--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Experiment is the only means of knowledge…" description: "\"Experiment is the only means of knowledge at our disposal. Everything else is poetry, imagination.\" — Max Planck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/max-planck-8715_experiments_experiment-is-the-only-means-of-knowledg_2223132.jpg" --- # Experiment is the only means of knowledge at our disposal… ![“Experiment is the only means of knowledge at our disposal. Everything else is poetry, imagination.” quote by Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/max-planck-8715_experiments_experiment-is-the-only-means-of-knowledg_2223132.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/max-planck-8715_experiments_experiment-is-the-only-means-of-knowledg_2223132.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/max-planck-8715_experiments_experiment-is-the-only-means-of-knowledg_2223132.jpg) > “Experiment is the only means of knowledge at our disposal. Everything else is poetry, imagination.” [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Experiment provides reliable knowledge; imagination and poetry inspire but cannot replace empirical evidence. **In simple terms:** Experiments give facts; imagination inspires. Key Takeaway Balance testing with creative thinking. Themes science methodology creativity philosophy Mood analytical inspirational Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - research - product development - education - artistic design Key Concepts epistemology innovation critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify imaginative ideas? - When should intuition guide experiments? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on imagination can lead to false conclusions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) [Experiment Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment-means-1749254/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-imagination-1595773/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [What is a scientist?... We give the name scientist to the type of man who has felt experiment to be a means guiding him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/what-is-a-scientist-we-give-the-name-scientist-to-the-type-of-man-who/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“We give the name scientist to the type of man who has felt experiment to be a means guiding him to search out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/we-give-the-name-scientist-to-the-type-of-man-who-has-felt-experiment/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Poetry and imagination begin life. A child will fall on its knees on the gravel walk at the sight of a pink hawthorn in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/poetry-and-imagination-begin-life-a-child-will-fall-on-its-knees-on/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [“Dickens' plots are his most discardable properties, and often have to be pushed aside to let the strange poetry of his imagination emerge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carey/dickens-plots-are-his-most-discardable-properties-and-often-have-to/) [John Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carey/) > [Sentiment is the poetry of the imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonse-de-lamartine/sentiment-is-the-poetry-of-the-imagination/) [Alphonse de Lamartine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonse-de-lamartine/) > [An experiment is a question which science poses to Nature and a measurement is the recording of Nature's answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/an-experiment-is-a-question-which-science-poses-to-nature-and-a/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [There's a tremendous amount of work building the apparatus, getting the experiment to work. But sitting there late at night in the lab, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-tremendous-amount-of-work-building-the-apparatus-getting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your presence here is is only a matter of conducting an experiment in limits, reminding yourself of what you aren’t.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mcinerney/your-presence-here-is-is-only-a-matter-of-conducting-an-experiment-in/) [Jay McInerney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mcinerney/) > [Continued experiment with dog today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-gill/continued-experiment-with-dog-today/) [Eric Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-gill/) > [There is no need to argue if an experiment can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-etienne-sainte-claire-deville/there-is-no-need-to-argue-if-an-experiment-can-be-made/) [Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-etienne-sainte-claire-deville/) > [An experiment not worth doing is not worth doing well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/an-experiment-not-worth-doing-is-not-worth-doing-well/) [Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/) > [. . . in the full tide of successful experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-the-full-tide-of-successful-experiment/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [What will the greatest experiment discover? I have no idea!, maybe nothing!, If we won't check, we will never know. In science there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-seiberg/what-will-the-greatest-experiment-discover-i-have-no-idea-maybe/) [Nathan Seiberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-seiberg/) > [All life is an experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/all-life-is-an-experiment/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Your responsibility as an artist is to experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/squarepusher/your-responsibility-as-an-artist-is-to-experiment/) [Squarepusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/squarepusher/) ## More by Max Planck > [The entire world we apprehend through our senses is no more than a tiny fragment in the vastness of Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/the-entire-world-we-apprehend-through-our-senses-is-no-more-than-a/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/i-regard-consciousness-as-fundamental-i-regard-matter-as-derivative/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [It was not by accident that the greatest thinkers of all ages were deeply religious souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/it-was-not-by-accident-that-the-greatest-thinkers-of-all-ages-were/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/as-a-man-who-has-devoted-his-whole-life-to-the-most-clear-headed/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [“All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particle of an atom to vibration and holds this most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/all-matter-originates-and-exists-only-by-virtue-of-a-force-which/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [The Theory of Relativity confers an absolute meaning on a magnitude which in classical theory has only a relative significance: the velocity of light.