--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A given circle cannot be so true that a…" description: "\"A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot be found; and the movement of a sphere at one moment is never precisely equal to its movement ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdc/nicholas-of-cusa-14312_appearance_a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a_1901809.jpg" --- # A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot… ![“A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot be found; and the movement of a sphere at one moment is never precisely equal to its movement at another, nor does it ever describe two circles similar and equal, even if from appearances the opposite may seem true.” quote by Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdc/nicholas-of-cusa-14312_appearance_a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a_1901809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdc/nicholas-of-cusa-14312_appearance_a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a_1901809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdc/nicholas-of-cusa-14312_appearance_a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a_1901809.jpg) > “A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot be found; and the movement of a sphere at one moment is never precisely equal to its movement at another, nor does it ever describe two circles similar and equal, even if from appearances the opposite may seem true.” [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth is provisional; even seemingly perfect circles can be refined, and motion is never identical across moments. **In simple terms:** Even perfect ideas can be improved; change is constant. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty and keep seeking deeper understanding. Themes philosophy mathematics epistemology Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical academic When to use this quote - scientific research - personal growth - creative design Key Concepts infinite regress approximation dynamic systems Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle changing truths? - What role does approximation play in your field? A Different Perspective Complex language may limit accessibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) [Circle True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circle-true-2811261/) [Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Circles Similar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles-similar-2811263/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Given Circle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given-circle-2811262/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Opposite True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-true-343812/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Spheres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spheres/) [Truer Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truer-movement-2811264/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s better to have a light heart and a dark mind than for the opposite to be true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/it-s-better-to-have-a-light-heart-and-a-dark-mind-than-for-the/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [They say travel enables you to encounter your opposite. If this is true, I think I may have met mine in a shepherd's hut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/they-say-travel-enables-you-to-encounter-your-opposite-if-this-is/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [“It's said that you can never go home again, and it's true enough, of course. But the opposite is also true. You must go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/it-s-said-that-you-can-never-go-home-again-and-it-s-true-enough-of/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [Order is no guarantee of understanding. Sometimes just the opposite is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/order-is-no-guarantee-of-understanding-sometimes-just-the-opposite-is/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [I'm often accused of being prudish, but the opposite is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hislop/i-m-often-accused-of-being-prudish-but-the-opposite-is-true/) [Ian Hislop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hislop/) > [Everything is true; only the opposite is true too; you must believe both equally or be damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/everything-is-true-only-the-opposite-is-true-too-you-must-believe/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“I wonder if he’d die if I did because I know the opposite is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-thomas/i-wonder-if-he-d-die-if-i-did-because-i-know-the-opposite-is-true/) [Kitty Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-thomas/) > [“You can say you love me all you want, but if you only ever act like the opposite's true, then I can't trust your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-carter/you-can-say-you-love-me-all-you-want-but-if-you-only-ever-act-like/) [Aimee Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-carter/) > [You know the old adage that the customer's always right? Well, I kind of think that the opposite is true. The customer is rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-trotter/you-know-the-old-adage-that-the-customer-s-always-right-well-i-kind/) [Charlie Trotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-trotter/) > [I love that sometimes we need to go to the opposite side of the world to realize assumptions that we didn't even know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/i-love-that-sometimes-we-need-to-go-to-the-opposite-side-of-the-world/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [Lets never forget that whatever brilliant ideas you have or hear, that the opposite may also be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/lets-never-forget-that-whatever-brilliant-ideas-you-have-or-hear-that/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) > [That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/that-s-nonsense-in-fact-the-opposite-is-true-leaders-are-made-rather/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [ If \[Barack\] Obama or the boss or the newspapers or anyone else tells you they're doing this, that, or the other thing, dismiss it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-barack-obama-or-the-boss-or-the-newspapers-or-anyone-else-tells/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Let’s never forget that whatever brilliant ideas you have or hear, that the opposite may also be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/let-s-never-forget-that-whatever-brilliant-ideas-you-have-or-hear/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [Whatever you decide is your motivation in the scene, the opposite of that is also true and should be in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shurtleff/whatever-you-decide-is-your-motivation-in-the-scene-the-opposite-of/) [Michael Shurtleff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shurtleff/) ## More by Nicholas of Cusa > [God says to man: 'Be thou thyself, and I shall be thine.