---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was testing a hypothesis. But it was…"
description: "\"“I was testing a hypothesis. But it was right, and then I had a unicorn to deal with. You can't just say, 'Thank you so much, go away now' to a unicorn..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/pamela-dean-52302_magic_i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-ri_951987.jpg"
---

#  I was testing a hypothesis. But it was right, and then I…

![“I was testing a hypothesis. But it was right, and then I had a unicorn to deal with. You can't just say, 'Thank you so much, go away now' to a unicorn, the way you can with atomic particles.” quote by Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/pamela-dean-52302_magic_i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-ri_951987.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/pamela-dean-52302_magic_i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-ri_951987.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/pamela-dean-52302_magic_i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-ri_951987.jpg)

> ““I was testing a hypothesis. But it was right, and then I had a unicorn to deal with. You can't just say, 'Thank you so much, go away now' to a unicorn, the way you can with atomic particles.””

[Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Scientific hypotheses may be proven, but unexpected variables (like a unicorn) complicate conclusions.

**In simple terms:** Unexpected factors can challenge scientific conclusions.

Key Takeaway

Remain adaptable when new variables appear.

Themes

science uncertainty adaptability

Mood

curious analytical

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

- research labs
- field studies
- product development
- policy analysis

Key Concepts

hypothesis testing unexpected phenomena

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you handle surprising results in research?
- What strategies help integrate the variables without bias?

A Different Perspective

Not all variables are controllable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Away Unicorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-unicorn-1703562/) [Hypothesis Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypothesis-right-1703564/) [Magic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/) [Right Unicorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-unicorn-1703560/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific method](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-method/) [Unicorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unicorn/) [Unicorn Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unicorn-deal-1703563/) [Unicorn Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unicorn-way-1703561/) [Unicorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unicorns/)

## Related quotes

> [“Metal makes everything magical. Just ask a unicorn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/metal-makes-everything-magical-just-ask-a-unicorn/)

[Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/)

> [“He knew what she wanted, and he wanted it, too; he was ready, but not, despite her gorgeousness, with Tiglah. Tiglah was not worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/he-knew-what-she-wanted-and-he-wanted-it-too-he-was-ready-but-not/)

[Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/)

> [“It’s an exciting time to dive into the world of the lesser-known elements like actinides and see what unique possibilities forward-thinkers have envisioned for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/it-s-an-exciting-time-to-dive-into-the-world-of-the-lesser-known/)

[Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/)

> [Friends. They are so beautiful and so awkward it's like watching a unicorn run into a window screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unicornlegends/friends-they-are-so-beautiful-and-so-awkward-it-s-like-watching-a/)

[UnicornLegends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unicornlegends/)

> [Ugly girls are like Unicorns, They never EXISTS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arashi/ugly-girls-are-like-unicorns-they-never-exists/)

[Arashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arashi/)

> [Life's not easy for unicorns, you know. We're a dying breed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/life-s-not-easy-for-unicorns-you-know-we-re-a-dying-breed/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Save the unicorns! ^.^](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/save-the-unicorns/)

[Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/)

> [“Luster, bring me home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-coville/luster-bring-me-home/)

[Bruce Coville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-coville/)

> [“My words and my ideas are my property, and I’ll keep and protect them as surely as I do my stable of unicorns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/my-words-and-my-ideas-are-my-property-and-i-ll-keep-and-protect-them/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Holy magical unicorns my red monkey ninja fish just stole my crayons.;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/holy-magical-unicorns-my-red-monkey-ninja-fish-just-stole-my-crayons/)

[Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myself/)

> [“guys that read were like unicorns. They only existed in fairy tales.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/guys-that-read-were-like-unicorns-they-only-existed-in-fairy-tales/)

[J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/)

> [“When Unicorns headbutt, there are no winners" ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/when-unicorns-headbutt-there-are-no-winners/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [I believe I'm a unicorn. Unicorns are very magical and powerful and strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-skye/i-believe-i-m-a-unicorn-unicorns-are-very-magical-and-powerful-and/)

[Justine Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-skye/)

> [Daily, I visualize the smart-ass troll who lives deep in my subconscious, and I pelt him with rainbows and unicorns. I fight a battle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-plec/daily-i-visualize-the-smart-ass-troll-who-lives-deep-in-my/)

[Julie Plec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-plec/)

