--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ironically, the serious study of the…" description: "\"“Ironically, the serious study of the impossible has frequently opened up rich and entirely unexpected domains of science. For example, over the centur..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/michio-kaku-907_computers_ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impo_2397570.png" --- # Ironically, the serious study of the impossible has… ![“Ironically, the serious study of the impossible has frequently opened up rich and entirely unexpected domains of science. For example, over the centuries the frustrating and futile search for a “perpetual motion machine” led physicists to conclude that such a machine was impossible, forcing them…” quote by Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/michio-kaku-907_computers_ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impo_2397570.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/michio-kaku-907_computers_ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impo_2397570.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/michio-kaku-907_computers_ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impo_2397570.png) > ““Ironically, the serious study of the impossible has frequently opened up rich and entirely unexpected domains of science. For example, over the centuries the frustrating and futile search for a “perpetual motion machine” led physicists to conclude that such a machine was impossible, forcing them to postulate the conservation of energy and the three laws of thermodynamics. Thus the futile search to build perpetual motion machines helped to open up the entirely new field of thermodynamics, which in part laid the foundation of the steam engine, the machine age, and modern industrial society.”” [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing impossible ideas often yields unexpected breakthroughs, as seen with perpetual motion attempts leading to thermodynamics. **In simple terms:** Impossible research can spark valuable discoveries. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity, even if goals seem unattainable. Themes science innovation unexpected outcomes Mood inquisitive optimistic Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - academic research - technology development - creative problem solving Key Concepts thermodynamics conservation of energy research methodology Questions to Reflect On - How can failure be reframed as progress? - What “impossible” ideas intrigue you today? A Different Perspective Success may be indirect; not all attempts succeed as intended. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Laws Thermodynamics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-thermodynamics-319435/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Perpetual motion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetual-motion/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thermodynamics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thermodynamics/) [Thermodynamics Futile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thermodynamics-futile-5994410/) [Thermodynamics Laid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thermodynamics-laid-5994411/) ## Related quotes > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) [J. Willard Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-willard-gibbs/) > [It is possible to express the laws of thermodynamics in the form of independent principles , deduced by induction from the facts of observation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-john-macquorn-rankine/it-is-possible-to-express-the-laws-of-thermodynamics-in-the-form-of/) [William John Macquorn Rankine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-john-macquorn-rankine/) > [“One, two, three, four, we don't want your fuckin' laws of thermodynamics!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/one-two-three-four-we-don-t-want-your-fuckin-laws-of-thermodynamics/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [In this house, we obey the laws of thermodynamics!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-castellaneta/in-this-house-we-obey-the-laws-of-thermodynamics/) [Dan Castellaneta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-castellaneta/) > [Entropy is one of the laws of thermodynamics. It's a physical law that says everything in nature is moving from order to disorder. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-foreman/entropy-is-one-of-the-laws-of-thermodynamics-it-s-a-physical-law-that/) [Jon Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-foreman/) > [The laws of thermodynamics restrict all technologies, man's as well as nature's, and apply to all economic systems whether capitalist, communist, socialist, or fascist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-e-daly/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-restrict-all-technologies-man-s-as-well-as/) [Herman E. Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-e-daly/) > [Regarding the Laws of Thermodynamics: "(1) You can't win, (2) you can't break even, and (3) you can't get out of the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-overbye/regarding-the-laws-of-thermodynamics-1-you-can-t-win-2-you-can-t/) [Dennis Overbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-overbye/) > [It reflects a prevailing myth that production technology is no more amenable to human judgment or social interests than the laws of thermodynamics, atomic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-commoner/it-reflects-a-prevailing-myth-that-production-technology-is-no-more/) [Barry Commoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-commoner/) > [The laws of thermodynamics may be regarded as particular cases of more general laws, applicable to all such states of matter as constitute Energy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-john-macquorn-rankine/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-may-be-regarded-as-particular-cases-of/) [William John Macquorn Rankine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-john-macquorn-rankine/) > [I don't. We've had three technological revolutions that have changed the course of human history, all driven by physics. In the first, the industrial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-don-t-we-ve-had-three-technological-revolutions-that-have-changed/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“Three laws governing black hole changes were thus found, but it was soon noticed that something unusual was going on. If one merely replaced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/three-laws-governing-black-hole-changes-were-thus-found-but-it-was/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) > [“Marketing is a never-ending story. It’s about perpetual motion where innovation plays the lead role.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-kehoe/marketing-is-a-never-ending-story-it-s-about-perpetual-motion-where/) [Stacey Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-kehoe/) > [“You drive, walk, eat, look at television, read, and all the while, beyond you and the cozy circle created by your lady around herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-dowell/you-drive-walk-eat-look-at-television-read-and-all-the-while-beyond/) [Coleman Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-dowell/) > [“Maybe it came from whacking at two-by-fours and dreaming about perpetual motion. I don't know. All I know is that compared to her, Shelly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/maybe-it-came-from-whacking-at-two-by-fours-and-dreaming-about/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [Painting' and 'religious experience' are the same thing. It is a question of the perpetual motion of a right idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nicholson/painting-and-religious-experience-are-the-same-thing-it-is-a-question/) [Ben Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nicholson/) ## More by Michio Kaku > [“My fundamental premise about the brain is that its workings—what we sometimes call “mind”—are a consequence of its anatomy and physiology, and nothing more.