---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Clearly, if atoms can be assembled to…"
description: "\"“Clearly, if atoms can be assembled to make humans, the laws of physics also permit the construction of vastly more advanced forms of sentient life.”\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/max-tegmark-3860_laws-of-physics_clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-mak_1878325.jpg"
---

#  Clearly, if atoms can be assembled to make humans, the…

![“Clearly, if atoms can be assembled to make humans, the laws of physics also permit the construction of vastly more advanced forms of sentient life.” quote by Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/max-tegmark-3860_laws-of-physics_clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-mak_1878325.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/max-tegmark-3860_laws-of-physics_clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-mak_1878325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/max-tegmark-3860_laws-of-physics_clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-mak_1878325.jpg)

> ““Clearly, if atoms can be assembled to make humans, the laws of physics also permit the construction of vastly more advanced forms of sentient life.””

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Physical laws allow building complex, potentially super‑intelligent life from basic particles, just as they form humans.

**In simple terms:** Physics permits creating advanced sentient beings.

Key Takeaway

Explore ethical implications of creating new life forms.

Themes

technology ethics future existence

Mood

thoughtful speculative

Type

philosophical visionary

When to use this quote

- Research labs
- space colonization
- AI development
- philosophical debate

Key Concepts

Artificial intelligence synthetic biology cosmology

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities arise when we can create new sentient life?
- How might such creations affect humanity’s role?

A Different Perspective

May overlook moral responsibilities and unintended consequences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Laws of physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-of-physics/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/)

## Related quotes

> [“our brains are a bunch of particles obeying the laws of physics, and there’s no physical law precluding particles from being arranged in ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/our-brains-are-a-bunch-of-particles-obeying-the-laws-of-physics-and/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“In the beginning, there was physics. "Physics" describes how matter, energy, space, and time behave and interact with one another. The interplay of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-beginning-there-was-physics-physics-describes-how-matter/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [ “The laws of nature cannot be randomly reshuffled at the cusps \[of an oscillating universe\]. If the universe has already gone through many oscillations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-laws-of-nature-cannot-be-randomly-reshuffled-at-the-cusps-of-an/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [The remarkable feature of physical laws is that they apply everywhere, whether or not you choose to believe in them. After the laws of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-remarkable-feature-of-physical-laws-is-that-they-apply-everywhere/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [I was a senior research scientist that changed the accepted view of the structure of the universe. I disproved one of the then widely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chien-shiung-wu/i-was-a-senior-research-scientist-that-changed-the-accepted-view-of/)

Chien-Shiung Wu

> [The laws of physics that we regard as 'sacred,' as immutable, are anything but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-archibald-wheeler/the-laws-of-physics-that-we-regard-as-sacred-as-immutable-are/)

[John Archibald Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-archibald-wheeler/)

> [The laws of physics have already been violated. What happens if they decide to press charges?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-laws-of-physics-have-already-been-violated-what-happens-if-they/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is rather fantastic to realize that the laws of physics can describe how everything was created in a random quantum fluctuation out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-guth/it-is-rather-fantastic-to-realize-that-the-laws-of-physics-can/)

[Alan Guth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-guth/)

> [There are two worlds we live in: a material world, bound by the laws of physics, and the world inside our mind, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/there-are-two-worlds-we-live-in-a-material-world-bound-by-the-laws-of/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [American laws don't work, but at least the laws of physics might work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/american-laws-don-t-work-but-at-least-the-laws-of-physics-might-work/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [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/)

> [When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-j-tipler/when-i-began-my-career-as-a-cosmologist-some-twenty-years-ago-i-was-a/)

[Frank J. Tipler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-j-tipler/)

> [The smallest thought could not exist unless the entire universe and the laws of physics were in some way encouraging it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/the-smallest-thought-could-not-exist-unless-the-entire-universe-and/)

[Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/)

> [The laws of physics should allow us to arrange things molecule by molecule and even atom by atom, and at some point it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-merkle/the-laws-of-physics-should-allow-us-to-arrange-things-molecule-by/)

[Ralph Merkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-merkle/)

> [Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the windows of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/anyone-who-believes-that-the-laws-of-physics-are-mere-social/)

[Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/)

