--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To know how to wonder and question is the…" description: "\"To know how to wonder and question is the first step of the mind toward discovery.\" — Louis Pasteur" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfd/louis-pasteur-3151_curiosity_to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-th_3061829.png" --- # To know how to wonder and question is the first step of… ![“To know how to wonder and question is the first step of the mind toward discovery.” quote by Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfd/louis-pasteur-3151_curiosity_to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-th_3061829.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfd/louis-pasteur-3151_curiosity_to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-th_3061829.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfd/louis-pasteur-3151_curiosity_to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-th_3061829.png) > “To know how to wonder and question is the first step of the mind toward discovery.” [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. Questioning and wonder are essential first steps toward scientific discovery. **In simple terms:** Curiosity starts discovery. Key Takeaway Cultivate wonder to spark inquiry. Themes science curiosity discovery mindset Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - laboratory research - education - problem solving - innovation Key Concepts philosophy of science critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What questions spark your curiosity? - How do you move from wonder to experiment? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on wonder without rigor can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [First steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-steps/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Know Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-wonder-1376862/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-discovery-5139544/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Question Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-step-5139546/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Truth Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-seeking/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) [Wonder Question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder-question-5139545/) ## Related quotes > [“…We are not so much who we are by what we know, but by what we wonder. So go and seek and you shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-boyle/we-are-not-so-much-who-we-are-by-what-we-know-but-by-what-we-wonder/) [Dan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-boyle/) > [It's Better To Try And Fail Than To Never Know And Always Wonder...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/it-s-better-to-try-and-fail-than-to-never-know-and-always-wonder/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [I know you don't doubt that I love you, but I know you wonder sometimes, you wonder if I notice your smile, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/i-know-you-don-t-doubt-that-i-love-you-but-i-know-you-wonder/) [Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/) > [In love, it is better to know and be disappointed, than to not know and always wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-love-it-is-better-to-know-and-be-disappointed-than-to-not-know-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's better to know and be disappointed than to never know and wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-know-and-be-disappointed-than-to-never-know-and-wonder/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So that where I once did not know who or what you were, now I wonder who I or we are, or what. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-crawford/so-that-where-i-once-did-not-know-who-or-what-you-were-now-i-wonder/) [Stanley Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-crawford/) > [I think my fans know everything about me. What they don't know they can wonder about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-sanchez/i-think-my-fans-know-everything-about-me-what-they-don-t-know-they/) [Diego Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-sanchez/) > [Its better to know and be disappointed, than to never know and always wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-better-to-know-and-be-disappointed-than-to-never-know-and-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yes, we know more than ever before, and it's a wonder that we get to inhabit a world full of driverless cars and 3D…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/yes-we-know-more-than-ever-before-and-it-s-a-wonder-that-we-get-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Sometimes its better to know and be disappointed than to never know and always wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/sometimes-its-better-to-know-and-be-disappointed-than-to-never-know/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It's better to know and be disappointed than to never know and always wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-better-to-know-and-be-disappointed-than-to-never-know-and-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Women create an idealized, hopeful vision for the future to inspire other women. Fiction and fantasy are the crucial first steps to changing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-rodale/women-create-an-idealized-hopeful-vision-for-the-future-to-inspire/) [Maya Rodale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-rodale/) > [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/) [Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/) > [“I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-remember-wondering-within-a-year-or-two-of-taking-my-first-steps/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) ## 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 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-irving/) [Browse all 2,721 Curiosity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To know how to wonder and question is the first step of the mind toward discovery.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louis Pasteur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-the-first-step-of-the-mind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Curiosity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-the-first-step-of-the-mind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfd/louis-pasteur-3151_curiosity_to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-th_3061829.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfd/louis-pasteur-3151_curiosity_to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-th_3061829.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cfd/louis-pasteur-3151_curiosity_to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-th_3061829.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To know how to wonder and question is the first step of the mind toward discovery.” — 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": "To know how to wonder and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-the-first-step-of-the-mind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/to-know-how-to-wonder-and-question-is-the-first-step-of-the-mind/#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 } } ] } ```