---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After all, that was a main purpose of…"
description: "\"After all, that was a main purpose of science: to make things of all kinds happen sooner than they otherwise would.\" — Robert Aickman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/robert-aickman-25472_all-kinds_after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-sci_387183.jpg"
---

#  After all, that was a main purpose of science: to make…

![“After all, that was a main purpose of science: to make things of all kinds happen sooner than they otherwise would.” quote by Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/robert-aickman-25472_all-kinds_after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-sci_387183.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/robert-aickman-25472_all-kinds_after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-sci_387183.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/robert-aickman-25472_all-kinds_after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-sci_387183.jpg)

> “After all, that was a main purpose of science: to make things of all kinds happen sooner than they otherwise would.”

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Science aims to accelerate progress, making future possibilities happen earlier than they naturally would.

**In simple terms:** Science speeds up future events.

Key Takeaway

Embrace scientific innovation to hasten change.

Themes

progress innovation future technology purpose

Mood

optimistic thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- research funding
- tech development
- policy planning
- education reform

Key Concepts

causality temporal acceleration human agency

Questions to Reflect On

- How should we balance speed with responsibility?
- What risks arise from hastening natural timelines?

A Different Perspective

Accelerating change can cause unforeseen side effects and ethical dilemmas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [My goal is very clear, and I wrote about it in Lean In, which is that women run half our companies and countries and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/my-goal-is-very-clear-and-i-wrote-about-it-in-lean-in-which-is-that/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [“It’ll happen sooner than you think. Today was as much blowback as you’re gonna get, I bet.” “Great, then you can expect amazing GIFs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jilly-gagnon/it-ll-happen-sooner-than-you-think-today-was-as-much-blowback-as-you/)

[Jilly Gagnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jilly-gagnon/)

> [ Yeah, we're working on \[Blade Runner 2\] right now - that will happen sooner or later. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/yeah-we-re-working-on-blade-runner-2-right-now-that-will-happen/)

[Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/)

> [Well, I'm not saying that America is a bad place or anything. I just think 9/11 needed to happen sooner or later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/well-i-m-not-saying-that-america-is-a-bad-place-or-anything-i-just/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [Directing my own writing, I see that I talk way too much, and everything can happen much sooner, with much less said about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-mcquarrie/directing-my-own-writing-i-see-that-i-talk-way-too-much-and/)

[Christopher McQuarrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-mcquarrie/)

> [It will be difficult to let go but it is going to happen sooner rather than later in my case.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-cunningham/it-will-be-difficult-to-let-go-but-it-is-going-to-happen-sooner/)

[Kenny Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-cunningham/)

> [Half of what we know is wrong, the purpose of science is to determine which half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-kornberg/half-of-what-we-know-is-wrong-the-purpose-of-science-is-to-determine/)

Arthur Kornberg

> [The purpose of science is not to analyze or describe but to make useful models of the world. A model is useful if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/the-purpose-of-science-is-not-to-analyze-or-describe-but-to-make/)

[Edward de Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/)

> [The purpose of science is to develop, without prejudice or preconception of any kind, a knowledge of the facts, the laws, and the processes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-andrews-millikan/the-purpose-of-science-is-to-develop-without-prejudice-or/)

[Robert Andrews Millikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-andrews-millikan/)

> [I do not conceive of any manifestation of culture, of science, of art, as purposes in themselves. I think the purpose of science and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/i-do-not-conceive-of-any-manifestation-of-culture-of-science-of-art/)

[Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/)

> [It is often claimed that knowledge multiplies so rapidly that nobody can follow it. I believe this is incorrect. At least in science it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/it-is-often-claimed-that-knowledge-multiplies-so-rapidly-that-nobody/)

[Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/)

> [The purpose of science is not to cure us of our sense of mystery and wonder, but to constantly reinvent and reinvigorate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/the-purpose-of-science-is-not-to-cure-us-of-our-sense-of-mystery-and/)

[Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/)

> [If all our common-sense notions about the universe were correct, then science would have solved the secrets of the universe thousands of years ago.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/if-all-our-common-sense-notions-about-the-universe-were-correct-then/)

[Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/)

> [The only science that gives purpose to every other science is the science of religion - the science of our happy relationship with, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solanus-casey/the-only-science-that-gives-purpose-to-every-other-science-is-the/)

[Solanus Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solanus-casey/)

> [The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/the-main-purpose-of-science-is-simplicity-and-as-we-understand-more/)

[Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/)