> [I am not a very rough and tough kind of a girl, rather a little sensitive. I believe in unicorns, dreams and dolls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmin-bhasin/i-am-not-a-very-rough-and-tough-kind-of-a-girl-rather-a-little/)

[Jasmin Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmin-bhasin/)

## More by Pamela Dean

> [Look," said Janet, irritated, "if the thing you liked best to do in the world was read, and somebody offered to pay you room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/look-said-janet-irritated-if-the-thing-you-liked-best-to-do-in-the/)

[Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

> [It did occur to me that the effect of good literature may be as dizzying as that of alcohol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/it-did-occur-to-me-that-the-effect-of-good-literature-may-be-as/)

[Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

> [“At the moment, if you asked me, I would say that this book is about keeping the heart of flesh in a world that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/at-the-moment-if-you-asked-me-i-would-say-that-this-book-is-about/)

[Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

> [“So he decided he would never listen to anybody he knew? That's just like someone in a fairy tale.' Knowing he had given his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/so-he-decided-he-would-never-listen-to-anybody-he-knew-that-s-just/)

[Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

> [“Do you want some of this cheese, or shall we just go walking?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/do-you-want-some-of-this-cheese-or-shall-we-just-go-walking/)

[Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

> [Why do all your friends talk like books?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/why-do-all-your-friends-talk-like-books/)

[Pamela Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

[Explore all 7 Pamela Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/)

## More Magic 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/)

> [I have a lot of secret uses for sour cream, which is the magic ingredient in my mac and cheese. It's an old-timey, Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-deen/i-have-a-lot-of-secret-uses-for-sour-cream-which-is-the-magic/)

[Paula Deen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-deen/)

> [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/)

[Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/)

> [“(Evil people) do not believe in forgiveness. Their transgressions are either punished or not punished. That is the only result that matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mchugh/evil-people-do-not-believe-in-forgiveness-their-transgressions-are/)

[Daniel McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mchugh/)

> [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/)

[Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/)

> [“Sitting at the old patio table she’d cleared of leaves, she smiled and leaned back. The stars looked twisted in the limbs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sitting-at-the-old-patio-table-she-d-cleared-of-leaves-she-smiled-and/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-seems-a-magic-in-the-very-name-of-christmas/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [There's nothing more special than intellect and labour that makes painting work. There's no magic there; it's information, and it's work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/there-s-nothing-more-special-than-intellect-and-labour-that-makes/)

[Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/)

> [Great liars are also great magicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/great-liars-are-also-great-magicians/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [If I could wave a magic wand, I'd break up the banking system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-c-griffin/if-i-could-wave-a-magic-wand-i-d-break-up-the-banking-system/)

[Kenneth C. Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-c-griffin/)

> [“His hand came out and captured her by the chin. She froze, finding it hard to breathe as he gently raised her face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/his-hand-came-out-and-captured-her-by-the-chin-she-froze-finding-it/)

[Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/)

> [“Your faith is admirable, Pelleas. But I know nothing of sorcery. As it is, I have not been able to discover how the spell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-lawhead/your-faith-is-admirable-pelleas-but-i-know-nothing-of-sorcery-as-it/)

[Stephen R. Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/)

> [Most magicians consider the palm an easy move to make. They are inclined to believe that they are 'getting away with it,' when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dai-vernon/most-magicians-consider-the-palm-an-easy-move-to-make-they-are/)

[Dai Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dai-vernon/)

> [Maybe Park had paralyzed her with his ninja magic, his Vulcan handhold, and now he was going to eat her. That would be awesome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/maybe-park-had-paralyzed-her-with-his-ninja-magic-his-vulcan-handhold/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

[Browse all 6,577 Magic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I was testing a hypothesis. But it was right, and then I had a unicorn to deal with. You can't just say, 'Thank you so much, go away now' to a unicorn, the way you can with atomic particles.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pamela Dean"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-right-and-then-i-had-a-unicorn/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Magic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-right-and-then-i-had-a-unicorn/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/pamela-dean-52302_magic_i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-ri_951987.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/pamela-dean-52302_magic_i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-ri_951987.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/pamela-dean-52302_magic_i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-ri_951987.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was testing a hypothesis. But it was right, and then I had a unicorn to deal with. You can't just say…” — Pamela Dean",
                "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": "Pamela Dean",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-dean/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I was testing a hypothesis. But...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-right-and-then-i-had-a-unicorn/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-dean/i-was-testing-a-hypothesis-but-it-was-right-and-then-i-had-a-unicorn/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
