--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . . . you can't do anything absolutely by…" description: "\"“. . . you can't do anything absolutely by reason. That's because reason depends on postulates. Postulates defy proof and yet they are essential to rea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/mark-helprin-1171_reason_you-can-t-do-anything-absolutely-by-reas_1426656.png" --- # . . . you can't do anything absolutely by reason. That's… ![“. . . you can't do anything absolutely by reason. That's because reason depends on postulates. Postulates defy proof and yet they are essential to reason.” quote by Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/mark-helprin-1171_reason_you-can-t-do-anything-absolutely-by-reas_1426656.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/mark-helprin-1171_reason_you-can-t-do-anything-absolutely-by-reas_1426656.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/mark-helprin-1171_reason_you-can-t-do-anything-absolutely-by-reas_1426656.png) > ““. . . you can't do anything absolutely by reason. That's because reason depends on postulates. Postulates defy proof and yet they are essential to reason.”” [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reason relies on unprovable assumptions, so pure logic cannot capture all truths. **In simple terms:** Reason depends on unproven basics. Key Takeaway Accept limits of pure rationality. Themes philosophy logic epistemology Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - scientific research - ethical debates - personal decisions Key Concepts foundationalism uncertainty Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions underlie your reasoning? - How do you test unprovable premises? A Different Perspective Relying on assumptions can lead to errors if they’re false. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depends Postulates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends-postulates-5068198/) [Postulates Defy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/postulates-defy-5068197/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-depends-5068199/) [Reason Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-reason/) ## Related quotes > [“The heart has reason that reason doesn't know of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-jace/the-heart-has-reason-that-reason-doesn-t-know-of/) [Cameron Jace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-jace/) > [Everything happens for a reason, though the reason is not always as clear as we would like it to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/everything-happens-for-a-reason-though-the-reason-is-not-always-as/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“Always reason behind the reason even if we dont know what the reason, but it will soon become clear asto why the reason”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherubeagleeyes/always-reason-behind-the-reason-even-if-we-dont-know-what-the-reason/) [cherubEagleEyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherubeagleeyes/) > [“But there’s a reason. There’s a reason. There’s a reason for this, there’s a reason education sucks, and it’s the same reason that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/but-there-s-a-reason-there-s-a-reason-there-s-a-reason-for-this-there/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I'll not listen to reason... reason always means what someone else has got to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/i-ll-not-listen-to-reason-reason-always-means-what-someone-else-has/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“What I believe is that when it comes to big things in life, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/what-i-believe-is-that-when-it-comes-to-big-things-in-life-there-are/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [You can smile for no reason , but you can't cry for no reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvija/you-can-smile-for-no-reason-but-you-can-t-cry-for-no-reason/) [Silvija](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvija/) > [If someone hates you for no reason, GIVE them a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-sayward/if-someone-hates-you-for-no-reason-give-them-a-reason/) [Zoe Sayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-sayward/) > [There are many reason why I can't be with you, but there is still one reason why I can't let you go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhay-babista/there-are-many-reason-why-i-can-t-be-with-you-but-there-is-still-one/) [Jhay Babista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhay-babista/) > [I am here for a reason and my reason is you nikki :\*](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan/i-am-here-for-a-reason-and-my-reason-is-you-nikki/) [Ayaan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan/) > [Why you need a reason for everything? Reason is something people say to make sense of things that don't make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-olsen/why-you-need-a-reason-for-everything-reason-is-something-people-say/) [Gregg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-olsen/) > [Now it is characteristic of play that one plays without reason and there must be no reason for it. Play is its own good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/now-it-is-characteristic-of-play-that-one-plays-without-reason-and/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [The heart knows reason which reason does not know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-scott/the-heart-knows-reason-which-reason-does-not-know/) [Lucas Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-scott/) > [Love's reason's without reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-s-reason-s-without-reason/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [No matter what the reason is, if for some reason your hand ends up in his, and he doesn't let go. He's yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-what-the-reason-is-if-for-some-reason-your-hand-ends-up-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Mark Helprin > [“Defiance, Catherine, is a gift of God, who is superior to nature. When nature comes to get you, honor God by treating it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/defiance-catherine-is-a-gift-of-god-who-is-superior-to-nature-when/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [Because there were all kinds of hell - some were black and dirty, and some were silvery and high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/because-there-were-all-kinds-of-hell-some-were-black-and-dirty-and/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“In living, one muddles through the years for the sake of those one or two moments which are indisputably great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/in-living-one-muddles-through-the-years-for-the-sake-of-those-one-or/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“Do you know why you walk slowly when you’re old?” “No.” “Because with age you receive the gift of friction. The less time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/do-you-know-why-you-walk-slowly-when-you-re-old-no-because-with-age/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [The British monarchy has the political and constitutional task of subtracting from the government and governors of Britain the papal and kingly airs that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/the-british-monarchy-has-the-political-and-constitutional-task-of/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“Your time is a good time, and though I have to leave, you can stay. 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They had no music;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/they-were-dancing-around-the-fountain-arm-in-arm-in-an-old-dutch/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [For what can be imagined more beautiful than the sight of a perfectly just city rejoicing in justice alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/for-what-can-be-imagined-more-beautiful-than-the-sight-of-a-perfectly/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [I follow my own nose. So I read things that are different. People will always say to me, "Have you read Robert S. Bosco's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/i-follow-my-own-nose-so-i-read-things-that-are-different-people-will/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“If all the months and all their days could be like June weather in New York, there would be paradise on earth. Often, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/if-all-the-months-and-all-their-days-could-be-like-june-weather-in/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [“At least until there are new lakes in the clouds that open upon living cities as yet unknown, and perhaps forever, that is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/at-least-until-there-are-new-lakes-in-the-clouds-that-open-upon/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [You will most appreciate 'Freddy and Fredericka' if you are familiar with the story of the Fall, the Good Hermit, 'Tom Jones,' 'Huckleberry Finn,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/you-will-most-appreciate-freddy-and-fredericka-if-you-are-familiar/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > [their powerlessness, innocence, and imagination fused to enable them to turn time inside out, travel on the wind, and enter the souls of animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/their-powerlessness-innocence-and-imagination-fused-to-enable-them-to/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) > ['Freeing' a literary work into the public domain is less a public benefit than a transfer of wealth from the families of American writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/freeing-a-literary-work-into-the-public-domain-is-less-a-public/) [Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) [Explore all 279 Mark Helprin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/) ## More Reason quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [One of the reasons that I do a lot of different kinds of pictures is because I learn a lot when I'm doing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-jason-leigh/one-of-the-reasons-that-i-do-a-lot-of-different-kinds-of-pictures-is/) [Jennifer Jason Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-jason-leigh/) > [There's no reason someone who has fought for their country should be homeless of jobless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/there-s-no-reason-someone-who-has-fought-for-their-country-should-be/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [If you can do anything for love there's no reason you can't do everything to someone you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayjay-guillermo/if-you-can-do-anything-for-love-there-s-no-reason-you-can-t-do/) [Jayjay Guillermo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayjay-guillermo/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [“There's no need for a reason for people to fall in love. Even if people say there is a reason, that's just something they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuna-takagi/there-s-no-need-for-a-reason-for-people-to-fall-in-love-even-if/) [Yuna Takagi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuna-takagi/) > [The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror and force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-one-means-that-wins-the-easiest-victory-over-reason-is-terror-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) [Browse all 23,417 Reason quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“. . . you can't do anything absolutely by reason. That's because reason depends on postulates. 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