--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science is not there for you to cherry…" description: "\"Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can decide whether or not to believe in it but that doesn’t change the reality of an emergent scien..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_believe_science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-p_142338.png" --- # Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can… ![“Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can decide whether or not to believe in it but that doesn’t change the reality of an emergent scientific truth.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_believe_science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-p_142338.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_believe_science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-p_142338.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_believe_science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-p_142338.png) > “Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can decide whether or not to believe in it but that doesn’t change the reality of an emergent scientific truth.” [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science exists independently of belief; accepting it doesn’t alter objective truths that emerge from empirical evidence. **In simple terms:** Science is objective, regardless of belief. Key Takeaway Trust evidence over opinion. Themes science objectivity truth Mood inquisitive educational Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - education - policy making - public discourse Key Concepts epistemology methodology Questions to Reflect On - How do we bridge the gap between belief and evidence? - What role does skepticism play in scientific progress? A Different Perspective Science can be misunderstood or misused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-truth/) ## Related quotes > [Scientific truth is not what any one scientist puts forth. It can be that, but it is generally not. It is the sum of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/scientific-truth-is-not-what-any-one-scientist-puts-forth-it-can-be/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“You know what I know, Mally. Now you must decide what to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-legette-2/you-know-what-i-know-mally-now-you-must-decide-what-to-believe/) [M.L LeGette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-legette-2/) > [“We do not simply decide to believe, having been convinced by factual evidence. We first grasp the truth, being enabled by the Holy Spirit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-custance/we-do-not-simply-decide-to-believe-having-been-convinced-by-factual/) Arthur C. Custance > [You can get over a broken past if you decide to believe that there's nothing in your past that can keep you from having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/you-can-get-over-a-broken-past-if-you-decide-to-believe-that-there-s/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“No one can make you jealous, until you decide to believe it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-basit-rana-mbr/no-one-can-make-you-jealous-until-you-decide-to-believe-it/) [Muhammad Basit Rana -MBR](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-basit-rana-mbr/) > [Decide to believe in God, who created you. Decide to believe in yourself, that you truly can reach goals—your goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-d-pinegar/decide-to-believe-in-god-who-created-you-decide-to-believe-in/) [Rex D. Pinegar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-d-pinegar/) > [“When you decide to do something you believe to be right, don’t let others stop you, even if a majority of people disapprove of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-chakrapani/when-you-decide-to-do-something-you-believe-to-be-right-don-t-let/) Chuck Chakrapani > [It's hard to do that, to decide to believe one thing over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/it-s-hard-to-do-that-to-decide-to-believe-one-thing-over-another/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) > [“...sooner or later you have to decide what you believe." It was a thing I'd always known but until recently had forgotten: that faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-haigh/sooner-or-later-you-have-to-decide-what-you-believe-it-was-a-thing-i/) [Jennifer Haigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-haigh/) > [It is up to you to decide who to believe: the same people as usual or those who endanger their lives to save the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-correa/it-is-up-to-you-to-decide-who-to-believe-the-same-people-as-usual-or/) [Rafael Correa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-correa/) > [“Do we not see the influence we have when we say we believe in one thing, but our children see us living something else?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/do-we-not-see-the-influence-we-have-when-we-say-we-believe-in-one/) [Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/) > [You've got to give people a fair chance of saying what they believe, and then you've got to decide, "Do you believe 'em?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/you-ve-got-to-give-people-a-fair-chance-of-saying-what-they-believe/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [I don't believe in God because certain reasons and arguments weigh more heavily in my mind than others, not because I have willfully decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/i-don-t-believe-in-god-because-certain-reasons-and-arguments-weigh/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [When people say they love you, you just have to decide to believe them, because you'll never know for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-wittlinger/when-people-say-they-love-you-you-just-have-to-decide-to-believe-them/) [Ellen Wittlinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-wittlinger/) > [I guess on one hand I believe it doesn't matter if there is life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-believe-it-doesn-t-matter-if-there-is-life/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) ## More by Neil deGrasse Tyson > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The Pacific is the best toilet for satellites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-pacific-is-the-best-toilet-for-satellites/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If you seek only easy problems to solve, then ultimately, there'll be nothing about you to distinguish yourself from others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-you-seek-only-easy-problems-to-solve-then-ultimately-there-ll-be/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [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/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I've said multiple times that the world's first trillionaire is going to be the person who exploits the resources of asteroids, the natural resources…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-ve-said-multiple-times-that-the-world-s-first-trillionaire-is-going/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [ They \[scientists of centuries past\] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-on-god-only-from-the-lonely/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We explore our environment, more than we are compelled to utter poetry, when we're toddlers. We start doing that later. Before that happens, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-explore-our-environment-more-than-we-are-compelled-to-utter-poetry/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The idea that God resides in the unknown is what philosophers call the God of the gaps. And we have this thing called science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-idea-that-god-resides-in-the-unknown-is-what-philosophers-call/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Everybody's got money for vacation time. Look at how much we all spend just to get - well, I get sick on the loop-the-loop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/everybody-s-got-money-for-vacation-time-look-at-how-much-we-all-spend/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) [Explore all 1,143 Neil deGrasse Tyson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can decide whether or not to believe in it but that doesn’t change the reality of an emergent scientific truth.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neil deGrasse Tyson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-pick-you-can-decide-whether-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-pick-you-can-decide-whether-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_believe_science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-p_142338.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_believe_science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-p_142338.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/929/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_believe_science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-p_142338.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can decide whether or not to believe in it but that…” — Neil deGrasse Tyson", "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": "Neil deGrasse Tyson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Science is not there for you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-pick-you-can-decide-whether-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-pick-you-can-decide-whether-or/#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 } } ] } ```