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/my-fundamental-premise-about-the-brain-is-that-its-workings-what-we/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [I have nothing against investment banking, but it's like massaging money rather than creating money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-have-nothing-against-investment-banking-but-it-s-like-massaging/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [I am a figure skater, which helps me appreciate Newton's theory of mechanics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-am-a-figure-skater-which-helps-me-appreciate-newton-s-theory-of/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [If space is a fabric, then of course fabrics can have ripples, which we have now seen directly. But fabrics can also rip. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/if-space-is-a-fabric-then-of-course-fabrics-can-have-ripples-which-we/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [The best theory comes from string theory, which states that dark matter is nothing but a higher vibration of the string. We are, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/the-best-theory-comes-from-string-theory-which-states-that-dark/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [The media, of course, loves to make claims about the fountain of youth. Don't believe it. No one has it. But we're getting close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/the-media-of-course-loves-to-make-claims-about-the-fountain-of-youth/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Consciousness-one level is understanding where we are in space. Consciousness two is where we understand our position in society: who's top dog, who's underdog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/consciousness-one-level-is-understanding-where-we-are-in-space/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [It would take a civilization far more advanced than ours, unbelievably advanced, to begin to manipulate negative energy to create gateways to the past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/it-would-take-a-civilization-far-more-advanced-than-ours-unbelievably/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [A human body can think thoughts, play a piano, kill germs, remove toxins, make a baby all at once. Once it's doing that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/a-human-body-can-think-thoughts-play-a-piano-kill-germs-remove-toxins/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“I’m as fond of my body as anyone, but if I can be 200 with a body of silicon, I’ll take it. —DANIEL HILL,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/i-m-as-fond-of-my-body-as-anyone-but-if-i-can-be-200-with-a-body-of/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [Science is about principles. It's about concepts. It's not about memorizing the parts of a flower. It helps to know some of these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/science-is-about-principles-it-s-about-concepts-it-s-not-about/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [A related aspect of intelligent consciousness is delay of gratification: the wisdom to accurately predict whether delay rather than acting on impulse will yield…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/a-related-aspect-of-intelligent-consciousness-is-delay-of/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“There are an estimated 100 billion neurons residing inside the skull with an exponential amount of neural connections”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/there-are-an-estimated-100-billion-neurons-residing-inside-the-skull/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [“But on the question of whether the robots will eventually take over, he { Rodney A. Brooks } says that this will probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/but-on-the-question-of-whether-the-robots-will-eventually-take-over/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [The idea that excites me the most concerns the two greatest puzzles in science: the origin of the universe, and the origin of consciousness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/the-idea-that-excites-me-the-most-concerns-the-two-greatest-puzzles/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) [Explore all 328 Michio Kaku quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) ## More Computers quotes > [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Note found in the patron suggestion box: "You have SIGNS up near the computers that say BE QUIET, but people don't be quiet. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-sheridan/note-found-in-the-patron-suggestion-box-you-have-signs-up-near-the/) [Gina Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-sheridan/) > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [The corporate state is an immensely powerful machine, ordered, legalistic, rational, yet utterly out of human control, wholly and perfectly indifferent to any human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/the-corporate-state-is-an-immensely-powerful-machine-ordered/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) > [The display is the computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hsun-huang/the-display-is-the-computer/) [Jen-Hsun Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hsun-huang/) > [The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steam ships.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-pickering/the-popular-mind-often-pictures-gigantic-flying-machines-speeding/) [William Henry Pickering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-pickering/) > [“Alan Turing proposed the Turing Test: a computer is intelligent if you can't tell it from a human when you talk with it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cjs-hayward/alan-turing-proposed-the-turing-test-a-computer-is-intelligent-if-you/) [CJS Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cjs-hayward/) > [Computers can be taught that certain tune or certain chords changes will sound pleasant together, but I don't think it's going to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/computers-can-be-taught-that-certain-tune-or-certain-chords-changes/) [Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [“According to this model, human beings are, at least in one aspect, sensation-receiving machines; and although our receptory apparatus is competent to select and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cruce-stark/according-to-this-model-human-beings-are-at-least-in-one-aspect/) [Cruce Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cruce-stark/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) [Browse all 9,389 Computers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ironically, the serious study of the impossible has frequently opened up rich and entirely unexpected domains of science. For example, over the centuries the frustrating and futile search for a “perpetual motion machine” led physicists to conclude that such a machine was impossible, forcing them to postulate the conservation of energy and the three laws of thermodynamics. Thus the futile search to build perpetual motion machines helped to open up the entirely new field of thermodynamics, which in part laid the foundation of the steam engine, the machine age, and modern industrial society.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michio Kaku" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impossible-has-frequently-opened/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Computers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impossible-has-frequently-opened/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/michio-kaku-907_computers_ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impo_2397570.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/michio-kaku-907_computers_ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impo_2397570.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/michio-kaku-907_computers_ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impo_2397570.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ironically, the serious study of the impossible has frequently opened up rich and entirely unexpected…” — Michio Kaku", "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": "Michio Kaku", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Ironically, the serious study of the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impossible-has-frequently-opened/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/ironically-the-serious-study-of-the-impossible-has-frequently-opened/#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 } } ] } ```