--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But think of Adam and Eve like an…" description: "\"But think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one: you can never see any concrete proof that it exists, but if you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/philip-pullman-525_adam_but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imagin_2389102.jpg" --- # But think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number, like… ![“But think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one: you can never see any concrete proof that it exists, but if you include it in your equations, you can calculate all manner of things that couldn't be imagined without it.” quote by Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/philip-pullman-525_adam_but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imagin_2389102.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/philip-pullman-525_adam_but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imagin_2389102.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/philip-pullman-525_adam_but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imagin_2389102.jpg) > “But think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one: you can never see any concrete proof that it exists, but if you include it in your equations, you can calculate all manner of things that couldn't be imagined without it.” [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imaginary concepts, like Adam and Eve, lack proof but enable powerful calculations and ideas. **In simple terms:** Imaginary ideas help us solve problems despite lacking proof. Key Takeaway Embrace useful abstractions. Themes science philosophy creativity Mood inquisitive analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - mathematics - theory building - creative thinking Key Concepts imaginary numbers faith metaphor Questions to Reflect On - When should you trust a useful fiction? - What are the limits of metaphor in reasoning? A Different Perspective Relying on unproven ideas can be risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/) [Adam and eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam-and-eve/) [Concrete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concrete/) [Equations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equations/) [Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary/) [Imaginary Number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-number-3209726/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Minus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minus/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Proof Exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof-exists-3438412/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Square Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/square-root-274541/) [Square roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/square-roots/) [Squares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/squares/) [Think Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-adam-387029/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I met a man once who told me that far from believing in the square root of minus one, he didn't believe in minus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-charles-titchmarsh/i-met-a-man-once-who-told-me-that-far-from-believing-in-the-square/) [Edward Charles Titchmarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-charles-titchmarsh/) > [The human brain finds it extremely hard to cope with a new level of abstraction. This is why it was well into the eighteenth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-devlin/the-human-brain-finds-it-extremely-hard-to-cope-with-a-new-level-of/) [Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-devlin/) > [How can you shorten the subject? 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D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [If I can't get people to commit themselves on whether or not there is a square root of two, then I won't touch on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/if-i-can-t-get-people-to-commit-themselves-on-whether-or-not-there-is/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [The square root of 69 is 8(ate) som'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/the-square-root-of-69-is-8-ate-som/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Speaking of human computers, there is a guy named Art Benjamin, he's a human calculator. He says it's a skill he learned as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/speaking-of-human-computers-there-is-a-guy-named-art-benjamin-he-s-a/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [Square root of a cosine? How is that ever going to be useful?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/square-root-of-a-cosine-how-is-that-ever-going-to-be-useful/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [Irrationality is the square root of all evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/irrationality-is-the-square-root-of-all-evil/) [Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/) > [Programming graphics in X is like finding the square root of PI using Roman numerals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-spencer/programming-graphics-in-x-is-like-finding-the-square-root-of-pi-using/) [Henry Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-spencer/) > [“Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, not being able to stop myself. "What's the i?" "The i is an imaginary number," he said, and coughed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/whoa-whoa-whoa-i-said-not-being-able-to-stop-myself-what-s-the-i-the/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [Now I no longer live in our clear, rational world; I live in the ancient nightmare world, the world of square roots of minus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/now-i-no-longer-live-in-our-clear-rational-world-i-live-in-the/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) ## More by Philip Pullman > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/religion-grants-its-adherents-malign-intoxicating-and-morally/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [We don't need lists of rights and wrongs, tables of do's and don'ts: we need books, time, and silence. Thou shalt not is soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-don-t-need-lists-of-rights-and-wrongs-tables-of-do-s-and-don-ts-we/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I have stolen ideas from every book I have ever read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-stolen-ideas-from-every-book-i-have-ever-read/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [All the stories of the Bible that I know came to me first from my grandfather's lips... He would see stories in everything. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/all-the-stories-of-the-bible-that-i-know-came-to-me-first-from-my/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [What I do say is that I can write verse, and that the writing of verse in strict form is the best possible training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/what-i-do-say-is-that-i-can-write-verse-and-that-the-writing-of-verse/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Writing is tyranny ... but reading is democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/writing-is-tyranny-but-reading-is-democracy/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“Middlemarch is a novel that is diminished by being put on the screen. It can't help but be, because so much of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/middlemarch-is-a-novel-that-is-diminished-by-being-put-on-the-screen/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I have maintained a passionate interest in education, which leads me occasionally to make foolish and ill-considered remarks alleging that not everything is well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-have-maintained-a-passionate-interest-in-education-which-leads-me/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [And think what worrying does: has anyone ever added a single hour to the length of his life by worrying about it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/and-think-what-worrying-does-has-anyone-ever-added-a-single-hour-to/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“The question authors get asked more than any other is "Where do you get your ideas from?" And we all find a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-question-authors-get-asked-more-than-any-other-is-where-do-you/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“We are all subject to the fates. But we must all act as if we are not,” said the witch, “or die of despair.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/we-are-all-subject-to-the-fates-but-we-must-all-act-as-if-we-are-not/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Lonely? I don't know. They tell me this is cold. I don't know what cold is, because I don't freeze. So I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/lonely-i-don-t-know-they-tell-me-this-is-cold-i-don-t-know-what-cold/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [Just finished 'Secrecy' - truly enthralling both as a love story and as a tale of suspense - but much more than both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/just-finished-secrecy-truly-enthralling-both-as-a-love-story-and-as-a/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [“As Auden is believed to have said, no poem saved a single Jew from the gas chambers. Never mind. Write the poems anyway. Play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/as-auden-is-believed-to-have-said-no-poem-saved-a-single-jew-from-the/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) [Explore all 479 Philip Pullman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) ## More Adam quotes > [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/) [Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“Adam could imagine what he looked like: a debauched nerd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullinan/adam-could-imagine-what-he-looked-like-a-debauched-nerd/) [Heidi Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullinan/) > [Adam Berenson knows how to compose, organize an ensemble, do musical research, play solo and trio piano, write for musical journals, and enlist others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/adam-berenson-knows-how-to-compose-organize-an-ensemble-do-musical/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [“Finally, someone had seen him. And what had he done? Let her get away. Undermined by his disgusting human anatomy. It had just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/finally-someone-had-seen-him-and-what-had-he-done-let-her-get-away/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“think Adam is looking to break Kenji’s neck at this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/think-adam-is-looking-to-break-kenji-s-neck-at-this-point/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [And as regards Adam and Eve we must maintain that before the fall they were virgins in Paradise: but after they sinned, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/and-as-regards-adam-and-eve-we-must-maintain-that-before-the-fall/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-adam-was-a-gardener-and-god-who-made-him-sees-that-half-a-proper/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“Barışı elde etmek için çabalayan her adam olağanüstü bir adamdır!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/bar-elde-etmek-i-in-abalayan-her-adam-ola-an-st-bir-adamd-r/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Browse all 1,360 Adam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one: you can never see any concrete proof that it exists, but if you include it in your equations, you can calculate all manner of things that couldn't be imagined without it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Pullman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imaginary-number-like-the-square/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adam" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imaginary-number-like-the-square/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/philip-pullman-525_adam_but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imagin_2389102.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/philip-pullman-525_adam_but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imagin_2389102.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1d8/philip-pullman-525_adam_but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imagin_2389102.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But think of Adam and Eve like an imaginary number, like the square root of minus one: you can never see any…” — Philip Pullman", "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": "Philip Pullman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But think of Adam and Eve...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imaginary-number-like-the-square/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/but-think-of-adam-and-eve-like-an-imaginary-number-like-the-square/#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 } } ] } ```