--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Geologists complain that when they want…" description: "\"Geologists complain that when they want specimens of the common rocks of a country, they receive curious spars; just so, historians give us the extraor..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/richard-whately-3892_common_geologists-complain-that-when-they-want_100055.png" --- # Geologists complain that when they want specimens of the… ![“Geologists complain that when they want specimens of the common rocks of a country, they receive curious spars; just so, historians give us the extraordinary events and omit just what we want,--the every-day life of each particular time and country.” quote by Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/richard-whately-3892_common_geologists-complain-that-when-they-want_100055.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/richard-whately-3892_common_geologists-complain-that-when-they-want_100055.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/richard-whately-3892_common_geologists-complain-that-when-they-want_100055.png) > “Geologists complain that when they want specimens of the common rocks of a country, they receive curious spars; just so, historians give us the extraordinary events and omit just what we want,--the every-day life of each particular time and country.” [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Specialists tend to focus on rare or extreme examples, neglecting ordinary details that give a fuller picture of everyday life. **In simple terms:** Experts overlook the mundane. Key Takeaway Everyday details are essential for completeness. Themes history geology bias documentation Mood critical thoughtful Type observational analytical When to use this quote - archival research - museum curation - journalistic reporting Key Concepts selection bias representativeness Practical Applications - balance extraordinary with routine - preserve everyday artifacts Questions to Reflect On - Why do we gravitate toward the extraordinary? - How can we better integrate everyday narratives? A Different Perspective Focusing on the ordinary may dilute attention from truly significant events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Geologist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geologist/) [Geologists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geologists/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Historians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historians/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [History isn't what happened, history is just what historians tell us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/history-isn-t-what-happened-history-is-just-what-historians-tell-us/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Writers and other artists are mostly just historians, produced by nature to describe, decipher and thus historically represent the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-black/writers-and-other-artists-are-mostly-just-historians-produced-by/) [Robert Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-black/) > [You can hardly convince a man of error in a life-time, but must content yourself with the reflection that the progress of science is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/you-can-hardly-convince-a-man-of-error-in-a-life-time-but-must/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ \[Microscopic\] evidence cannot be presented ad populum. What is seen with the microscope depends not only upon the instrument and the rock-section, but also… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-george-bonney/microscopic-evidence-cannot-be-presented-ad-populum-what-is-seen-with/) [Thomas George Bonney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-george-bonney/) > [With their four-dimensional minds, and in their interdisciplinary ultra verbal way, geologists can wiggle out of almost anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcphee/with-their-four-dimensional-minds-and-in-their-interdisciplinary/) [John McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcphee/) > [There are some geologists involved with prospecting for oil and other hidden resources who can pick up a rock and say, 'Yes, there's oil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-alexander/there-are-some-geologists-involved-with-prospecting-for-oil-and-other/) [Christopher Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-alexander/) > [I have long discovered that geologists never read each other's works, and that the only object in writing a book is a proof of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-have-long-discovered-that-geologists-never-read-each-other-s-works/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“If only the Geologists would let me alone, I could do very well, but those dreadful Hammers! I hear the clink of them at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/if-only-the-geologists-would-let-me-alone-i-could-do-very-well-but/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [Most people don't put things together. Geologists study the surface of the earth and geological phenomena. Meteorogists study the weather. That isn't science. Science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/most-people-don-t-put-things-together-geologists-study-the-surface-of/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Geologists claim that although the world is running out of oil, there is still a 200-hundred-year supply of brake fluid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/geologists-claim-that-although-the-world-is-running-out-of-oil-there/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [ \[The\] subjective \[historical\] element in geologic studies accounts for two characteristic types that can be distinguished among geologists: one considering geology as a creative… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/the-subjective-historical-element-in-geologic-studies-accounts-for/) [Reinout Willem van Bemmelen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinout-willem-van-bemmelen/) > [About thirty years ago there was much talk that geologists ought only to observe and not theorise; and I well remember some one saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/about-thirty-years-ago-there-was-much-talk-that-geologists-ought-only/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It must have appeared almost as improbable to the earlier geologists, that the laws of earthquakes should one day throw light on the origin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/it-must-have-appeared-almost-as-improbable-to-the-earlier-geologists/) [Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/) > [“Look, I don't know what you are, but you're more than a geologist, if you are one at all. I've met lots of geologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/look-i-don-t-know-what-you-are-but-you-re-more-than-a-geologist-if/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [I've often thought that if planners were botanists, zoologists, geologists, and people who know about the earth, we would have much more wisdom in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/i-ve-often-thought-that-if-planners-were-botanists-zoologists/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) ## More by Richard Whately > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Of Rhetoric various definitions have been given by different writers; who, however, seem not so much to have disagreed in their conceptions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/of-rhetoric-various-definitions-have-been-given-by-different-writers/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [The power of duly appreciating little things belongs to a great mind...