasons. First, because the main thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-subject-of-this-chapter-is-string-theory-and-i-begin-it-with/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Particularly in physics, science’s fifty-year drift into the unscientific has recently reached a surreal apogee. String theory is widely considered ‘the only game in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-white/particularly-in-physics-science-s-fifty-year-drift-into-the/) [Gordon White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-white/) > [As of now, string theorists have no explanation of why there are three large dimensions as well as time, and the other dimensions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-of-now-string-theorists-have-no-explanation-of-why-there-are-three/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [In essence, we string theorists have been trying to work out the score of the universe, the harmonies of the universe, the mathematical vibrations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/in-essence-we-string-theorists-have-been-trying-to-work-out-the-score/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [I will never probably have the mathematical foundation to truly understand what string theorists are talking about, but it feels good, just for its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-spaihts/i-will-never-probably-have-the-mathematical-foundation-to-truly/) [Jon Spaihts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-spaihts/) > [Every day I'm excited to be a part of Penn State football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-nassib/every-day-i-m-excited-to-be-a-part-of-penn-state-football/) [Carl Nassib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-nassib/) > [I'm from Pennsylvania. 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I could not have asked for anything more from Penn State.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-nassib/it-was-a-great-experience-at-penn-state-i-could-not-have-asked-for/) [Carl Nassib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-nassib/) > [I have a graduate degree from Penn State. I studied at Penn State under a noted Hemingway scholar, Philip Young. I had an interest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrell/i-have-a-graduate-degree-from-penn-state-i-studied-at-penn-state/) [David Morrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrell/) > [One out of every eight Pennsylvanians and one in every 720 people in the United States, as well as one out of every 50…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-sherwood/one-out-of-every-eight-pennsylvanians-and-one-in-every-720-people-in/) [Don Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-sherwood/) ## More by Lee Smolin > [“This unification of forces and motion has a simple consequence. In a particle theory, you can freely add all kinds of forces, so there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/this-unification-of-forces-and-motion-has-a-simple-consequence-in-a/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“One field Faraday studied was the electric field. This is not a number but a vector, which we may visualize as an arrow and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/one-field-faraday-studied-was-the-electric-field-this-is-not-a-number/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“It is interesting to note that the quantum-mechanical revolution was made by a virtually orphaned generation of scientists. Many members of the generation above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/it-is-interesting-to-note-that-the-quantum-mechanical-revolution-was/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“In fact, the particle-antiparticle annihilation and the closing of the string is necessary, if the theory is to be consistent with relativity, meaning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/in-fact-the-particle-antiparticle-annihilation-and-the-closing-of-the/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Every string theory that's been written down says the speed of light is universal. But other ideas about quantum gravity predict the speed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/every-string-theory-that-s-been-written-down-says-the-speed-of-light/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Unfortunately, no one has ever successfully postulated a super-symmetry holding between two known particles. Instead, in all the supersymmetric theories the numbers of particles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/unfortunately-no-one-has-ever-successfully-postulated-a-super/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [Those who do good science do so because they choose problems that are suited to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/those-who-do-good-science-do-so-because-they-choose-problems-that-are/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Here's a simplified version of what the Stanford group did. They started with a much-studied kind of string theory-a flat four-dimensional spacetime with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/here-s-a-simplified-version-of-what-the-stanford-group-did-they/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“The current crisis in particle physics springs from the fact that the theories have gone beyond the standard model in the last thirty years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-current-crisis-in-particle-physics-springs-from-the-fact-that-the/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“By the time I began my study of physics in the early 1970s, the idea of unifying gravity with the other forces was as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/by-the-time-i-began-my-study-of-physics-in-the-early-1970s-the-idea/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“These two discoveries, of relativity and of the quantum, each required us to break definitively with Newtonian physics. However, in spite of great progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/these-two-discoveries-of-relativity-and-of-the-quantum-each-required/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“So the challenge for any quantum theory of gravity is to give us a deeper understanding of Bekenstein's entropy and Hawking's temperature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/so-the-challenge-for-any-quantum-theory-of-gravity-is-to-give-us-a/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“Problem 1: Combine general relativity and quantum theory into a single theory that can claim to be the complete theory of nature. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/problem-1-combine-general-relativity-and-quantum-theory-into-a-single/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“The loop approach to quantum gravity is now a thriving field of research. Many of the older ideas, such as supergravity and the study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/the-loop-approach-to-quantum-gravity-is-now-a-thriving-field-of/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [“During the life of a black hole, it will pull in huge amounts of matter, carrying huge amounts of intrinsic information. At the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/during-the-life-of-a-black-hole-it-will-pull-in-huge-amounts-of/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) [Explore all 114 Lee Smolin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) ## More Different approach quotes > [We had to give each other permission to be different as parents. 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Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-d-anthony/) > ['Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali' is a film with a very different approach and we are sure the audience will love to see Salman in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-nadiadwala/kabhi-eid-kabhi-diwali-is-a-film-with-a-very-different-approach-and/) [Sajid Nadiadwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-nadiadwala/) > [If anybody,wants to get rid of us, then this is a different approach. However, we will get over it; you never know who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/if-anybody-wants-to-get-rid-of-us-then-this-is-a-different-approach/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [“The associative machinery seeks causes. The difficulty we have with statistical regularities is that they call for a different approach. Instead of focusing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/the-associative-machinery-seeks-causes-the-difficulty-we-have-with/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [The distraction, particularly of technology, impedes the innovative process. And when you add to that the distraction of working with colleagues who are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/the-distraction-particularly-of-technology-impedes-the-innovative/) [David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/) > [I really admire artists that are willing to take a different approach and a different angle to their shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/i-really-admire-artists-that-are-willing-to-take-a-different-approach/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [I've always been a big fan of taking old songs and completely turning them on their head. Having no adherence to the fine tradition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bonamassa/i-ve-always-been-a-big-fan-of-taking-old-songs-and-completely-turning/) [Joe Bonamassa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bonamassa/) > [“The Queen is controlling, the Witch is sadistic, the Hermit is fearful, and the Waif is helpless. And each requires a different approach. Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-ann-lawson/the-queen-is-controlling-the-witch-is-sadistic-the-hermit-is-fearful/) [Christine Ann Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-ann-lawson/) > [Sometimes I'm doing a big movie, or sometimes I'm doing a TV show, but as an actor, it's almost the same thing for me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroyuki-sanada/sometimes-i-m-doing-a-big-movie-or-sometimes-i-m-doing-a-tv-show-but/) [Hiroyuki Sanada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroyuki-sanada/) > [“Charles Du designed NASA’s first iPhone app, an award winner and a huge hit with more than 10 million downloads. But he also faced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-de-haaff/charles-du-designed-nasa-s-first-iphone-app-an-award-winner-and-a/) [Brian de Haaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-de-haaff/) > [I've wanted to do it for years, but every attempt at it has turned into another tune. 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