--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is natural that a man should consider…" description: "\"It is natural that a man should consider the work of his hands or his brain to be useful and important. Therefore nobody will object to an ardent exper..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/max-born-17349_ardent_it-is-natural-that-a-man-should-consider_1701406.jpg" --- # It is natural that a man should consider the work of his… ![“It is natural that a man should consider the work of his hands or his brain to be useful and important. Therefore nobody will object to an ardent experimentalist boasting of his measurements and rather looking down on the 'paper and ink' physics of his theoretical friend, who on his part is proud…” quote by Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/max-born-17349_ardent_it-is-natural-that-a-man-should-consider_1701406.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/max-born-17349_ardent_it-is-natural-that-a-man-should-consider_1701406.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/max-born-17349_ardent_it-is-natural-that-a-man-should-consider_1701406.jpg) > “It is natural that a man should consider the work of his hands or his brain to be useful and important. Therefore nobody will object to an ardent experimentalist boasting of his measurements and rather looking down on the 'paper and ink' physics of his theoretical friend, who on his part is proud of his lofty ideas and despises the dirty fingers of the other. Experiment and Theory in Physics” [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physicists value both experimental data and theoretical ideas, each seeing the other’s work as essential despite differing approaches. **In simple terms:** Both experiment and theory are vital. Key Takeaway Respect both hands‑on work and abstract thinking. Themes science collaboration methodology Mood analytical optimistic Type academic inspirational When to use this quote - laboratory research - theoretical modeling - academic debates - grant proposals Key Concepts epistemology interdisciplinary respect Questions to Reflect On - How can experimentalists and theorists better communicate? - What balance benefits scientific progress? A Different Perspective Tensions can hinder collaboration if not managed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ardent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ardent/) [Boast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boast/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Lofty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lofty/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [The problem of physics is how the actual phenomena, as observed with the help of our sense organs aided by instruments, can be reduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/the-problem-of-physics-is-how-the-actual-phenomena-as-observed-with/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [The information contained in an English sentence or computer software does not derive from the chemistry of the ink or the physics of magnetism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-c-meyer/the-information-contained-in-an-english-sentence-or-computer-software/) [Stephen C. Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-c-meyer/) > [The farther the experiment is from theory, the closer it is to the Nobel Prize.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-joliot-curie/the-farther-the-experiment-is-from-theory-the-closer-it-is-to-the/) Irene Joliot-Curie > [I was one who liked to work with my hands as well as my brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-standish-knowles/i-was-one-who-liked-to-work-with-my-hands-as-well-as-my-brain/) [William Standish Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-standish-knowles/) > [Asana and complementary services are bringing the evolved team brain to the entire world. In great companies like Twitter, Uber, Airbnb, Foursquare, and LinkedIn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-rosenstein/asana-and-complementary-services-are-bringing-the-evolved-team-brain/) [Justin Rosenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-rosenstein/) > [To work with the hands or brain, according to our requirements and our capacities, to do that which lies before us to do, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/to-work-with-the-hands-or-brain-according-to-our-requirements-and-our/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [Now we have hands-free phones, so you can focus on the thing you're really supposed to be doing. Chances are, if you need both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/now-we-have-hands-free-phones-so-you-can-focus-on-the-thing-you-re/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [“It doesn’t matter how smart you are – you can only accomplish finite with two hands and one brain. To scale heights, you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jag-randhawa/it-doesn-t-matter-how-smart-you-are-you-can-only-accomplish-finite/) [Jag Randhawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jag-randhawa/) > [There ain't nothing like being in the corner, and the trainer is whispering in your ear and another guy is putting in your mouthpiece.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/there-ain-t-nothing-like-being-in-the-corner-and-the-trainer-is/) [George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/) > [Me and a mate picked up two darling birds and they took us back to their flat. I went into the bedroom with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-best/me-and-a-mate-picked-up-two-darling-birds-and-they-took-us-back-to/) [George Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-best/) > [Compassion and pity are not the same: pity is looking down on someone, feeling sorry for them and offering nothing; compassion is seeing their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasinda-wilder/compassion-and-pity-are-not-the-same-pity-is-looking-down-on-someone/) [Jasinda Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasinda-wilder/) > [If we're not there making the argument then the cultural gulf that Republicans try to exploit saying, "Ah, these city slickers: they're all looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/if-we-re-not-there-making-the-argument-then-the-cultural-gulf-that/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Snobs are people who look down on other people, but that does not justify our looking down on them. Who can say what dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/snobs-are-people-who-look-down-on-other-people-but-that-does-not/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [After what seemed like an eternity, we finally reached the summit just as the sun was rising. I couldn't believe that we had actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hsieh/after-what-seemed-like-an-eternity-we-finally-reached-the-summit-just/) [Tony Hsieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hsieh/) > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) ## More by Max Born > [To present a scientific subject in an attractive and stimulating manner is an artistic task, similar to that of a novelist or even a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/to-present-a-scientific-subject-in-an-attractive-and-stimulating/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [All attempts to adapt our ethical code to our situation in the technological age have failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/all-attempts-to-adapt-our-ethical-code-to-our-situation-in-the/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [I believe that ideas such as absolute certitude, absolute exactness, final truth, etc. are figments of the imagination which should not be admissible in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/i-believe-that-ideas-such-as-absolute-certitude-absolute-exactness/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [Science is not formal logic-it needs the free play of the mind in as great a degree as any other creative art. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/science-is-not-formal-logic-it-needs-the-free-play-of-the-mind-in-as/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [During my span of life science has become a matter of public concern and the l'art pour l'art standpoint of my youth is now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/during-my-span-of-life-science-has-become-a-matter-of-public-concern/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [We have sought for firm ground and found none. The deeper we penetrate, the more restless becomes the universe; all is rushing about and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/we-have-sought-for-firm-ground-and-found-none-the-deeper-we-penetrate/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [Science?is so greatly opposed to history and tradition that it cannot be absorbed by our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/science-is-so-greatly-opposed-to-history-and-tradition-that-it-cannot/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [The human race has today the means for annihilating itself--either in a fit of complete lunacy, i.e., in a big war...or by the careless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/the-human-race-has-today-the-means-for-annihilating-itself-either-in/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [If God has made the world a perfect mechanism, He has at least conceded so much to our imperfect intellect that in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/if-god-has-made-the-world-a-perfect-mechanism-he-has-at-least/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [It is odd to think that there is a word for something which, strictly speaking, does not exist, namely, "rest." We distinguish between living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/it-is-odd-to-think-that-there-is-a-word-for-something-which-strictly/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [And the continuity of our science has not been affected by all these turbulent happenings, as the older theories have always been included as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/and-the-continuity-of-our-science-has-not-been-affected-by-all-these/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [The difficulty involved in the proper and adequate means of describing changes in continuous deformable bodies is the method of differential equations. ... They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/the-difficulty-involved-in-the-proper-and-adequate-means-of/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [“There are two objectionable types of believers: those who believe the far-fetched, and those who believe that 'belief' must be discarded and replaced by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/there-are-two-objectionable-types-of-believers-those-who-believe-the/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [My advice to those who which to learn the art of scientific prophesy is not to rely on abstract reason, but to decipher the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/my-advice-to-those-who-which-to-learn-the-art-of-scientific-prophesy/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) > [I am now convinced that theoretical physics is actually philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-born/i-am-now-convinced-that-theoretical-physics-is-actually-philosophy/) [Max Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) [Explore all 37 Max Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-born/) ## More Ardent quotes > [There are courageous and honest men enough in both sections to fight. There is no question of courage involved. The people of both sections…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/there-are-courageous-and-honest-men-enough-in-both-sections-to-fight/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) > [I am a Zionist, an ardent supporter of Israel, its defender when I deem Israel to be right and its critic when I deem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-bikel/i-am-a-zionist-an-ardent-supporter-of-israel-its-defender-when-i-deem/) [Theodore Bikel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-bikel/) > [Ardent desire for knowledge, in fact, is the one motive attracting and supporting investigators in their efforts; and just this knowledge, really grasped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/ardent-desire-for-knowledge-in-fact-is-the-one-motive-attracting-and/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) > [I am an ardent supporter of Israel in all situations and in all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mulcair/i-am-an-ardent-supporter-of-israel-in-all-situations-and-in-all/) [Thomas Mulcair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mulcair/) > [Not as closely as some of the most ardent fans, but I have some friends who are NASCAR team owners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/not-as-closely-as-some-of-the-most-ardent-fans-but-i-have-some/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [The person who inspired me the most was a friend of mine, Anita Roddick. I know that Anita wasn't known to be an ardent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/the-person-who-inspired-me-the-most-was-a-friend-of-mine-anita/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [I rejoice that liberty . . . now finds an asylum in the bosom of a regularly organized government; a government, which, being formed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-rejoice-that-liberty-now-finds-an-asylum-in-the-bosom-of-a/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [A sick man, surrounded by those who love him, nursed by those who wish earnestly that he should live, will recover (all other things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/a-sick-man-surrounded-by-those-who-love-him-nursed-by-those-who-wish/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [If a man has a very decided character, has a strongly accentuated career, it is normally the case of course that he makes ardent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/if-a-man-has-a-very-decided-character-has-a-strongly-accentuated/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [The idea of restraining the legislative authority, in the means of providing for the national defense, is one of those refinements which owe their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/the-idea-of-restraining-the-legislative-authority-in-the-means-of/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [Love is not a mere emotion or sentiment. It is the lucid and ardent responses of the whole person to a value that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-is-not-a-mere-emotion-or-sentiment-it-is-the-lucid-and-ardent/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The Battle for the Philippines was the greatest naval battle in history, judged in terms of the number of ships taking part, the number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hough/the-battle-for-the-philippines-was-the-greatest-naval-battle-in/) Richard Hough > [From the day I started to think politically and to develop my own moral values, from my earliest youth, I have been an ardent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/from-the-day-i-started-to-think-politically-and-to-develop-my-own/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [The saddest thing in the world was that human beings, for all their ardent striving and desire, could never achieve physical, emotional, or intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-saddest-thing-in-the-world-was-that-human-beings-for-all-their/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He was young and ardent in a hundred happy ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/he-was-young-and-ardent-in-a-hundred-happy-ways/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) [Browse all 183 Ardent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ardent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is natural that a man should consider the work of his hands or his brain to be useful and important. 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