---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science is rooted in the will to truth…"
description: "\"Science is rooted in the will to truth. With the will to truth it stands or falls. Lower the standard even slightly and science becomes diseased at the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/max-wertheimer-40283_caricatures_science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-w_1235088.jpg"
---

#  Science is rooted in the will to truth. With the will to…

![“Science is rooted in the will to truth. With the will to truth it stands or falls. Lower the standard even slightly and science becomes diseased at the core. Not only science, but man. The will to truth, pure and unadulterated, is among the essential conditions of his existence; if the standard is…” quote by Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/max-wertheimer-40283_caricatures_science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-w_1235088.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/max-wertheimer-40283_caricatures_science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-w_1235088.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/max-wertheimer-40283_caricatures_science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-w_1235088.jpg)

> “Science is rooted in the will to truth. With the will to truth it stands or falls. Lower the standard even slightly and science becomes diseased at the core. Not only science, but man. The will to truth, pure and unadulterated, is among the essential conditions of his existence; if the standard is compromised he easily becomes a kind of tragic caricature of himself.”

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

## About This Quote

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

Science depends on an uncompromised commitment to truth; any dilution weakens its integrity and can corrupt humanity.

**In simple terms:** Science needs pure truth; lowering standards harms it.

Key Takeaway

Uphold rigorous standards.

Themes

truth integrity science humanity

Mood

reflective serious

Type

philosophical ethical

When to use this quote

- research
- education
- policy making
- personal decision making

Key Concepts

epistemology philosophy of science ethical standards

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you resist pressure to lower standards?
- What consequences arise from diluted truth?

A Different Perspective

Compromising standards may be inevitable under pressure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Caricatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caricatures/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Tragic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Rebuke the enemy that tries to stir up the ego. We must stay rooted in truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-s-voice/rebuke-the-enemy-that-tries-to-stir-up-the-ego-we-must-stay-rooted-in/)

Lisa's Voice

> [“If truth is what each of us believed, and we each believe differently, there would be no such thing as truth. Truth stands against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-williamson/if-truth-is-what-each-of-us-believed-and-we-each-believe-differently/)

[Jill Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-williamson/)

> [“Look at the truth from how it stands, not where it comes from. The truth is still the truth no matter whether it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/look-at-the-truth-from-how-it-stands-not-where-it-comes-from-the/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [God is, even though the whole world deny him. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/god-is-even-though-the-whole-world-deny-him-truth-stands-even-if/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Truth is what stands the test of experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/truth-is-what-stands-the-test-of-experience/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [It's never too late with truth. It stands outside time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingsbury/it-s-never-too-late-with-truth-it-stands-outside-time/)

[Karen Kingsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingsbury/)

> [One cannot seperate truth from actions...Physically inevitable or not, truth stands above all things. It is independant of who has the best army, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/one-cannot-seperate-truth-from-actions-physically-inevitable-or-not/)

[Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/)

> [Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self-sustained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truth-stands-even-if-there-be-no-public-support-it-is-self-sustained/)

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

> [But what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an hypothesis!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/but-what-a-weak-barrier-is-truth-when-it-stands-in-the-way-of-an/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/)

> [“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/an-error-does-not-become-truth-by-reason-of-multiplied-propagation-2/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Truth is complete in itself. Truth has a strong foundation in itself. It is bold, it has no fears. It has no limit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/truth-is-complete-in-itself-truth-has-a-strong-foundation-in-itself/)

[Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/)

> [Truth stands for Taking Real Understanding To Heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-busey/truth-stands-for-taking-real-understanding-to-heart/)

[Gary Busey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-busey/)

> [Truth stands for the fact, nonviolence negates the fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/truth-stands-for-the-fact-nonviolence-negates-the-fact/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [On a huge hill, Cragged, and steep, Truth stands, and hee that will Reach her, about must, and about must goo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/on-a-huge-hill-cragged-and-steep-truth-stands-and-hee-that-will-reach/)

[John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/)

> [People where we come from hear so many lies that the truth stands out like a sore thumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eazy-e/people-where-we-come-from-hear-so-many-lies-that-the-truth-stands-out/)

[Eazy-E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eazy-e/)

