--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Opposites are not contradictory but…" description: "\"Opposites are not contradictory but complementary.\" — Niels Bohr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e41/niels-bohr-4542_complementary_opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-comp_2694587.png" --- # Opposites are not contradictory but complementary. ![“Opposites are not contradictory but complementary.” quote by Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e41/niels-bohr-4542_complementary_opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-comp_2694587.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e41/niels-bohr-4542_complementary_opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-comp_2694587.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e41/niels-bohr-4542_complementary_opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-comp_2694587.png) > “Opposites are not contradictory but complementary.” [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. Opposites can coexist as mutually enhancing parts rather than contradictions. **In simple terms:** Opposites complement each other. Key Takeaway Embrace dual aspects in problem solving. Themes science philosophy duality Mood curious thoughtful Type theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - teamwork - design thinking - conflict mediation Key Concepts complementarity quantum mechanics Questions to Reflect On - How can opposing ideas create stronger solutions? - When do opposites become truly complementary? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex tensions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computer language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-language/) [Computer programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer-programming/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Programming languages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming-languages/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) ## Related quotes > [If you cannot grok the overall structure of a program while taking a shower, you are not ready to code it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-pattis/if-you-cannot-grok-the-overall-structure-of-a-program-while-taking-a/) [Richard E. 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When it started out, it was an awful lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/i-think-that-it-s-extraordinarily-important-that-we-in-computer/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [When I'm working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/when-i-m-working-on-a-problem-i-never-think-about-beauty-i-think-only/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) ## 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 Complementary quotes > [Work and leisure are complementary parts of the same living process and cannot be separated without destroying the joy of work and the bliss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/work-and-leisure-are-complementary-parts-of-the-same-living-process/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [Knowledge, Action and Devotion are complementary to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pandurang-shastri-athavale/knowledge-action-and-devotion-are-complementary-to-each-other/) [Pandurang Shastri Athavale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pandurang-shastri-athavale/) > [I've been very fortunate, because sometimes it's difficult to work with your spouse. But in our case, it's a great working relationship, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anousheh-ansari/i-ve-been-very-fortunate-because-sometimes-it-s-difficult-to-work/) [Anousheh Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anousheh-ansari/) > [The role of the leader is to foster mutual respect and build a complementary team where each strength is made productive and each weakness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/the-role-of-the-leader-is-to-foster-mutual-respect-and-build-a/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [I think passion and discipline are wonderful, complementary things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/i-think-passion-and-discipline-are-wonderful-complementary-things/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [The union of opposites, in so far as they are really complementary, always results in the most perfect harmony; and the seemingly incongruous is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-union-of-opposites-in-so-far-as-they-are-really-complementary/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [The complementary movement towards divine love is growth in humility which is the acceptence of the reality about ourselves, our own weakness and limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/the-complementary-movement-towards-divine-love-is-growth-in-humility/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [We are looking for targets that have a tremendous strategic fit for the company. The colleges must have complementary education programs, have an excellent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-larson/we-are-looking-for-targets-that-have-a-tremendous-strategic-fit-for/) John Larson > [“Men and women are different, but they are a complementary pair. Men are as they are because women are as they are. Women are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-davies/men-and-women-are-different-but-they-are-a-complementary-pair-men-are/) Hugh Davies > [I agree with those who argue that it is possible to distil from the religions of the world their common values and relevance. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-robinson/i-agree-with-those-who-argue-that-it-is-possible-to-distil-from-the/) [Mary Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-robinson/) > [Todd and I have a very complementary working style .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-wood/todd-and-i-have-a-very-complementary-working-style/) [Sam Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-wood/) > [We are members of a vast cosmic orchestra, in which each living instrument is essential to the complementary and harmonious playing of the whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-boone/we-are-members-of-a-vast-cosmic-orchestra-in-which-each-living/) [J. Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-boone/) > [Science investigates, religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge which is power, religion gives man wisdom which is control. Science deals mainly with facts, religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/science-investigates-religion-interprets-science-gives-man-knowledge/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I write across genres so I see them, more often, as complementary instead of separated by boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/i-write-across-genres-so-i-see-them-more-often-as-complementary/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [One could think of a person who seems to have two opposing and contradictory sides to his personality; but it turns out that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-alvarez-bravo/one-could-think-of-a-person-who-seems-to-have-two-opposing-and/) [Manuel Alvarez Bravo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-alvarez-bravo/) Browse all 112 Complementary quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Opposites are not contradictory but complementary.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Niels Bohr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-complementary/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complementary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-complementary/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e41/niels-bohr-4542_complementary_opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-comp_2694587.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e41/niels-bohr-4542_complementary_opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-comp_2694587.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e41/niels-bohr-4542_complementary_opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-comp_2694587.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Opposites are not contradictory but complementary.” — Niels Bohr", "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": "Niels Bohr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Opposites are not contradictory but complementary.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-complementary/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/opposites-are-not-contradictory-but-complementary/#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 } } ] } ```