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/the-power-of-duly-appreciating-little-things-belongs-to-a-great-mind/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Falsehood, like the dry-rot, flourishes the more in proportion as air and light are excluded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/falsehood-like-the-dry-rot-flourishes-the-more-in-proportion-as-air/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Of all hostile feelings, envy is perhaps the hardest to be subdued, because hardly any one owns it even to himself, but looks out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/of-all-hostile-feelings-envy-is-perhaps-the-hardest-to-be-subdued/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [knowledge of our duties is the most useful part of philosophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/knowledge-of-our-duties-is-the-most-useful-part-of-philosophy/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Reason can no more influence the will, and operate as a motive, than the eyes which show a man his road can enable him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/reason-can-no-more-influence-the-will-and-operate-as-a-motive-than/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Eloquence is relative. One can no more pronounce on the eloquence of any composition than the wholesomeness of a medicine, without knowing for whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/eloquence-is-relative-one-can-no-more-pronounce-on-the-eloquence-of/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Falsehood, like poison, will generally be rejected when administered alone; but when blended with wholesome ingredients may be swallowed unperceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/falsehood-like-poison-will-generally-be-rejected-when-administered/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Happiness is no laughing matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/happiness-is-no-laughing-matter/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Though not always called upon to condemn ourselves, it is always safe to suspect ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/though-not-always-called-upon-to-condemn-ourselves-it-is-always-safe/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Even supposing there were some spiritual advantage in celibacy, it ought to be completely voluntary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/even-supposing-there-were-some-spiritual-advantage-in-celibacy-it/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Some men's reputation seems like seed-wheat, which thrives best when brought from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/some-men-s-reputation-seems-like-seed-wheat-which-thrives-best-when/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [He who is not aware of his ignorance will be only misled by his knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/he-who-is-not-aware-of-his-ignorance-will-be-only-misled-by-his/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [Nothing but the right can ever be expedient, since that can never be true expediency which would sacrifice a great good to a less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/nothing-but-the-right-can-ever-be-expedient-since-that-can-never-be/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) [Explore all 119 Richard Whately quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) ## More Common quotes > [I'm Fine!, the most common LIE in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/i-m-fine-the-most-common-lie-in-the-world/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [A time will come when the science of destruction shall bend before the arts of peace; when the genius which multiplies our powers, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-arago/a-time-will-come-when-the-science-of-destruction-shall-bend-before/) [Francois Arago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-arago/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is a tragedy that we live in a world where physical courage is so common, and moral courage is so rare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-monet/it-is-a-tragedy-that-we-live-in-a-world-where-physical-courage-is-so/) [Claude Monet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-monet/) > [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) Browse all 7,866 Common quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Geologists complain that when they want specimens of the common rocks of a country, they receive curious spars; just so, historians give us the extraordinary events and omit just what we want,--the every-day life of each particular time and country.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Whately" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/geologists-complain-that-when-they-want-specimens-of-the-common-rocks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Common" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/geologists-complain-that-when-they-want-specimens-of-the-common-rocks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/richard-whately-3892_common_geologists-complain-that-when-they-want_100055.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/richard-whately-3892_common_geologists-complain-that-when-they-want_100055.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25f/richard-whately-3892_common_geologists-complain-that-when-they-want_100055.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Geologists complain that when they want specimens of the common rocks of a country, they receive curious…” — Richard Whately", "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 Whately", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Geologists complain that when they want...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/geologists-complain-that-when-they-want-specimens-of-the-common-rocks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/geologists-complain-that-when-they-want-specimens-of-the-common-rocks/#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 } } ] } ```