--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since a given system can never of its own…" description: "\"Since a given system can never of its own accord go over into another equally probable state but into a more probable one, it is likewise impossible to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ludwig-boltzmann-31218_accord_since-a-given-system-can-never-of-its-ow_2431812.jpg" --- # Since a given system can never of its own accord go over… ![“Since a given system can never of its own accord go over into another equally probable state but into a more probable one, it is likewise impossible to construct a system of bodies that after traversing various states returns periodically to its original state, that is a perpetual motion machine.” quote by Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ludwig-boltzmann-31218_accord_since-a-given-system-can-never-of-its-ow_2431812.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ludwig-boltzmann-31218_accord_since-a-given-system-can-never-of-its-ow_2431812.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ec/ludwig-boltzmann-31218_accord_since-a-given-system-can-never-of-its-ow_2431812.jpg) > “Since a given system can never of its own accord go over into another equally probable state but into a more probable one, it is likewise impossible to construct a system of bodies that after traversing various states returns periodically to its original state, that is a perpetual motion machine.” [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical systems evolve toward states of higher probability, making perpetual motion impossible. **In simple terms:** Systems move toward more likely states, not back to the start. Key Takeaway Accept limits of energy conversion. Themes thermodynamics entropy perpetual motion physics Mood cautious analytical Type scientific educational When to use this quote - engineering design - energy policy - academic teaching - technology forecasting Key Concepts statistical mechanics probability energy conservation Questions to Reflect On - Can we ever achieve 100% efficient machines? - What practical implications does this have for renewable energy? A Different Perspective Idealized models ignore friction and external influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Entropy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entropy/) [Machines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machines/) [Perpetual motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetual-motion/) ## Related quotes > [“Leo Szilard, in 1929, showed that the very act of acquiring information about a system increases its entropy in proportion to the amount of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basil-mahon/leo-szilard-in-1929-showed-that-the-very-act-of-acquiring-information/) [Basil Mahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basil-mahon/) > [The state of perpetual emptiness is, of course, very good for business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-state-of-perpetual-emptiness-is-of-course-very-good-for-business/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [That competition and the struggle for existence is the mechanism behind this state of perpetual change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/that-competition-and-the-struggle-for-existence-is-the-mechanism/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“After Congress passed SJ Res 34, we are no longer merely battling a cyber-kinetic war on all fronts, we are now in a state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-scott-senior-fellow-institute-for-critical-infrastructure-technology/after-congress-passed-sj-res-34-we-are-no-longer-merely-battling-a/) James Scott, Senior Fellow, Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology > [I exist in a state of almost perpetual hysteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-exist-in-a-state-of-almost-perpetual-hysteria/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [My aim is to show the visible as possibility in a state of perpetual becoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaacov-agam/my-aim-is-to-show-the-visible-as-possibility-in-a-state-of-perpetual/) Yaacov Agam > [People in a hurry cannot think, cannot grow, nor can they decay. They are preserved in a state of perpetual puerility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/people-in-a-hurry-cannot-think-cannot-grow-nor-can-they-decay-they/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [“Any cycle that traps someone in a state of perpetual disadvantage is the real issue for the person experiencing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/any-cycle-that-traps-someone-in-a-state-of-perpetual-disadvantage-is/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [The general struggle for existence of animate beings is not a struggle for raw materials, these for organisms are air water & soil, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/the-general-struggle-for-existence-of-animate-beings-is-not-a/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [This game wears on you. It tears you down. It's perpetual motion for some people who've achieved a level of independence, like Madonna and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/this-game-wears-on-you-it-tears-you-down-it-s-perpetual-motion-for/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [Does it seem to you impossible to imagine anything more inextricable than the social contract, when you think of the frightful number of relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/does-it-seem-to-you-impossible-to-imagine-anything-more-inextricable/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [“Marketing is a never-ending story. It’s about perpetual motion where innovation plays the lead role.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-kehoe/marketing-is-a-never-ending-story-it-s-about-perpetual-motion-where/) [Stacey Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-kehoe/) > [“You drive, walk, eat, look at television, read, and all the while, beyond you and the cozy circle created by your lady around herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-dowell/you-drive-walk-eat-look-at-television-read-and-all-the-while-beyond/) [Coleman Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-dowell/) > [“Maybe it came from whacking at two-by-fours and dreaming about perpetual motion. I don't know. All I know is that compared to her, Shelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/maybe-it-came-from-whacking-at-two-by-fours-and-dreaming-about/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [Painting' and 'religious experience' are the same thing. It is a question of the perpetual motion of a right idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nicholson/painting-and-religious-experience-are-the-same-thing-it-is-a-question/) [Ben Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nicholson/) ## More by Ludwig Boltzmann > [Thermodynamics, correctly interpreted, does not just allow Darwinian evolution; it favors it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/thermodynamics-correctly-interpreted-does-not-just-allow-darwinian/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [The general struggle for existence of animate beings is not a struggle for raw materials, these for organisms are air water & soil, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/the-general-struggle-for-existence-of-animate-beings-is-not-a/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [The life contest is primarily a competition for available energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/the-life-contest-is-primarily-a-competition-for-available-energy/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [To go straight to the deepest depth, I went for Hegel; what unclear thoughtless flow of words I was to find there! My unlucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/to-go-straight-to-the-deepest-depth-i-went-for-hegel-what-unclear/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [Who ... is not familiar with Maxwell's memoirs on his dynamical theory of gases? ... from one side enter the equations of state; from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/who-is-not-familiar-with-maxwell-s-memoirs-on-his-dynamical-theory-of/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [A mathematician will recognise Cauchy, Gauss, Jacobi or Helmholtz after reading a few pages, just as musicians recognise, from the first few bars, Mozart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/a-mathematician-will-recognise-cauchy-gauss-jacobi-or-helmholtz-after/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [Philosophy gets on my nerves. If we analyze the ultimate ground of everything, then everything finally falls into nothingness. But I have decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/philosophy-gets-on-my-nerves-if-we-analyze-the-ultimate-ground-of/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [Which is more remarkable fact about America: that millionaires are idealists or idealists become millionaires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/which-is-more-remarkable-fact-about-america-that-millionaires-are/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [Available energy is the main object at stake in the struggle for existence and the evolution of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/available-energy-is-the-main-object-at-stake-in-the-struggle-for/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [Bring forward what is true, Write it so that it is clear, Defend it to your last breath!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/bring-forward-what-is-true-write-it-so-that-it-is-clear-defend-it-to/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [Nothing is more practical than a good theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/nothing-is-more-practical-than-a-good-theory/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [Bring forth what is true; Write it so it it's clear. Defend it to your last breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/bring-forth-what-is-true-write-it-so-it-it-s-clear-defend-it-to-your/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [It must be splendid to command millions of people in great national ventures, to lead a hundred thousand to victory in battle. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/it-must-be-splendid-to-command-millions-of-people-in-great-national/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [In my view all salvation for philosophy may be expected to come from Darwin's theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/in-my-view-all-salvation-for-philosophy-may-be-expected-to-come-from/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) > [The most ordinary things are to philosophy a source of insoluble puzzles. With infinite ingenuity it constructs a concept of space or time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-boltzmann/the-most-ordinary-things-are-to-philosophy-a-source-of-insoluble/) [Ludwig Boltzmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) [Explore all 16 Ludwig Boltzmann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-boltzmann/) ## More Accord quotes > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [Christian obligation cannot be made to accord with a law of expediency. The Christian's maxims are, Do right because you are bound to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-landey-patton/christian-obligation-cannot-be-made-to-accord-with-a-law-of/) Francis Landey Patton > [I've never had a very quiet voice. I tried in choir to make it smaller, and it just didn't work out. And I listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-ve-never-had-a-very-quiet-voice-i-tried-in-choir-to-make-it-smaller/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [It is a very high mind to which gratitude is not a painful sensation. If you wish to please, you will find it wiser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/it-is-a-very-high-mind-to-which-gratitude-is-not-a-painful-sensation/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [To act choicelessly is to act in accord with the situation. If someone throws a rock, you duck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rami-m-shapiro/to-act-choicelessly-is-to-act-in-accord-with-the-situation-if-someone/) [Rami M. Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rami-m-shapiro/) > [“I'm not here to grant you the extraordinary love you never had for yourself. I'm here, on my own accord, to love you. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/i-m-not-here-to-grant-you-the-extraordinary-love-you-never-had-for/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [It is a misfortune that necessity has induced men to accord greater license to this formidable engine, in order to obtain liberty, than can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/it-is-a-misfortune-that-necessity-has-induced-men-to-accord-greater/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [The dominant propaganda systems have appropriated the term "globalization" to refer to the specific version of international economic integration that they favor, which privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-dominant-propaganda-systems-have-appropriated-the-term/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [If you want to accord with the Tao, just do your job, then let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-you-want-to-accord-with-the-tao-just-do-your-job-then-let-go/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [The fineness which a hymn or psalm affords / If when the soul unto the lines accords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-fineness-which-a-hymn-or-psalm-affords-if-when-the-soul-unto-the/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-todd-christofferson/a-covenant-is-an-agreement-between-god-and-man-an-accord-whose-terms/) [D. Todd Christofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-todd-christofferson/) > [All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/all-day-i-think-about-it-then-at-night-i-say-it-where-did-i-come-from/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. 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