## More by Max Tegmark

> [“My personal analysis is that the media have made the AI-safety debate seem more controversial than it really is. After all, fear sells, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/my-personal-analysis-is-that-the-media-have-made-the-ai-safety-debate/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“Chapter 2: How could an infinite space get created in a finite time? It sounds impossible. But as I mentioned, inflation is like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/chapter-2-how-could-an-infinite-space-get-created-in-a-finite-time-it/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“I suspect that if we can build such ultra-intelligent machines, then the first one will be severely limited by the software we’ve written for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/i-suspect-that-if-we-can-build-such-ultra-intelligent-machines-then/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“Aristarchos simply divided it by 3.7 and got the size of the Moon!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/aristarchos-simply-divided-it-by-3-7-and-got-the-size-of-the-moon/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“I view the measure problem as the greatest crisis in physics today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/i-view-the-measure-problem-as-the-greatest-crisis-in-physics-today/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“the whole can contain less information than the sum of its parts—and sometimes even less than one of its parts!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/the-whole-can-contain-less-information-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-and/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. —Albert Einstein”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/in-theory-theory-and-practice-are-the-same-in-practice-they-are-not/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“Why do we perceive the world as stable and ourselves as local and unique? Here’s my guess: because it’s useful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/why-do-we-perceive-the-world-as-stable-and-ourselves-as-local-and/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“the neuron bundle comes from our eyes, ears, nose, mouth or skin. The key difference lies not in the neurons that carry this information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/the-neuron-bundle-comes-from-our-eyes-ears-nose-mouth-or-skin-the-key/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“In other words, even though an observer moment objectively occupies less than a liter of volume and a second of time, it subjectively feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/in-other-words-even-though-an-observer-moment-objectively-occupies/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“Neural networks have now transformed both biological and artificial intelligence, and have recently started dominating the AI subfield known as machine learning (the study…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/neural-networks-have-now-transformed-both-biological-and-artificial/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“Physics is the ultimate intellectual adventure, the quest to understand the deepest mysteries of our Universe. Physics doesn’t take something fascinating and make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/physics-is-the-ultimate-intellectual-adventure-the-quest-to/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [Our external physical reality is a mathematical structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/our-external-physical-reality-is-a-mathematical-structure/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“it can start with something smaller than an atom and create an infinite space inside of it, containing infinitely many galaxies, without affecting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/it-can-start-with-something-smaller-than-an-atom-and-create-an/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [“A perfectly obedient superintelligence whose goals automatically align with those of its human owner would be like Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer Adolf Eichmann on steroids: lacking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/a-perfectly-obedient-superintelligence-whose-goals-automatically/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

[Explore all 120 Max Tegmark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

## More Laws of physics quotes

> [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Food, like anything else, lives in the physical world and obeys the laws of physics. When you whisk together some oil and a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/food-like-anything-else-lives-in-the-physical-world-and-obeys-the/)

[Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/)

> [“Chapter 2: How could an infinite space get created in a finite time? It sounds impossible. But as I mentioned, inflation is like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/chapter-2-how-could-an-infinite-space-get-created-in-a-finite-time-it/)

[Max Tegmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/)

> [Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the windows of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sokal/anyone-who-believes-that-the-laws-of-physics-are-mere-social/)

[Alan Sokal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sokal/)

> [The laws of physics should allow us to arrange things molecule by molecule and even atom by atom, and at some point it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-merkle/the-laws-of-physics-should-allow-us-to-arrange-things-molecule-by/)

[Ralph Merkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-merkle/)

> [You can have faith in writing itself. That's where to place your faith, in the same way that a pole vaulter places his faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pickard/you-can-have-faith-in-writing-itself-that-s-where-to-place-your-faith/)

[Nancy Pickard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pickard/)

> [The smallest thought could not exist unless the entire universe and the laws of physics were in some way encouraging it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/the-smallest-thought-could-not-exist-unless-the-entire-universe-and/)

[Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/)

> [When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-j-tipler/when-i-began-my-career-as-a-cosmologist-some-twenty-years-ago-i-was-a/)

[Frank J. Tipler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-j-tipler/)

> [“A saving grace of the human condition (if I may phrase it like that) is a sense of humor. Many writers and witnesses, guessing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/a-saving-grace-of-the-human-condition-if-i-may-phrase-it-like-that-is/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [“Not that this deterred him and his friend Klapaucius from further experimentation, which showed that the extent of a dragon's existence depends mainly on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-lem/not-that-this-deterred-him-and-his-friend-klapaucius-from-further/)

[Stanisław Lem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-lem/)

> [A pair of legs engineered to defy the laws of physics and a mindset to master the most epic of splits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-van-damme/a-pair-of-legs-engineered-to-defy-the-laws-of-physics-and-a-mindset/)

[Jean-Claude Van Damme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-van-damme/)

> [In terms of the most astonishing fact about which we know nothing, there is dark matter and dark energy. We don't know what either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-terms-of-the-most-astonishing-fact-about-which-we-know-nothing/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [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/)

> [“I imagined the Augustus Waters analysis of that comment: If I am playing basketball in heaven, does that imply a physical location of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-imagined-the-augustus-waters-analysis-of-that-comment-if-i-am/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [The tree doesn't die, nor do I when you cut off a branch or a finger, we both heal so we don't lose all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-siegel/the-tree-doesn-t-die-nor-do-i-when-you-cut-off-a-branch-or-a-finger/)

[Bernie Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-siegel/)

[Browse all 252 Laws of physics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-of-physics/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Clearly, if atoms can be assembled to make humans, the laws of physics also permit the construction of vastly more advanced forms of sentient life.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Max Tegmark"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-make-humans-the-laws-of-physics/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Laws of physics"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-make-humans-the-laws-of-physics/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/max-tegmark-3860_laws-of-physics_clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-mak_1878325.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/max-tegmark-3860_laws-of-physics_clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-mak_1878325.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/max-tegmark-3860_laws-of-physics_clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-mak_1878325.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Clearly, if atoms can be assembled to make humans, the laws of physics also permit the construction of…” — Max Tegmark",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Max Tegmark",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-tegmark/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Clearly, if atoms can be assembled...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-make-humans-the-laws-of-physics/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-tegmark/clearly-if-atoms-can-be-assembled-to-make-humans-the-laws-of-physics/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
