--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is hard to resist the impression that…" description: "\"It is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to minor alterations in numbers, has been rathe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/paul-davies-3810_alterations_it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that_1190298.png" --- # It is hard to resist the impression that the present… ![“It is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to minor alterations in numbers, has been rather carefully thought out...The seemingly miraculous concurrence of these numerical values must remain the most compelling evidence for cosmic design.” quote by Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/paul-davies-3810_alterations_it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that_1190298.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/paul-davies-3810_alterations_it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that_1190298.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/paul-davies-3810_alterations_it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that_1190298.png) > “It is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to minor alterations in numbers, has been rather carefully thought out...The seemingly miraculous concurrence of these numerical values must remain the most compelling evidence for cosmic design.” [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The precise constants of physics suggest intentional design, implying the universe is finely tuned for life. **In simple terms:** Numbers seem finely tuned. Key Takeaway Consider the evidence for design. Themes science philosophy cosmology Mood inquisitive speculative Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - research - education - public discourse Key Concepts fine-tuning anthropic principle Questions to Reflect On - Is fine-tuning proof of a creator? - How do we test such claims? A Different Perspective Alternative explanations like multiverse exist. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concurrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concurrence/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Miraculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miraculous/) [Structure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structure/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“Helen stood up., "Accept that the universe is an apparently random dance. There may be a pattern to it-I think there probably is-but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-cockrell/helen-stood-up-accept-that-the-universe-is-an-apparently-random-dance/) Amanda Cockrell > [History...shows that even seemingly miraculous advances are in fact the result of many people taking small steps together over a long period of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rogat-loeb/history-shows-that-even-seemingly-miraculous-advances-are-in-fact-the/) [Paul Rogat Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rogat-loeb/) > [God has a timetable when seemingly miraculous happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliffie-stone/god-has-a-timetable-when-seemingly-miraculous-happens/) Cliffie Stone > [...in this way the structure of the universe- I mean, of the heavens and the earth and the whole world- was arranged by one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/in-this-way-the-structure-of-the-universe-i-mean-of-the-heavens-and/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“Who builds in stone seeks to alter the structure of the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/who-builds-in-stone-seeks-to-alter-the-structure-of-the-universe/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“There is a beauty in these laws that mirrors something that is built into the structure of the universe at a very deep level”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/there-is-a-beauty-in-these-laws-that-mirrors-something-that-is-built/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [Love was as hardwired into the structure of the universe as gravity and matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/love-was-as-hardwired-into-the-structure-of-the-universe-as-gravity/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [I personally feel it is presumptuous to believe that man can determine the whole temporal structure of the universe, its evolution, development and ultimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-n-bahcall/i-personally-feel-it-is-presumptuous-to-believe-that-man-can/) [John N. Bahcall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-n-bahcall/) > [“The precise structure and description of the Galaxy is quite complicated with many unsolved problems. However, from the point of view of the large-scale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-nazrul-islam/the-precise-structure-and-description-of-the-galaxy-is-quite/) [Jamal Nazrul Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-nazrul-islam/) > [“The deep structure of the universe is pure consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-zindell/the-deep-structure-of-the-universe-is-pure-consciousness/) [David Zindell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-zindell/) > [“What is the character and general structure of the universe in which we live? Is there a permanent element in the constitution of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-muhammad-iqbal-allama-iqbal/what-is-the-character-and-general-structure-of-the-universe-in-which/) [Sir Muhammad Iqbal Allama Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-muhammad-iqbal-allama-iqbal/) > [“To make the existence and coherent structure of this Universe depend upon automatic activity and upon chance is against all good sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plotinus/to-make-the-existence-and-coherent-structure-of-this-universe-depend/) [Plotinus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plotinus/) > [Classifying the stars has helped materially in all studies of the structure of the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jump-cannon/classifying-the-stars-has-helped-materially-in-all-studies-of-the/) Annie Jump Cannon > [There is a system and a flow and an organization to the structure of the universe. Just like there's a system and a flow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-a-system-and-a-flow-and-an-organization-to-the-structure-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Our psyche is set up in accord with the structure of the universe, and what happens in the macrocosm likewise happens in the infinitesimal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/our-psyche-is-set-up-in-accord-with-the-structure-of-the-universe-and/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## More by Paul Davies > [“When I was a child, I often used to lie awake at night, in fearful anticipation of some unpleasant event the following day, such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/when-i-was-a-child-i-often-used-to-lie-awake-at-night-in-fearful/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [So how can we test the idea that the transition from nonlife to life is simple enough to happen repeatedly? The most obvious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/so-how-can-we-test-the-idea-that-the-transition-from-nonlife-to-life/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [I think if we're going to send messages to the stars then it needs a great deal of thought that it's something that should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/i-think-if-we-re-going-to-send-messages-to-the-stars-then-it-needs-a/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Cosmologists have attempted to account for the day-to-day laws you find in textbooks in terms of fundamental 'superlaws,' but the superlaws themselves must still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/cosmologists-have-attempted-to-account-for-the-day-to-day-laws-you/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Studying cancer could provide huge insights for astrobiologists into the nature of life itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/studying-cancer-could-provide-huge-insights-for-astrobiologists-into/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Cancer cells come pre-programmed to execute a well-defined cascade of changes, seemingly designed to facilitate both their enhanced survival and their dissemination through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/cancer-cells-come-pre-programmed-to-execute-a-well-defined-cascade-of/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [It may seem bizarre, but in my opinion science offers a surer path to God than religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/it-may-seem-bizarre-but-in-my-opinion-science-offers-a-surer-path-to/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [“Until now, I've been writing about "now" as if it were literally an instant of time, but of course human faculties are not infinitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/until-now-i-ve-been-writing-about-now-as-if-it-were-literally-an/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [A permanent base on Mars would have a number of advantages beyond being a bonanza for planetary science and geology. If, as some evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/a-permanent-base-on-mars-would-have-a-number-of-advantages-beyond/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Although the elusive 'cure' may be a distant dream, understanding the true nature of cancer will enable it to be better controlled and less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/although-the-elusive-cure-may-be-a-distant-dream-understanding-the/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Through conscious beings the universe has generated self-awareness. This can be no trivial detail, no minor byproduct of mindless, purposeless forces. We are truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/through-conscious-beings-the-universe-has-generated-self-awareness/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [The birth of science as we know it arguably began with Isaac Newton's formulation of the laws of gravitation and motion. It is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/the-birth-of-science-as-we-know-it-arguably-began-with-isaac-newton-s/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [“Can a truly absurd universe so convincingly mimic a meaningful one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/can-a-truly-absurd-universe-so-convincingly-mimic-a-meaningful-one/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Astronauts have been stuck in low-Earth orbit, boldly going nowhere. American attempts to kick-start a new phase of lunar exploration have stalled amid the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/astronauts-have-been-stuck-in-low-earth-orbit-boldly-going-nowhere/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Even if we don't have a precise idea of exactly what took place at the beginning, we can at least see that the origin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/even-if-we-don-t-have-a-precise-idea-of-exactly-what-took-place-at/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) [Explore all 121 Paul Davies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) ## More Alterations quotes > [“When you alter yourself, the alterations become the truth...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-you-alter-yourself-the-alterations-become-the-truth/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Death's not a separation or alteration or parting; it's just a one-handled door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/death-s-not-a-separation-or-alteration-or-parting-it-s-just-a-one/) [Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/) > [There are two processes which we adopt consciously or unconsciously when we try to prophesy. We can seek a period in the past whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/there-are-two-processes-which-we-adopt-consciously-or-unconsciously/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [The present Constitution, with a few alterations of a trifling nature, is just as good as we want; and if it is sustained on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/the-present-constitution-with-a-few-alterations-of-a-trifling-nature/) [Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/) > [My being consists of matter and form, that is, of soul and body; annihilation will reach neither of them, for they were never produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/my-being-consists-of-matter-and-form-that-is-of-soul-and-body/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Every story is flawed, every story is subject to change. Even after it is set down to print, between covers of a book, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-richmond/every-story-is-flawed-every-story-is-subject-to-change-even-after-it/) [Michelle Richmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-richmond/) > [Human beings were not well served by permanence or stasis. Obviously, if individuals were progressing, they were undergoing a series of presumably desirable alterations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/human-beings-were-not-well-served-by-permanence-or-stasis-obviously/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Everything that makes diversity of kinds, of species, differences, properties... everything that consists in generation, decay, alteration and change is not an entity, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giordano-bruno/everything-that-makes-diversity-of-kinds-of-species-differences/) [Giordano Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giordano-bruno/) > [One of the pleasures of reading is seeing this alteration on the pages, and the way, by reading it, you have made the book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/one-of-the-pleasures-of-reading-is-seeing-this-alteration-on-the/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Whether it is seen in personal terms or trans-personal terms, whether it is Heaven or Nirvana or Happy Hunting Ground or the Garden of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-smith/whether-it-is-seen-in-personal-terms-or-trans-personal-terms-whether/) [John Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-smith/) > [For a woman ... to explore and express the fullness of her sexuality, her ambitions, her emotional and intellectual capacities, her social duties, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-j-kaplan/for-a-woman-to-explore-and-express-the-fullness-of-her-sexuality-her/) [Louise J. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-j-kaplan/) > [When it happens that a person has to give up a sexual object, there quite often ensues an alteration of his ego which can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-it-happens-that-a-person-has-to-give-up-a-sexual-object-there/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [Reagan took an approach to the Cold War dramatically different from any other US President. To wit, he thought we should win. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/reagan-took-an-approach-to-the-cold-war-dramatically-different-from/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [Contentment is never the outcome of fulfillment, of achievement, or of the possession of things; it is not born of action or inaction. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/contentment-is-never-the-outcome-of-fulfillment-of-achievement-or-of/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments: love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-me-not-to-the-marriage-of-true-minds-admit-impediments-love-is-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) Browse all 94 Alterations quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to minor alterations in numbers, has been rather carefully thought out...The seemingly miraculous concurrence of these numerical values must remain the most compelling evidence for cosmic design.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Davies" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that-the-present-structure-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alterations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that-the-present-structure-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/paul-davies-3810_alterations_it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that_1190298.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/paul-davies-3810_alterations_it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that_1190298.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fc/paul-davies-3810_alterations_it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that_1190298.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is hard to resist the impression that the present structure of the universe, apparently so sensitive to…” — Paul Davies", "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": "Paul Davies", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is hard to resist the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that-the-present-structure-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/it-is-hard-to-resist-the-impression-that-the-present-structure-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```