--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it is a terrifying thought that life…" description: "\"If it is a terrifying thought that life is at the mercy of the multiplication of these minute bodies [microbes], it is a consoling hope that Science wi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/louis-pasteur-3151_accounts_if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life_616072.png" --- # If it is a terrifying thought that life is at the mercy of… ![“If it is a terrifying thought that life is at the mercy of the multiplication of these minute bodies [microbes], it is a consoling hope that Science will not always remain powerless before such enemies...” quote by Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/louis-pasteur-3151_accounts_if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life_616072.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/louis-pasteur-3151_accounts_if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life_616072.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/louis-pasteur-3151_accounts_if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life_616072.png) > “If it is a terrifying thought that life is at the mercy of the multiplication of these minute bodies \[microbes\], it is a consoling hope that Science will not always remain powerless before such enemies...” [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science offers hope against microscopic threats, though it cannot yet control all **In simple terms:** Science can help fight microbes but isn’t all‑powerful Key Takeaway Invest in research and public health measures Themes science hope humility Mood cautious optimistic Type scientific reflective When to use this quote - pandemic response - hospital hygiene - food safety Key Concepts microbiology public health risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What research gaps remain? - How can we balance optimism with caution? A Different Perspective Science may be limited by unknown pathogens and funding ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Consoling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consoling/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Organisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organisms/) [Powerless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerless/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“The hope is that science gives us objective truth; religion, however, gives us personal meaning or personal truth. They should not be seen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/the-hope-is-that-science-gives-us-objective-truth-religion-however/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [I can hope that this long sad story, this progression of priests and ministers and rabbis and ulamas and imams and bonzes and bodhisattvas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/i-can-hope-that-this-long-sad-story-this-progression-of-priests-and/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Mystics always hope that science will some day overtake them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booth-tarkington/mystics-always-hope-that-science-will-some-day-overtake-them/) [Booth Tarkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booth-tarkington/) > [ The only hope \[of science\] ... is in genuine induction. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-only-hope-of-science-is-in-genuine-induction/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [The hope of science is the perfection of the human race. The hope of theology is the salvation of a few, and the damnation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/the-hope-of-science-is-the-perfection-of-the-human-race-the-hope-of/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [Messieurs, c'est les microbes qui auront le dernier mot." (Gentlemen, it is the microbes who will have the last word.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/messieurs-c-est-les-microbes-qui-auront-le-dernier-mot-gentlemen-it/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [These microscopic organisms form an entire world composed of species, families and varieties whose history, which has barely begun to be written, is already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/these-microscopic-organisms-form-an-entire-world-composed-of-species/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [To demonstrate experimentally that a microscopic organism actually is the cause of a disease and the agent of contagion, I know no other way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/to-demonstrate-experimentally-that-a-microscopic-organism-actually-is/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [“Má leaves me but I'm not alone, and a terrifying thought creeps into my head. Family is now something I have created and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thi-bui/m-leaves-me-but-i-m-not-alone-and-a-terrifying-thought-creeps-into-my/) Thi Bui > [Until the day we die, our lives are unwritten, which is sometimes a terrifying thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-haines/until-the-day-we-die-our-lives-are-unwritten-which-is-sometimes-a/) [Emily Haines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-haines/) > [“What a terrifying thought,” he’d said, “that they’re just as fucked-up as we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-m-hough-2/what-a-terrifying-thought-he-d-said-that-they-re-just-as-fucked-up-as/) Jason M Hough > [I remember thinking, 'I can't act.' Pretending to be someone else is a terrifying thought. The thing was that, along with other people, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-hynes/i-remember-thinking-i-can-t-act-pretending-to-be-someone-else-is-a/) [Garry Hynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-hynes/) > [I write of the wish that comes true--for some reason, a terrifying thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-write-of-the-wish-that-comes-true-for-some-reason-a-terrifying/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“Somewhere, deep in my mind, I knew he could be my new ocean. It was a terrifying thought, that one person could loom so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-thomas/somewhere-deep-in-my-mind-i-knew-he-could-be-my-new-ocean-it-was-a/) [Kitty Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-thomas/) > [“a terrifying thought uncurls and straightens itself inside my mind: what if i love you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava/a-terrifying-thought-uncurls-and-straightens-itself-inside-my-mind/) [AVA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava/) ## More by Louis Pasteur > [There are no such things as applied sciences, only applications of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/there-are-no-such-things-as-applied-sciences-only-applications-of/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Nothing is lost and nothing is created in the operations of art as those of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/nothing-is-lost-and-nothing-is-created-in-the-operations-of-art-as/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Whether our efforts are, or not, favored by life, let us be able to say, when we come near to the great goal, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/whether-our-efforts-are-or-not-favored-by-life-let-us-be-able-to-say/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Could I but know all, I would have the faith of a Breton peasant woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/could-i-but-know-all-i-would-have-the-faith-of-a-breton-peasant-woman/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [God grant that by my persevering labours I may bring a little stone to the frail and ill-assured edifice of our knowledge of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/god-grant-that-by-my-persevering-labours-i-may-bring-a-little-stone/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Posterity will one day laugh at the sublime foolishness of the modern materialistic philosophy. The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/posterity-will-one-day-laugh-at-the-sublime-foolishness-of-the-modern/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Science belongs to no one country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/science-belongs-to-no-one-country/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Work usually follows will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/work-usually-follows-will/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [If science has no country, the scientist should have one, and ascribe to it the influence which his works may have in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/if-science-has-no-country-the-scientist-should-have-one-and-ascribe/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [The universe is asymmetric and I am persuaded that life, as it is known to us, is a direct result of the asymmetry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/the-universe-is-asymmetric-and-i-am-persuaded-that-life-as-it-is/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Did you ever observe to whom the accidents happen? Chance favors only the prepared mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/did-you-ever-observe-to-whom-the-accidents-happen-chance-favors-only/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Science proceeds by successive answers to questions more and more subtle, coming nearer and nearer to the very essence of phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/science-proceeds-by-successive-answers-to-questions-more-and-more/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [In matters of observation chance favors only the prepared mind. (not literal translation) - Dan's les champs de observation le hasard ne favorise que…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/in-matters-of-observation-chance-favors-only-the-prepared-mind-not/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Time is the best appraiser of scientific work, and I am aware that an industrial discovery rarely produces all its fruit in the hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/time-is-the-best-appraiser-of-scientific-work-and-i-am-aware-that-an/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/science-knows-no-country-because-knowledge-belongs-to-humanity-and-is/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) [Explore all 138 Louis Pasteur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) ## More Accounts quotes > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/) [Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/) > [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/) [Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) > [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If it is a terrifying thought that life is at the mercy of the multiplication of these minute bodies [microbes], it is a consoling hope that Science will not always remain powerless before such enemies...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis Pasteur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life-is-at-the-mercy-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accounts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life-is-at-the-mercy-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/louis-pasteur-3151_accounts_if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life_616072.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/louis-pasteur-3151_accounts_if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life_616072.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28c/louis-pasteur-3151_accounts_if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life_616072.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If it is a terrifying thought that life is at the mercy of the multiplication of these minute bodies…” — Louis Pasteur", "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": "Louis Pasteur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If it is a terrifying thought...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life-is-at-the-mercy-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/if-it-is-a-terrifying-thought-that-life-is-at-the-mercy-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```