--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is wrong to think that the task of…" description: "\"It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how Nature is. Physics concerns what we say about Nature.\" — Niels Bohr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/niels-bohr-4542_nature_it-is-wrong-to-think-that-the-task-of-ph_1711529.png" --- # It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find… ![“It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how Nature is. Physics concerns what we say about Nature.” quote by Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/niels-bohr-4542_nature_it-is-wrong-to-think-that-the-task-of-ph_1711529.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/niels-bohr-4542_nature_it-is-wrong-to-think-that-the-task-of-ph_1711529.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/533/niels-bohr-4542_nature_it-is-wrong-to-think-that-the-task-of-ph_1711529.png) > “It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how Nature is. Physics concerns what we say about Nature.” [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physics is about the language we use to describe nature, not uncovering an ultimate truth. **In simple terms:** Science describes, not defines. Key Takeaway Question our descriptions. Themes philosophy of science language interpretation epistemology theory Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - Scientific writing - education - public outreach - policy drafting Key Concepts physics philosophy linguistics Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape scientific understanding? - Can multiple descriptions coexist for the same phenomenon? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on description may ignore empirical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Physics Concerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics-concerns-1250799/) [Physics Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics-nature-1250798/) [Say Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-nature-1250801/) [Task Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/task-physics-1250800/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) ## Related quotes > [Physics is an organized body of knowledge about nature, and a student of it says that he is learning physics, not nature. 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Face to face with any one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/is-it-wholly-fantastic-to-admit-the-possibility-that-nature-herself/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [“And here lies the crux of the matter: to say that nature is personal may mean not so much seeing the world differently as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-stuckey/and-here-lies-the-crux-of-the-matter-to-say-that-nature-is-personal/) [Priscilla Stuckey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-stuckey/) > [“we always say that nature cannot be change, but we forget that change is the name of nature”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasnain-shakeel/we-always-say-that-nature-cannot-be-change-but-we-forget-that-change/) [Hasnain Shakeel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasnain-shakeel/) > [“I DON'T WANT to talk about me, of course, but it seems as though far too much attention has been lavished on you lately-that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-williams/i-don-t-want-to-talk-about-me-of-course-but-it-seems-as-though-far/) [Joy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-williams/) > [Certain people always say we should go back to nature.I notice they never say we should go forward to nature. It seemstometheyare more concerned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-gottlieb/certain-people-always-say-we-should-go-back-to-nature-i-notice-they/) [Adolph Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-gottlieb/) > [I can say that I am, by nature, optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/i-can-say-that-i-am-by-nature-optimistic/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [Reduction! One wants to say more than nature and one makes the impossible mistake of wanting to say it with more means than she,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/reduction-one-wants-to-say-more-than-nature-and-one-makes-the/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [“Nature, who has played so many queer tricks upon us, making us so unequally of clay and diamonds, of rainbow and granite, and stuffed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/nature-who-has-played-so-many-queer-tricks-upon-us-making-us-so/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [ Anybody who is not shocked by this subject has failed to understand it. \[of quantum mechanics\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anybody-who-is-not-shocked-by-this-subject-has-failed-to-understand/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Anyone not shocked by quantum mechanics has not yet understood it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anyone-not-shocked-by-quantum-mechanics-has-not-yet-understood-it/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [“The generalized theory of relativity has furnished still more remarkable results. This considers not only uniform but also accelerated motion. In particular, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-michelson/the-generalized-theory-of-relativity-has-furnished-still-more/) [A.A. Michelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-michelson/) > [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/) ## More by Niels Bohr > [An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made, in a narrow field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/an-expert-is-a-man-who-has-made-all-the-mistakes-which-can-be-made-in/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [“Stop telling God what to do with his dice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/stop-telling-god-what-to-do-with-his-dice/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes, which can be made, in a very narrow field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/an-expert-is-someone-who-knows-some-of-the-worst-mistakes-which-can/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [The opposite of every great idea is another great idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/the-opposite-of-every-great-idea-is-another-great-idea/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself it’s own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/every-great-and-deep-difficulty-bears-in-itself-it-s-own-solution-it/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [It is a great pity that human beings cannot find all of their satisfaction in scientific contemplativeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/it-is-a-great-pity-that-human-beings-cannot-find-all-of-their/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Anyone not shocked by quantum mechanics has not yet understood it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anyone-not-shocked-by-quantum-mechanics-has-not-yet-understood-it/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [The meaning of life consists in the fact that it makes no sense to say that life has no meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/the-meaning-of-life-consists-in-the-fact-that-it-makes-no-sense-to/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Technology has advanced more in the last thirty years than in the previous two thousand. The exponential increase in advancement will only continue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/technology-has-advanced-more-in-the-last-thirty-years-than-in-the/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [ Anybody who is not shocked by this subject has failed to understand it. \[of quantum mechanics\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anybody-who-is-not-shocked-by-this-subject-has-failed-to-understand/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/when-it-comes-to-atoms-language-can-be-used-only-as-in-poetry-the/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Every description of natural processes must be based on ideas which have been introduced and defined by the classical theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/every-description-of-natural-processes-must-be-based-on-ideas-which/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [It is, indeed, perhaps the greatest prospect of humanistic studies to contribute through an increasing knowledge of the history of cultural development to that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/it-is-indeed-perhaps-the-greatest-prospect-of-humanistic-studies-to/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [One thought spectra are marvellous, but it is not possible to make progress there. Just as if you have the wing of a butterfly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/one-thought-spectra-are-marvellous-but-it-is-not-possible-to-make/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [If you think you understand it, that only shows that you don't know the first thing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/if-you-think-you-understand-it-that-only-shows-that-you-don-t-know/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) [Explore all 108 Niels Bohr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) ## More Nature quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/) [Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) [Browse all 47,383 Nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how Nature is. 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