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/god-says-to-man-be-thou-thyself-and-i-shall-be-thine/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [All visible things would not claim as their king some color of their region, which is actually among the visible things of this region,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/all-visible-things-would-not-claim-as-their-king-some-color-of-their/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [There are not many beginnings but there is a single Beginning, prior to multitude. But if you were to say that the beginnings are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/there-are-not-many-beginnings-but-there-is-a-single-beginning-prior/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [Within itself the soul sees all things more truly than as they exist in different things outside itself. And the more it goes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/within-itself-the-soul-sees-all-things-more-truly-than-as-they-exist/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [Divinity is in all things in such a way that all things are in divinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/divinity-is-in-all-things-in-such-a-way-that-all-things-are-in/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [In humility alone lies true greatness, and knowledge and wisdom are profitable only in so far as our lives are governed by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/in-humility-alone-lies-true-greatness-and-knowledge-and-wisdom-are/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [All we know of the truth is that the absolute truth, such as it is, is beyond our reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/all-we-know-of-the-truth-is-that-the-absolute-truth-such-as-it-is-is/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [You are therefore able to run on this path, on which God is found above all vision, hearing, taste, touch, smell, speech, sense, rationality,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/you-are-therefore-able-to-run-on-this-path-on-which-god-is-found/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [Thou art merciful; when all my endeavour is turned toward Thee because all Thy endeavour is turned toward me; when I look unto Thee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/thou-art-merciful-when-all-my-endeavour-is-turned-toward-thee-because/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [Through itself the soul arrives at all harmony that is perceptible in otherness-just as through what is internal the soul arrives at what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/through-itself-the-soul-arrives-at-all-harmony-that-is-perceptible-in/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [We see that God has implanted in all things a natural desire to exist with the fullest measure of existence that is compatible with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/we-see-that-god-has-implanted-in-all-things-a-natural-desire-to-exist/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [The rational is apprehended through the intellect, however, the intellect is not found in the region of the rational; the intellect is as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/the-rational-is-apprehended-through-the-intellect-however-the/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [All things are in the intended endpoint, and this mode of being is called will or desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/all-things-are-in-the-intended-endpoint-and-this-mode-of-being-is/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [ Every angle acknowledges that it is a likeness of true angularity, for \[each angle\] is angle not insofar as angle exists in itself but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/every-angle-acknowledges-that-it-is-a-likeness-of-true-angularity-for/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) > [For reason's measurements, which attain unto temporal things, do not attain unto things that are free from time-just as hearing does not attain unto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/for-reason-s-measurements-which-attain-unto-temporal-things-do-not/) [Nicholas of Cusa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) [Explore all 47 Nicholas of Cusa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/) ## More Appearance quotes > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [We must, however, note that what are usually called the high religions made their appearance within about twenty-five hundred years - most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/we-must-however-note-that-what-are-usually-called-the-high-religions/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [You can have a nice body, dress with the latest fashion. But if you don't have self-confidence sweetheart, forget about looking sexy, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/you-can-have-a-nice-body-dress-with-the-latest-fashion-but-if-you-don/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I'm OK with my appearance. I have made my peace with it after a long and frankly exhausting battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-m-ok-with-my-appearance-i-have-made-my-peace-with-it-after-a-long/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Appearance records are pretty special. Mine means a lot to me, not only because I love stats, but because it shows that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/appearance-records-are-pretty-special-mine-means-a-lot-to-me-not-only/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [Every man would fall in love with their voice, their lovely appearance, but no man would ever get past that. They'd never really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/every-man-would-fall-in-love-with-their-voice-their-lovely-appearance/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I already know what things look like - I don't want description. People believe in appearances, and I don't believe in appearances at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-already-know-what-things-look-like-i-don-t-want-description-people/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) [Browse all 2,446 Appearance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot be found; and the movement of a sphere at one moment is never precisely equal to its movement at another, nor does it ever describe two circles similar and equal, even if from appearances the opposite may seem true.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicholas of Cusa" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a-truer-one-cannot-be-found-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appearance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a-truer-one-cannot-be-found-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdc/nicholas-of-cusa-14312_appearance_a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a_1901809.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdc/nicholas-of-cusa-14312_appearance_a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a_1901809.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bdc/nicholas-of-cusa-14312_appearance_a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a_1901809.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A given circle cannot be so true that a truer one cannot be found; and the movement of a sphere at one…” — Nicholas of Cusa", "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": "Nicholas of Cusa", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-of-cusa/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A given circle cannot be so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a-truer-one-cannot-be-found-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-of-cusa/a-given-circle-cannot-be-so-true-that-a-truer-one-cannot-be-found-and/#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 } } ] } ```