--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Another time somebody gave a talk about…" description: "\"“Another time somebody gave a talk about poetry. He talked about the structure of the poem and the emotions that come with it; he divided everything up..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/richard-p-feynman-495_another-time_another-time-somebody-gave-a-talk-about_2159177.jpg" --- # Another time somebody gave a talk about poetry. He talked… ![“Another time somebody gave a talk about poetry. He talked about the structure of the poem and the emotions that come with it; he divided everything up into certain kinds of classes. In the discussion that came afterwards, he said, “Isn’t that the same as in mathematics, Dr. Eisenhart?” Dr…” quote by Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/richard-p-feynman-495_another-time_another-time-somebody-gave-a-talk-about_2159177.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/richard-p-feynman-495_another-time_another-time-somebody-gave-a-talk-about_2159177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7d/richard-p-feynman-495_another-time_another-time-somebody-gave-a-talk-about_2159177.jpg) > ““Another time somebody gave a talk about poetry. He talked about the structure of the poem and the emotions that come with it; he divided everything up into certain kinds of classes. In the discussion that came afterwards, he said, “Isn’t that the same as in mathematics, Dr. Eisenhart?” Dr. Eisenhart was the dean of the graduate school and a great professor of mathematics. He was also very clever. He said, “I’d like to know what Dick Feynman thinks about it in reference to theoretical physics.” He was always putting me on in this kind of situation. I got up and said, “Yes, it’s very closely related. In theoretical physics, the analog of the word is the mathematical formula, the analog of the structure of the poem is the interrelationship of the theoretical bling-bling with the so-andso”–and I went through the whole thing, making a perfect analogy. The speaker’s eyes were \_beaming\_ with happiness. Then I said, “It seems to me that no matter \_what\_ you say about poetry, I could find a way of making up an analog with \_any\_ subject, just as I did for theoretical physics. I don’t consider such analogs meaningful.”” [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Analogies can link disparate fields like poetry and physics, but forcing connections may dilute true meaning in each discipline. **In simple terms:** Finding parallels is fun, yet not always useful. Key Takeaway Use analogies wisely, not for every topic. Themes creativity interdisciplinary analysis communication Mood inquisitive playful Type educational conversational When to use this quote - teaching - public speaking - writing - science communication Key Concepts analogy cognitive mapping disciplinary boundaries Questions to Reflect On - When does an analogy become misleading? - How can you test the strength of a comparison? A Different Perspective Analogies can oversimplify complex subjects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-time/) [Dick Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dick-feynman-1021789/) [Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feynman/) [Feynman Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feynman-thinks-4573545/) [Poem Interrelationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poem-interrelationship-4573546/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry Talked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-talked-1727704/) [Theoretical physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theoretical-physics/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Dick Feynman was a genius of visualization (he was also no slouch with equations): he made a mental picture of anything he was working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/dick-feynman-was-a-genius-of-visualization-he-was-also-no-slouch-with/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) > [“The reason Dick 's physics was so hard for ordinary people to grasp was that he did not use equations. 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Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [One cannot understand... the universality of laws of nature, the relationship of things, without an understanding of mathematics. There is no other way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/one-cannot-understand-the-universality-of-laws-of-nature-the/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Mathematics is not just a language. Mathematics is a language plus reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-not-just-a-language-mathematics-is-a-language-plus/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [A poet once said, "The whole universe is in a glass of wine." We will probably never know in what sense he meant that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/a-poet-once-said-the-whole-universe-is-in-a-glass-of-wine-we-will/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [I was a very shy character, always feeling uncomfortable because everybody was stronger than I, and always afraid I would look like a sissy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-was-a-very-shy-character-always-feeling-uncomfortable-because/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) [Explore all 515 Richard P. Feynman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) ## More Another time quotes > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [You know what really made me sick? 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So, you know, if I lose another time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-nadal/nobody-can-ask-me-more-when-i-try-all-my-best-all-the-time-no-so-you/) [Rafael Nadal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-nadal/) > [I think labels for the most part want to sign new discoveries so that that label alone is seen to be responsible for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/i-think-labels-for-the-most-part-want-to-sign-new-discoveries-so-that/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [“Another time, twice, in fact, I tried hard to be in love. I suffered, too, gentlemen, I assure you. In the depth of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/another-time-twice-in-fact-i-tried-hard-to-be-in-love-i-suffered-too/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [Sometimes I think my past life was unrealized. I met a tragic end - it might have been a car over a cliff. 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In the discussion that came afterwards, he said, “Isn’t that the same as in mathematics, Dr. Eisenhart?” Dr. Eisenhart was the dean of the graduate school and a great professor of mathematics. He was also very clever. He said, “I’d like to know what Dick Feynman thinks about it in reference to theoretical physics.” He was always putting me on in this kind of situation. I got up and said, “Yes, it’s very closely related. In theoretical physics, the analog of the word is the mathematical formula, the analog of the structure of the poem is the interrelationship of the theoretical bling-bling with the so-andso”–and I went through the whole thing, making a perfect analogy. The speaker’s eyes were _beaming_ with happiness. Then I said, “It seems to me that no matter _what_ you say about poetry, I could find a way of making up an analog with _any_ subject, just as I did for theoretical physics. I don’t consider such analogs meaningful.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard P. 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