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/the-theory-of-relativity-confers-an-absolute-meaning-on-a-magnitude/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [Experimenters are the shock troops of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/experimenters-are-the-shock-troops-of-science/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [An experiment is a question which science poses to Nature and a measurement is the recording of Nature's answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/an-experiment-is-a-question-which-science-poses-to-nature-and-a/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [Scientific work will never stop, and it would be terrible if it did. If there were no more problems, you would put your hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/scientific-work-will-never-stop-and-it-would-be-terrible-if-it-did-if/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [We cannot rest and sit down lest we rust and decay. Health is maintained only through work. And as it is with all life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/we-cannot-rest-and-sit-down-lest-we-rust-and-decay-health-is/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [Science advances one funeral at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/science-advances-one-funeral-at-a-time/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [There can never be any real opposition between religion and science; for the one is the complement of the other. Every serious and reflective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/there-can-never-be-any-real-opposition-between-religion-and-science/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [The assumption of an absolute determinism is the essential foundation of every scientific enquiry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/the-assumption-of-an-absolute-determinism-is-the-essential-foundation/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [Science enhances the moral value of life, because it furthers a love of truth and reverence-love of truth displaying itself in the constant endeavor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/science-enhances-the-moral-value-of-life-because-it-furthers-a-love/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) > [Every advance in knowledge brings us face to face with the mystery of our own being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-planck/every-advance-in-knowledge-brings-us-face-to-face-with-the-mystery-of/) [Max Planck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) [Explore all 78 Max Planck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-planck/) ## More Experiment quotes > [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/) [Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/) > [Your responsibility as an artist is to experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/squarepusher/your-responsibility-as-an-artist-is-to-experiment/) [Squarepusher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/squarepusher/) > [Have I got the right to experiment with my child's life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/have-i-got-the-right-to-experiment-with-my-child-s-life/) [Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/) > [“There is a time and place for electromagnetic shielding and I regard it as a last resort due to the long term biological problems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/there-is-a-time-and-place-for-electromagnetic-shielding-and-i-regard/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I picked economics at the end of my undergraduate time because it seemed to be a really nice combination of theory, including mathematical theory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/i-picked-economics-at-the-end-of-my-undergraduate-time-because-it/) [Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/) > [As an artiste you want to experiment, meet new people and do different kind of songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-tiwari/as-an-artiste-you-want-to-experiment-meet-new-people-and-do-different/) [Ankit Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ankit-tiwari/) > [I don't really know who I am as an actor: the best thing would be to experiment with it for the next 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-don-t-really-know-who-i-am-as-an-actor-the-best-thing-would-be-to/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [I love finding out-of-the-box inspirations and blending them with what I've done in the past. And when I started to experiment with genres, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avicii/i-love-finding-out-of-the-box-inspirations-and-blending-them-with/) [Avicii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avicii/) > [In the Indian film industry, especially those of us who are in mainstream cinema, we invariably play a typical hero's role. More often than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-bachchan/in-the-indian-film-industry-especially-those-of-us-who-are-in/) [Abhishek Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-bachchan/) > [In Spain, we mainly use red plum tomatoes, but it is always fun to experiment. Try using a mix of colors or substitute green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-spain-we-mainly-use-red-plum-tomatoes-but-it-is-always-fun-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All life is an experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/all-life-is-an-experiment/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [What will the greatest experiment discover? I have no idea!, maybe nothing!, If we won't check, we will never know. In science there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-seiberg/what-will-the-greatest-experiment-discover-i-have-no-idea-maybe/) [Nathan Seiberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-seiberg/) > [“Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/life-is-an-experiment-in-which-you-may-fail-or-succeed-explore-more/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [. . . in the full tide of successful experiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-the-full-tide-of-successful-experiment/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The Vanguard Experiment was designed to prove that mutual funds could operate independently, and do so in a manner that would directly benefit their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-bogle/the-vanguard-experiment-was-designed-to-prove-that-mutual-funds-could/) [John C. Bogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-bogle/) [Browse all 668 Experiment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Experiment is the only means of knowledge at our disposal. 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