--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In this perspective, it looks surprising…" description: "\"“In this perspective, it looks surprising that our universe was initiated with a very finely tuned impetus, almost exactly enough to balance the decele..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/martin-rees-3002_big-bang_in-this-perspective-it-looks-surprising_1074622.jpg" --- # In this perspective, it looks surprising that our universe… ![“In this perspective, it looks surprising that our universe was initiated with a very finely tuned impetus, almost exactly enough to balance the decelerating tendency of gravity. It's like sitting at the bottom of a well and throwing a stone up so that it just comes to a halt exactly at the top-the…” quote by Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/martin-rees-3002_big-bang_in-this-perspective-it-looks-surprising_1074622.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/martin-rees-3002_big-bang_in-this-perspective-it-looks-surprising_1074622.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f5/martin-rees-3002_big-bang_in-this-perspective-it-looks-surprising_1074622.jpg) > ““In this perspective, it looks surprising that our universe was initiated with a very finely tuned impetus, almost exactly enough to balance the decelerating tendency of gravity. It's like sitting at the bottom of a well and throwing a stone up so that it just comes to a halt exactly at the top-the required precision is astonishing: at one second after the Big Bang, Omega cannot have differed from unity by more than one part in a million billion (one in 10^15) in order that the universe should now, after ten billion years, be still expanding and with a value of Omega that has certainly not departed wildly from unity.”” [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes the precise balance of cosmic forces needed for a universe that can develop life, highlighting extraordinary fine-tuning. **In simple terms:** Universe’s constants are extremely precisely set. Key Takeaway Recognize the rarity of life‑supporting conditions. Themes cosmology fine-tuning anthropic principle physics probability Mood wonder thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - discussing cosmology - teaching physics - debating philosophy of science Key Concepts precision balance initial conditions Questions to Reflect On - What does fine‑tuning imply about existence? - Can alternative physics allow life? A Different Perspective Precision may be overstated without considering multiverse theories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big bang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-bang/) ## Related quotes > [“For any reasonable value of Omega at the beginning of time, Einstein’s equations show that it should almost be zero today. For Omega to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/for-any-reasonable-value-of-omega-at-the-beginning-of-time-einstein-s/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [All things that ever were, that are, or that will be, having; their record upon the astral light, or tablet of the unseen universe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-blavatsky/all-things-that-ever-were-that-are-or-that-will-be-having-their/) [H. P. Blavatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-blavatsky/) > [If we do find ET, we will at least have something in common with them. They may live on planet Zog and have seven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/if-we-do-find-et-we-will-at-least-have-something-in-common-with-them/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The scientific issues that engage people most are the truly fundamental ones: is the universe infinite? Is life just a sideshow in the cosmos?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-scientific-issues-that-engage-people-most-are-the-truly/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [It's becoming clear that in a sense the cosmos provides the only laboratory where sufficiently extreme conditions are ever achieved to test new ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/it-s-becoming-clear-that-in-a-sense-the-cosmos-provides-the-only/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [We can trace things back to the earlier stages of the Big Bang, but we still don't know what banged and why it banged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/we-can-trace-things-back-to-the-earlier-stages-of-the-big-bang-but-we/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [If we ever establish contact with intelligent aliens living on a planet around a distant star ... They would be made of similar atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/if-we-ever-establish-contact-with-intelligent-aliens-living-on-a/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [God created... light anddark, heaven and hell-science claims the same thing as religion, that the Big Bang createdeverything in the universe with an opposite."Including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/god-created-light-anddark-heaven-and-hell-science-claims-the-same/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [For example, if the big bang had been one-part-in-a billion more powerful, it would have rushed out too fast for the galaxies to form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/for-example-if-the-big-bang-had-been-one-part-in-a-billion-more/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [All that stuff I was taught about evolution, embryology, Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. It's lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-broun/all-that-stuff-i-was-taught-about-evolution-embryology-big-bang/) [Paul Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-broun/) > [“The Creation of the World or Omniverse is the Creation or Recreation of the Absolute itself through the two poles, two “sides” of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-creation-of-the-world-or-omniverse-is-the-creation-or-recreation/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [ Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre, the guys who run that show \[Big Bang Theory\], are really funny and really smart, and the cast is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/bill-prady-and-chuck-lorre-the-guys-who-run-that-show-big-bang-theory/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More by Martin Rees > [A monkey is unaware that atoms exist. Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/a-monkey-is-unaware-that-atoms-exist-likewise-our-brainpower-may-not/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The advance of science spares us from irrational dread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-advance-of-science-spares-us-from-irrational-dread/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“The Sun contains about a thousand times more mass than Jupiter. If it were cold, gravity would squeeze it a million times denser than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-sun-contains-about-a-thousand-times-more-mass-than-jupiter-if-it/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“We, and the visible universe around us, may exist only because of a difference in the ninth decimal place between the numbers of quarks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/we-and-the-visible-universe-around-us-may-exist-only-because-of-a/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [Crucial to science education is hands-on involvement: showing, not just telling; real experiments and field trips and not just 'virtual reality.