---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can deduce, often, from one part of…"
description: "\"We can deduce, often, from one part of physics like the law of gravitation, a principle which turns out to be much more valid than the derivation.\" — R..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/richard-p-feynman-495_gravitation_we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-phy_1931918.png"
---

#  We can deduce, often, from one part of physics like the…

![“We can deduce, often, from one part of physics like the law of gravitation, a principle which turns out to be much more valid than the derivation.” quote by Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/richard-p-feynman-495_gravitation_we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-phy_1931918.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/richard-p-feynman-495_gravitation_we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-phy_1931918.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/richard-p-feynman-495_gravitation_we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-phy_1931918.png)

> “We can deduce, often, from one part of physics like the law of gravitation, a principle which turns out to be much more valid than the derivation.”

[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.

A single principle can be more universally applicable than the detailed derivation of a specific law, emphasizing the power of abstraction.

**In simple terms:** Broad principles outweigh detailed calculations.

Key Takeaway

Seek underlying principles before focusing on details.

Themes

science abstraction principles

Mood

inquisitive inspired

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- research
- education
- engineering

Key Concepts

theory building physics methodology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you identify the core principle in a complex problem?
- What benefits arise from abstract thinking?

A Different Perspective

Focusing only on specifics can miss broader insights.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gravitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravitation/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/)

## Related quotes

> [“… for it is very probable, that the motion of gravity worketh weakly, both far from the earth, and also within the earth: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/for-it-is-very-probable-that-the-motion-of-gravity-worketh-weakly/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery and would exist if all humanity forgets it, so it is with the laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/just-as-the-law-of-gravitation-existed-before-its-discovery-and-would/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [Newton was sitting under an apple tree, an apple fell on his head, and he suddenly thought of the Universal Law of Gravitation.. agree..but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vagabond/newton-was-sitting-under-an-apple-tree-an-apple-fell-on-his-head-and/)

Vagabond

> [To hear some men talk of the government, you would suppose that Congress was the law of gravitation, and kept the planets in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-phillips/to-hear-some-men-talk-of-the-government-you-would-suppose-that/)

[Wendell Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-phillips/)

> [Whether humanity will consciously follow the law of love, I do not know. But that need not disturb me. The law will work just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/whether-humanity-will-consciously-follow-the-law-of-love-i-do-not-3/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [It is impossible that a town will not play a part in your life, it does not even make much difference whether you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-impossible-that-a-town-will-not-play-a-part-in-your-life-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In astronomy, the law of gravitation is plainly better worth knowing than the position of a particular planet on a particular night, or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/in-astronomy-the-law-of-gravitation-is-plainly-better-worth-knowing/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [The fundamental principle of human action, the law, that is to political economy what the law of gravitation is to physics is that men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/the-fundamental-principle-of-human-action-the-law-that-is-to/)

[Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/)

> [Even the law of gravitation would be brought into dispute were there a pecuniary interest involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-b-macaulay/even-the-law-of-gravitation-would-be-brought-into-dispute-were-there/)

[Thomas B. Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-b-macaulay/)

> [By such deductions the law of gravitation is rendered probable, that every particle attracts every other particle with a force which varies inversely as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/by-such-deductions-the-law-of-gravitation-is-rendered-probable-that/)

[Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/)

> [Gravitation is, so far, not understandable in terms of other phenomena.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/gravitation-is-so-far-not-understandable-in-terms-of-other-phenomena/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [The first amazing fact about gravitation is that the ratio of inertial mass to gravitational mass is constant wherever we have checked it. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/the-first-amazing-fact-about-gravitation-is-that-the-ratio-of/)

[Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/)

> [Living animals are too eccentric in their movements, and the law of gravitation usually draws me from my seat upon them to a lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/living-animals-are-too-eccentric-in-their-movements-and-the-law-of/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [I have my hopes, & very distinct ones, too, of one day getting cerebral phenomena such that I can put them into mathematical equations:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-lovelace/i-have-my-hopes-very-distinct-ones-too-of-one-day-getting-cerebral/)

[Ada Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-lovelace/)

> [Whether humanity will consciously follow the law of love, I do not know. But that need not disturb me. The law will work just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whether-humanity-will-consciously-follow-the-law-of-love-i-do-not/)

[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 Gravitation quotes

> [This formula of Love is universal; all the laws of Nature are its servitors. Thus, gravitation, chemical affinity, electrical potential, and the rest -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/this-formula-of-love-is-universal-all-the-laws-of-nature-are-its/)

[Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/)

> [If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. On being reproached that his formula of gravitation was longer and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-you-are-out-to-describe-the-truth-leave-elegance-to-the-tailor-on/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Falling in love is not at all the most stupid thing that people do à but gravitation cannot be held responsible for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/falling-in-love-is-not-at-all-the-most-stupid-thing-that-people-do/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [A true man never frets about his place in the world, but just slides into it by the gravitation of his nature, and swings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/a-true-man-never-frets-about-his-place-in-the-world-but-just-slides/)

[Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/)

> [Newton's law is nothing but the statistics of gravitation, it has no power whatever. Let us get rid of the idea of power from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/newton-s-law-is-nothing-but-the-statistics-of-gravitation-it-has-no/)

[Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/)

> [“… for it is very probable, that the motion of gravity worketh weakly, both far from the earth, and also within the earth: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/for-it-is-very-probable-that-the-motion-of-gravity-worketh-weakly/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Man alone resists the direction of gravitation: he constantly wants to fall--upwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/man-alone-resists-the-direction-of-gravitation-he-constantly-wants-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Always remember that there is a law of compensation which operates just as infallibly as gravitation, and that victory goes at last where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/always-remember-that-there-is-a-law-of-compensation-which-operates/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [ I am exclusively occupied with the problem of gravitation and hope with the help of a local mathematician friend \[Marcel Grossman\] to overcome all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-am-exclusively-occupied-with-the-problem-of-gravitation-and-hope/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [My natural gravitation is toward the gray and the black and the white and the burgundy. Sort of muted, cool colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-pare/my-natural-gravitation-is-toward-the-gray-and-the-black-and-the-white/)

[Jessica Pare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-pare/)

> [The Golden Rule works like gravitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fletcher-dole/the-golden-rule-works-like-gravitation/)

[Charles Fletcher Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fletcher-dole/)

> [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/)

> [Knowledge is inherent in man; no knowledge comes from outside; it is all inside. We say Newton discovered gravitation. Was it sitting anywhere waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/knowledge-is-inherent-in-man-no-knowledge-comes-from-outside-it-is/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I'm always keen to head to where the greatest gravitation pull is tugging me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-lee-phillips/i-m-always-keen-to-head-to-where-the-greatest-gravitation-pull-is/)

[Grant-Lee Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-lee-phillips/)

> [To commit the least possible sin is the law for man. To live without sin is the dream of an angel. Everything terrestrial is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/to-commit-the-least-possible-sin-is-the-law-for-man-to-live-without/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

[Browse all 97 Gravitation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravitation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We can deduce, often, from one part of physics like the law of gravitation, a principle which turns out to be much more valid than the derivation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard P. Feynman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-physics-like-the-law-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Gravitation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-physics-like-the-law-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/richard-p-feynman-495_gravitation_we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-phy_1931918.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/richard-p-feynman-495_gravitation_we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-phy_1931918.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e92/richard-p-feynman-495_gravitation_we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-phy_1931918.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We can deduce, often, from one part of physics like the law of gravitation, a principle which turns out to…” — Richard P. Feynman",
                "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": "Richard P. Feynman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We can deduce, often, from one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-physics-like-the-law-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/we-can-deduce-often-from-one-part-of-physics-like-the-law-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```