--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Science is like sex: sometimes something…" description: "\"Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not the reason we are doing it\" — Richard P. Feynman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/richard-p-feynman-495_inspirational_science-is-like-sex-sometimes-something_450584.png" --- # Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out… ![“Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not the reason we are doing it” quote by Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/richard-p-feynman-495_inspirational_science-is-like-sex-sometimes-something_450584.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/richard-p-feynman-495_inspirational_science-is-like-sex-sometimes-something_450584.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/richard-p-feynman-495_inspirational_science-is-like-sex-sometimes-something_450584.png) > “Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not the reason we are doing it” [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. Science is pursued for curiosity, not merely for practical outcomes, though useful results may follow. **In simple terms:** Science is for wonder, not utility. Key Takeaway Pursue curiosity first. Themes curiosity science motivation Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - research labs - education - personal projects Key Concepts philosophy of science intrinsic vs extrinsic goals Questions to Reflect On - What drives your scientific interest? - How do you balance curiosity and utility? A Different Perspective Practical benefits can also drive science. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) ## Related quotes > [Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/physics-is-like-sex-sure-it-may-give-some-practical-results-but-that/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [A really hard laugh is like sex-one of the ultimate diversions of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/a-really-hard-laugh-is-like-sex-one-of-the-ultimate-diversions-of/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [Burger King's business model was broken. But it was like sex in the '50s. Everyone knew it, but no one would talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-brenneman/burger-king-s-business-model-was-broken-but-it-was-like-sex-in-the/) [Greg Brenneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-brenneman/) > [Collaboration is like the sex of creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ford-coppola/collaboration-is-like-the-sex-of-creativity/) [Francis Ford Coppola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ford-coppola/) > [Get on up, stay on the scene, get on up, like a sex machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-brown/get-on-up-stay-on-the-scene-get-on-up-like-a-sex-machine/) [James Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-brown/) > [Those who fall in love with practice without science are like a sailor who enters a ship without a helm or a compass, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/those-who-fall-in-love-with-practice-without-science-are-like-a/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Science, like nature, must also be tamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush/science-like-nature-must-also-be-tamed/) [Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush/) > [People think of science like somehow that's the answer, and that it's all about right answers, but science is a lens that we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-campbell/people-think-of-science-like-somehow-that-s-the-answer-and-that-it-s/) [Dallas Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-campbell/) > [Science - or the products of science like technology - is just a way of achieving something real, something that happens, something that works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/science-or-the-products-of-science-like-technology-is-just-a-way-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Science, like art, is not a copy of nature but a re-creation of her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/science-like-art-is-not-a-copy-of-nature-but-a-re-creation-of-her/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [Trying to defend religion by invoking science is like claiming that three plus four equals ice cream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/decca-aitkenhead/trying-to-defend-religion-by-invoking-science-is-like-claiming-that/) [Decca Aitkenhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/decca-aitkenhead/) > [Man armed with science is like a baby with a box of matches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-s-haldane/man-armed-with-science-is-like-a-baby-with-a-box-of-matches/) [John B. S. Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-s-haldane/) > [“Do not forget that when the heart petrifies there is no progress. All science must be like a fruit, so ordered that it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/do-not-forget-that-when-the-heart-petrifies-there-is-no-progress-all/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [I actually like how doctors talk. I like the sound of science. I like how words you don't understand explain things you can't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-actually-like-how-doctors-talk-i-like-the-sound-of-science-i-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Richard P. Feynman > [“Philosophers have said before that one of the fundamental requisites of science is that whenever you set up the same conditions, the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/philosophers-have-said-before-that-one-of-the-fundamental-requisites/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [My rule is, when you are unhappy, think about it. But when you're happy, don't. Why spoil it? You're probably happy for some ridiculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/my-rule-is-when-you-are-unhappy-think-about-it-but-when-you-re-happy/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Trying to understand the way nature works involves a most terrible test of human reasoning ability. It involves subtle trickery, beautiful tightropes of logic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/trying-to-understand-the-way-nature-works-involves-a-most-terrible/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Today's brains are yesterday's mashed potatoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/today-s-brains-are-yesterday-s-mashed-potatoes/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Mathematics is a language plus reasoning; it is like a language plus logic. Mathematics is a tool for reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/mathematics-is-a-language-plus-reasoning-it-is-like-a-language-plus/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [It is necessary for the very existence of science that minds exist which do not allow that nature must satisfy some preconceived conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/it-is-necessary-for-the-very-existence-of-science-that-minds-exist/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“There was a Princess Somebody of Denmark sitting at a table with a number of people around her, and I saw an empty chair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-was-a-princess-somebody-of-denmark-sitting-at-a-table-with-a/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [All the time you're saying to yourself, 'I could do that, but I won't,'--which is just another way of saying that you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/all-the-time-you-re-saying-to-yourself-i-could-do-that-but-i-won-t/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“There's a big difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/there-s-a-big-difference-between-knowing-the-name-of-something-and/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [The fact that you are not sure means that it is possible that there is another way someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-fact-that-you-are-not-sure-means-that-it-is-possible-that-there/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/you-can-always-recognize-truth-by-its-beauty-and-simplicity/) [Richard P. 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 Inspirational quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We talk to God--that is prayer; God talks to us--that is inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-emilie-cady/we-talk-to-god-that-is-prayer-god-talks-to-us-that-is-inspiration/) [H. Emilie Cady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-emilie-cady/) > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [The man who can master his time can master nearly anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-man-who-can-master-his-time-can-master-nearly-anything/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just understand that the good that you want is already here. All you have to do is get in harmony with it. And you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/just-understand-that-the-good-that-you-want-is-already-here-all-you/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [It's not the method, it's the mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gilbert/it-s-not-the-method-it-s-the-mindset/) [Andy Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gilbert/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not the reason we are doing it", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard P. 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