--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Theory is needed to tell you where to look." description: "\"Theory is needed to tell you where to look.\" — Marcus du Sautoy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/marcus-du-sautoy-18436_looks_theory-is-needed-to-tell-you-where-to-lo_1486850.jpg" --- # Theory is needed to tell you where to look. ![“Theory is needed to tell you where to look.” quote by Marcus du Sautoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/marcus-du-sautoy-18436_looks_theory-is-needed-to-tell-you-where-to-lo_1486850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/marcus-du-sautoy-18436_looks_theory-is-needed-to-tell-you-where-to-lo_1486850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5f/marcus-du-sautoy-18436_looks_theory-is-needed-to-tell-you-where-to-lo_1486850.jpg) > “Theory is needed to tell you where to look.” [Marcus du Sautoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-du-sautoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. States that theory guides inquiry by indicating promising directions for investigation. **In simple terms:** Theory points the way. Key Takeaway Let theory guide your search. Themes curiosity methodology exploration Mood inquisitive analytical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - research projects - problem solving - learning new skills Key Concepts epistemology scientific method Questions to Reflect On - How do you choose which theories to follow? - What limits theory’s guidance? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [One thus sees that a new kind of theory is needed which drops these basic commitments and at most recovers some essential features of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/one-thus-sees-that-a-new-kind-of-theory-is-needed-which-drops-these/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“We wanted - no, we needed - to tell our stories, and more importantly, we needed our stories to be heard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-fleming/we-wanted-no-we-needed-to-tell-our-stories-and-more-importantly-we/) [Candace Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-fleming/) > [Ya! Im missing someone¦ And I needed no one To tell everyone That Im in love with my only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ya-im-missing-someone-and-i-needed-no-one-to-tell-everyone-that-im-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It was only when we brought Will back home, once the annex was adapted and ready, that I could see a point in making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-was-only-when-we-brought-will-back-home-once-the-annex-was-adapted/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) > [“Livy hadn’t anticipated meeting anyone and wasn’t ready to explain why the last few years of her life had worn her so much, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-tysinger/livy-hadn-t-anticipated-meeting-anyone-and-wasn-t-ready-to-explain/) Teresa Tysinger > [“I could not count the times during the average day when something would come up that I needed to tell him. This impulse did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-could-not-count-the-times-during-the-average-day-when-something/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“He knew it even before he could fully articulate it: between East and West lay a terrain that needed to be charted by stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lam/he-knew-it-even-before-he-could-fully-articulate-it-between-east-and/) [Andrew Lam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lam/) > [“Benny explained that it wasn’t her sweater. It was borrowed from a fellow. 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I think a lot of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-du-sautoy/the-wonderful-thing-about-maths-is-it-s-a-totally-logical-subject-and/) [Marcus du Sautoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-du-sautoy/) > [If I'm flying to China, I can sit and think about a problem. Other scientists have to go to the lab. 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