--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there is something in nature you don't…" description: "\"If there is something in nature you don't understand, odds are it makes sense in a deeper way that is beyond your understanding. So there is a logic to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_deeper_if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don_2342120.jpg" --- # If there is something in nature you don't understand, odds… ![“If there is something in nature you don't understand, odds are it makes sense in a deeper way that is beyond your understanding. So there is a logic to natural things that is much superior to our own. Just as there is a dichotomy in law: 'innocent until proven guilty' as opposed to 'guilty until…” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_deeper_if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don_2342120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_deeper_if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don_2342120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_deeper_if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don_2342120.jpg) > “If there is something in nature you don't understand, odds are it makes sense in a deeper way that is beyond your understanding. So there is a logic to natural things that is much superior to our own. Just as there is a dichotomy in law: 'innocent until proven guilty' as opposed to 'guilty until proven innocent', let me express my rule as follows: what Mother Nature does is rigorous until proven otherwise; what humans and science do is flawed until proven otherwise.” [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Taleb suggests that natural phenomena operate under a rigorous logic beyond human comprehension, while human knowledge is provisional and error‑prone. **In simple terms:** Nature follows strict rules; humans are often wrong. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of human understanding and respect natural order. Themes science philosophy uncertainty Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - research - policy making - environmental planning Key Concepts epistemology systems theory natural law Questions to Reflect On - How can we better align scientific models with natural complexity? - What safeguards help when human judgment fails? A Different Perspective Human intuition may overestimate control over complex systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Dichotomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dichotomy/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Flawed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed/) [Flawed Proven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flawed-proven-5671478/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [Guilty until proven innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty-until-proven-innocent/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [In-laws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/in-laws/) [Innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocent/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Let me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-me/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Logic Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic-natural-5671476/) [Make sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-sense/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-nature/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Nature Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-does/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Odds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/odds/) [Science Flawed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-flawed-5671477/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“Except in stock locutions, such as "You were paid yesterday," "The Germans were defeated," or "The project was abandoned," the passive voice is virtually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/except-in-stock-locutions-such-as-you-were-paid-yesterday-the-germans/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“All saints should be judged guilty until proven innocent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/all-saints-should-be-judged-guilty-until-proven-innocent/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Guilty until proven innocent - A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/guilty-until-proven-innocent-a/) [Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/) > [The only certainties in life are death and taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-only-certainties-in-life-are-death-and-taxes/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“One can go on saying for years that one doesn't listen to gossip, that the absent cannot defend themselves from slander, etc., etc.; but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/one-can-go-on-saying-for-years-that-one-doesn-t-listen-to-gossip-that/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“When in court, the primary role of lawyers is not to prove or disprove innocence; unbeknown to almost all lawyers and their clients, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/when-in-court-the-primary-role-of-lawyers-is-not-to-prove-or-disprove/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [In an extroverted society, the difference between an introvert and an extrovert is that an introvert is often unconsciously deemed guilty until proven innocent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/in-an-extroverted-society-the-difference-between-an-introvert-and-an/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [As a father you're guilty until proven innocent. You're a second class citizen in terms of parenting. As a father you have to prove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-solomon/as-a-father-you-re-guilty-until-proven-innocent-you-re-a-second-class/) [Stacey Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-solomon/) > [“When Hodges was presented to Harmon the next morning for a positive ID, Harmon reportedly couldn’t be sure he was her attacker. “I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-r-bills/when-hodges-was-presented-to-harmon-the-next-morning-for-a-positive/) [E.R. Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-r-bills/) > [There's a reason survivors choose not to go to the police, and that's because they're treated as the criminals. The rapists are innocent until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-sulkowicz/there-s-a-reason-survivors-choose-not-to-go-to-the-police-and-that-s/) [Emma Sulkowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-sulkowicz/) > [It's not about whether you are innocent or guilty. It's about whether or not you can prove you're innocent. If you can't prove you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-jones/it-s-not-about-whether-you-are-innocent-or-guilty-it-s-about-whether/) [Ronald Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-jones/) > [“The overarching principle of a therapeutic relationship is that therapists should be ever mindful of a variant of the Hippocratic oath and, to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-a-courtois/the-overarching-principle-of-a-therapeutic-relationship-is-that/) [Christine A. Courtois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-a-courtois/) > [“Accusations are convictions in the public mind. You are guilty until proven innocent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coben/accusations-are-convictions-in-the-public-mind-you-are-guilty-until/) [Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coben/) > [All technology should be assumed guilty until proven innocent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-technology-should-be-assumed-guilty-until-proven-innocent/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Kushner is the victim of exaggerated speculation supported by little evidence. Because of his affiliation with the Trump White House and the Trump family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/kushner-is-the-victim-of-exaggerated-speculation-supported-by-little/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) ## More by Nassim Nicholas Taleb > [To become a philosopher, start by walking very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/to-become-a-philosopher-start-by-walking-very-slowly/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [My nightmare scenario is that the government saves Citibank once again, as well as the other banks, and business resumes as usual. Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“One needs to go out and buy a lottery ticket in order to win. Does it mean that the work involved in the trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-needs-to-go-out-and-buy-a-lottery-ticket-in-order-to-win-does-it/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/individuals-should-think-about-the-worst-case-scenarios-and-plan-for/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“If you are looking for your misplaced wallet in your living room, in a trial and error mode, you exercise rationality by not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-are-looking-for-your-misplaced-wallet-in-your-living-room-in-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Most humans manage to squander their free time, as free time makes them dysfunctional, lazy, and unmotivated—the busier they get, the more active they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/most-humans-manage-to-squander-their-free-time-as-free-time-makes/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“loss of bone density and degradation of the health of the bones also causes aging, diabetes, and, for males, loss of fertility and sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/loss-of-bone-density-and-degradation-of-the-health-of-the-bones-also/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Explore all 635 Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More Deeper quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Schools must inquire deeper into their own practices, explore new ways to motivate their learners, make use of learning styles, introduce multiple intelligences, integrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fullan/schools-must-inquire-deeper-into-their-own-practices-explore-new-ways/) [Michael Fullan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fullan/) > [It's bluesy, rocky jazz. I call it soul music, but it's not James Brown soul music. It comes from my soul. It comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinsel-korey/it-s-bluesy-rocky-jazz-i-call-it-soul-music-but-it-s-not-james-brown/) [Tinsel Korey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinsel-korey/) > [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/) [Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/) > [“It is usually easier to see what lies on the surface of a person rather than taking the time and attention to delve deeper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anne-warren/it-is-usually-easier-to-see-what-lies-on-the-surface-of-a-person/) [Tracy Anne Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anne-warren/) > [Your deeper sense isn’t a springboard; it’s a landing place. If you draw conclusions too quickly or too slowly, you’ll establish your self where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/your-deeper-sense-isn-t-a-springboard-it-s-a-landing-place-if-you/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [Forgiving the men who killed my parents and brother was a process, a journey into deeper and deeper prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immaculee-ilibagiza/forgiving-the-men-who-killed-my-parents-and-brother-was-a-process-a/) [Immaculee Ilibagiza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immaculee-ilibagiza/) > [I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/i-thought-i-knew-a-lot-about-music-then-you-start-digging-and-the/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [As to London we must console ourselves with the thought that if life outside is less poetic than it was in the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldwin-smith/as-to-london-we-must-console-ourselves-with-the-thought-that-if-life/) [Goldwin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldwin-smith/) > [On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/on-a-deeper-level-you-are-already-complete-when-you-realize-that/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Each day my love grows deeper, deeper than I never thought before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-day-my-love-grows-deeper-deeper-than-i-never-thought-before/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know what I was thinking about on my way home? How different my life would be if you’d made that gash a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/you-know-what-i-was-thinking-about-on-my-way-home-how-different-my/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what's called a memory trace. With each repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/when-we-have-the-same-thought-again-the-line-of-the-original-thought/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [I would say 'Home' is a lot richer and deeper than my earlier classical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/i-would-say-home-is-a-lot-richer-and-deeper-than-my-earlier-classical/) [Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/) [Browse all 2,332 Deeper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If there is something in nature you don't understand, odds are it makes sense in a deeper way that is beyond your understanding. So there is a logic to natural things that is much superior to our own. Just as there is a dichotomy in law: 'innocent until proven guilty' as opposed to 'guilty until proven innocent', let me express my rule as follows: what Mother Nature does is rigorous until proven otherwise; what humans and science do is flawed until proven otherwise.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don-t-understand-odds-are-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deeper" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don-t-understand-odds-are-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_deeper_if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don_2342120.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_deeper_if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don_2342120.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_deeper_if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don_2342120.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there is something in nature you don't understand, odds are it makes sense in a deeper way that is beyond…” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "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": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If there is something in nature...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don-t-understand-odds-are-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-there-is-something-in-nature-you-don-t-understand-odds-are-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 } } ] } ```