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/crucial-to-science-education-is-hands-on-involvement-showing-not-just/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [I have no religious belief myself, but I don't think we should fight about it. In particular, I think that we should not rubbish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/i-have-no-religious-belief-myself-but-i-don-t-think-we-should-fight/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“More energy is needed to rise a millimetre above a neutron star's surface than to break completely free of Earth's gravity. A pen dropped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/more-energy-is-needed-to-rise-a-millimetre-above-a-neutron-star-s/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The next humans to walk on the moon may be Chinese. Only China seems to have the resources, the dirigiste government, and the willingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-next-humans-to-walk-on-the-moon-may-be-chinese-only-china-seems/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [If we ever established contact with intelligent life on another world, there would be barriers to communication. First, they would be many light years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/if-we-ever-established-contact-with-intelligent-life-on-another-world/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [There is an ever-widening gap between what science allows and what we should actually do. There are many doors science can open that should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/there-is-an-ever-widening-gap-between-what-science-allows-and-what-we/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [An insect is more complex than a star..and is a far greater challenge to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/an-insect-is-more-complex-than-a-star-and-is-a-far-greater-challenge/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [The physicist is like someone who's watching people playing chess and, after watching a few games, he may have worked out what the moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-physicist-is-like-someone-who-s-watching-people-playing-chess-and/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [We are 'nuclear waste' from the fuel that makes stars shine; indeed, each of us contains atoms whose provenance can be traced back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/we-are-nuclear-waste-from-the-fuel-that-makes-stars-shine-indeed-each/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [Just as there are many Jews who keep the Friday ritual in their home despite describing themselves as atheists, I am a 'tribal Christian,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/just-as-there-are-many-jews-who-keep-the-friday-ritual-in-their-home/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) [Explore all 143 Martin Rees quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) ## More Big bang quotes > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [ Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre, the guys who run that show \[Big Bang Theory\], are really funny and really smart, and the cast is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-spiner/bill-prady-and-chuck-lorre-the-guys-who-run-that-show-big-bang-theory/) [Brent Spiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-spiner/) > [Sure, nobody will make a fortune if we figure out why the Big Bang happened. But just about everyone would like to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/sure-nobody-will-make-a-fortune-if-we-figure-out-why-the-big-bang/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [“The Creation of the World or Omniverse is the Creation or Recreation of the Absolute itself through the two poles, two “sides” of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/the-creation-of-the-world-or-omniverse-is-the-creation-or-recreation/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [All that stuff I was taught about evolution, embryology, Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. It's lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-broun/all-that-stuff-i-was-taught-about-evolution-embryology-big-bang/) [Paul Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-broun/) > [For example, if the big bang had been one-part-in-a billion more powerful, it would have rushed out too fast for the galaxies to form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lanza/for-example-if-the-big-bang-had-been-one-part-in-a-billion-more/) [Robert Lanza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lanza/) > [God created... light anddark, heaven and hell-science claims the same thing as religion, that the Big Bang createdeverything in the universe with an opposite."Including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/god-created-light-anddark-heaven-and-hell-science-claims-the-same/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Scientists estimate the universe unfolded from its state of infinite destiny\* - a moment commonly referred to as "the big bang" - approximately 1.3-2…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/scientists-estimate-the-universe-unfolded-from-its-state-of-infinite/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) > [Chemistry seems to be pretty much nailed down, and biology gains ground all the time. But physics seems to be mired in idle rumination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-hardy/chemistry-seems-to-be-pretty-much-nailed-down-and-biology-gains/) [Jeremy Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-hardy/) > [The big bang made the foundations for the 1st atoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/the-big-bang-made-the-foundations-for-the-1st-atoms/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [“Only three of the naturally occurring elements were manufactured in the big bang. The rest were forged in the high-temperature hearts and explosive remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/only-three-of-the-naturally-occurring-elements-were-manufactured-in/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/our-entire-universe-emerged-from-a-point-smaller-than-a-single-atom/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [A proponent of the big bang theory, at least if he is an atheist, must believe that the matter of the universe came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-john-patrick-kenny/a-proponent-of-the-big-bang-theory-at-least-if-he-is-an-atheist-must/) Anthony John Patrick Kenny > [“Science is a human construct. Scientific laws are as valid as our understanding at any particular moment. Scientific laws are not absolute. Scientific laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/science-is-a-human-construct-scientific-laws-are-as-valid-as-our/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) [Browse all 442 Big bang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-bang/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In this perspective, it looks surprising that our universe was initiated with a very finely tuned impetus, almost exactly enough to balance the decelerating tendency of gravity. 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