## More by Max Wertheimer

> [ Given a situation, a system with a Leerstelle \[a gap\], whether a given completion (Lueckenfuellung) does justice to the structure, is the "right" one,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/given-a-situation-a-system-with-a-leerstelle-a-gap-whether-a-given/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [Thinking consists in envisaging, realizing structural features and structural requirements; proceeding in accordance with, and determined by, these requirements; thereby changing the situation in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/thinking-consists-in-envisaging-realizing-structural-features-and/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [There are wholes, the behavior of which is not determined by that of their individual elements, but where the part-processes are themselves determined by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/there-are-wholes-the-behavior-of-which-is-not-determined-by-that-of/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [The basic thesis of gestalt theory might be formulated thus: there are contexts in which what is happening in the whole cannot be deduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/the-basic-thesis-of-gestalt-theory-might-be-formulated-thus-there-are/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [Truth and falsity, indeed understanding, is not necessarily something purely intellectual, remote from feelings and attitudes. ... It is in the total conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/truth-and-falsity-indeed-understanding-is-not-necessarily-something/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> ["Pieces" almost always appear 'as parts' in whole processes. ... To sever a "'part" from the organized whole in which it occurs-whether it itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/pieces-almost-always-appear-as-parts-in-whole-processes-to-sever-a/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [Often, in great discovery the most important thing is that a certain question is found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/often-in-great-discovery-the-most-important-thing-is-that-a-certain/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [There are still psychologists who, in a basic misunderstanding, think that gestalt theory tends to underestimate the role of past experience. Gestalt theory tries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/there-are-still-psychologists-who-in-a-basic-misunderstanding-think/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [It opposes the dogmatic application to all cases of what is adequate only for piecemeal aggregates. The question is whether an approach in piecemeal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/it-opposes-the-dogmatic-application-to-all-cases-of-what-is-adequate/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

> [Man is not only part of a field, but a part and member of his group. When people are together, as when they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/man-is-not-only-part-of-a-field-but-a-part-and-member-of-his-group/)

[Max Wertheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

[Explore all 11 Max Wertheimer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/)

## More Caricatures quotes

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [The caricature of science is that we hold tight to the theories we have, and shun challenges to them. That's just not true. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-caricature-of-science-is-that-we-hold-tight-to-the-theories-we/)

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

> [I have to be careful to get out before I become the grotesque caricature of a hatchet-faced woman with big knockers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-have-to-be-careful-to-get-out-before-i-become-the-grotesque/)

[Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/)

> [ I can hardly believe what these 12 caricatures \[about Prophet Muhammad\] have caused in the world. We Danes feel like we have been placed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/i-can-hardly-believe-what-these-12-caricatures-about-prophet-muhammad/)

[Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/)

> [51% of the French people - who are not very religious - were thinking that what "Charlie Hebdo" did was unwise. They aren't asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/51-of-the-french-people-who-are-not-very-religious-were-thinking-that/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [It's very easy for me to say what success is. I think success is connecting with an audience who understands you and having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/it-s-very-easy-for-me-to-say-what-success-is-i-think-success-is/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [Zoos are becoming facsimiles - or perhaps caricatures - of how animals once were in their natural habitat. If the right policies toward nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/zoos-are-becoming-facsimiles-or-perhaps-caricatures-of-how-animals/)

[Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/)

> [Your own self, your personality and existence are reflected within the mind of each of the people whom you meet, ... into a likeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/your-own-self-your-personality-and-existence-are-reflected-within-the/)

[Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/)

> [Capitalist exploitation and cartels and monopolies are the enemies of underdeveloped countries. On the other hand a regime which is completely oriented towards the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/capitalist-exploitation-and-cartels-and-monopolies-are-the-enemies-of/)

[Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/)

> [I am an extremely private person. I always feel that I come across as a caricature of myself whenever I do interviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-kirshner/i-am-an-extremely-private-person-i-always-feel-that-i-come-across-as/)

[Mia Kirshner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-kirshner/)

> [I just feel as though it's become a situation where people have manifested this caricature of who I am, and they act as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-lohan/i-just-feel-as-though-it-s-become-a-situation-where-people-have/)

[Lindsay Lohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-lohan/)

> [To have a discussion about the plusses and minuses of various forms of group action, though, is going to require discussing the current tools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-shirky/to-have-a-discussion-about-the-plusses-and-minuses-of-various-forms/)

[Clay Shirky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-shirky/)

> [We know the "great men" and a handful of heavily cited papers in our specialization. When there is a historical frame around a paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/we-know-the-great-men-and-a-handful-of-heavily-cited-papers-in-our/)

[Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/)

> [We may say that hysteria is a caricature of an artistic creation, a compulsion neurosis a caricature of a religion, and a paranoiac delusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/we-may-say-that-hysteria-is-a-caricature-of-an-artistic-creation-a/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [Politicians are interesting people, most of them are smart and hard-working-I mean, they keep schedules no one else would think of keeping. Some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/politicians-are-interesting-people-most-of-them-are-smart-and-hard/)

[Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/)

[Browse all 196 Caricatures quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caricatures/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Science is rooted in the will to truth. With the will to truth it stands or falls. Lower the standard even slightly and science becomes diseased at the core. Not only science, but man. The will to truth, pure and unadulterated, is among the essential conditions of his existence; if the standard is compromised he easily becomes a kind of tragic caricature of himself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Max Wertheimer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-with-the-will-to-truth-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Caricatures"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-with-the-will-to-truth-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/max-wertheimer-40283_caricatures_science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-w_1235088.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/max-wertheimer-40283_caricatures_science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-w_1235088.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/287/max-wertheimer-40283_caricatures_science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-w_1235088.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Science is rooted in the will to truth. With the will to truth it stands or falls. Lower the standard even…” — Max Wertheimer",
                "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 Wertheimer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-wertheimer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Science is rooted in the will...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-with-the-will-to-truth-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-wertheimer/science-is-rooted-in-the-will-to-truth-with-the-will-to-truth-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