## More by Robert Aickman

> [“It is almost as if the nearer one approaches to a thing, the less it proves to be there, to exist at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/it-is-almost-as-if-the-nearer-one-approaches-to-a-thing-the-less-it/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [In the end I came to see that the true prophet of the modern world was Samuel Butler: when he suggested that the machine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/in-the-end-i-came-to-see-that-the-true-prophet-of-the-modern-world/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [When you live entirely among madmen, it is difficult to know how sane you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/when-you-live-entirely-among-madmen-it-is-difficult-to-know-how-sane/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“...human beings are compelled to massacre animals unceasingly, because human beings are simply unable to survive, for the most part, on apples and nuts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/human-beings-are-compelled-to-massacre-animals-unceasingly-because/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“The great prophetic work of the modern world is Goethe’s Faust , so little appreciated among the Anglo-Saxons. Mephistopheles offers Faust unlimited knowledge and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/the-great-prophetic-work-of-the-modern-world-is-goethe-s-faust-so/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“Enchanted islands are hard to understand,' he said. 'I've always thought that. It worried me even as a child. The trouble is that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/enchanted-islands-are-hard-to-understand-he-said-i-ve-always-thought/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [Everything to do with time is hideous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/everything-to-do-with-time-is-hideous/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“...Though it may not be a suitable comment for even this confidential record, I thought, by no means for the first time in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/though-it-may-not-be-a-suitable-comment-for-even-this-confidential/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“No milk. It is black coffee, pure but strong, that fortifies against the powers of darkness with which the world is filled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/no-milk-it-is-black-coffee-pure-but-strong-that-fortifies-against-the/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [ “Give up all the wild ideas that buzz round you like wasps. Or like bluebottles. \[…\] Find a nice, ordinary girl, not too attractive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/give-up-all-the-wild-ideas-that-buzz-round-you-like-wasps-or-like/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“There are no beautiful houses in England now. Only ruins, mental homes, and Government offices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/there-are-no-beautiful-houses-in-england-now-only-ruins-mental-homes/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“And as their love had begun a little before a quotation, so it ended a little after one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/and-as-their-love-had-begun-a-little-before-a-quotation-so-it-ended-a/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [ “Dreams, \[...\], are misleading, because they make life seem real. When it loses the support of dreams, life dissolves.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/dreams-are-misleading-because-they-make-life-seem-real-when-it-loses/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“Much to be preferred to boxing are fencing and revolver-practice, judo and study of poisons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/much-to-be-preferred-to-boxing-are-fencing-and-revolver-practice-judo/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

> [“My dilemma is that of the civil servant. If a civil servant takes an initiative and things go right with it, he cannot, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/my-dilemma-is-that-of-the-civil-servant-if-a-civil-servant-takes-an/)

[Robert Aickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

[Explore all 23 Robert Aickman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/)

## More All kinds quotes

> [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/)

[Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/)

> [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/)

[Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/)

> [I'm not technically proficient enough to attempt all kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/i-m-not-technically-proficient-enough-to-attempt-all-kinds-of-music/)

[Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/)

> [My office in New York is overflowing with all kinds of cookbooks, and in New Orleans we have a huge culinary library. So yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emeril-lagasse/my-office-in-new-york-is-overflowing-with-all-kinds-of-cookbooks-and/)

[Emeril Lagasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emeril-lagasse/)

> [Sydney is full of the craziest and most talented artists of all kinds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keiynan-lonsdale/sydney-is-full-of-the-craziest-and-most-talented-artists-of-all-kinds/)

[Keiynan Lonsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keiynan-lonsdale/)

> [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/)

[Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/)

> [You know, the world’s not running out of oil. There’s all kinds of oil left in all kinds of places. …We’re never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-rubin/you-know-the-world-s-not-running-out-of-oil-there-s-all-kinds-of-oil/)

[Jeff Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-rubin/)

> [I grew up with all kinds of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-diesel/i-grew-up-with-all-kinds-of-people/)

[Vin Diesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-diesel/)

> [Because there were all kinds of hell - some were black and dirty, and some were silvery and high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/because-there-were-all-kinds-of-hell-some-were-black-and-dirty-and/)

[Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/)

> [The architecture of the song, if it's built properly, can withstand all kinds of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-haines/the-architecture-of-the-song-if-it-s-built-properly-can-withstand-all/)

[Emily Haines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-haines/)

> [There are all kinds of writers. The best writers write children's books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-scarry/there-are-all-kinds-of-writers-the-best-writers-write-children-s-books/)

[Richard Scarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-scarry/)

> [We also need to make sure women can be in charge of their reproductive health. We can't defund places like Planned Parenthood, where women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-teigen/we-also-need-to-make-sure-women-can-be-in-charge-of-their/)

[Chrissy Teigen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-teigen/)

> [The single greatest pleasure that I have in doing ('Bizarre Foods') is when I meet families with 6, 7, 8-year-olds, or teenagers, who say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-zimmern/the-single-greatest-pleasure-that-i-have-in-doing-bizarre-foods-is/)

[Andrew Zimmern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-zimmern/)

> [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/)

[Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/)

> [Do you know people who insist they like 'all kinds of music'? That actually means they like no kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/do-you-know-people-who-insist-they-like-all-kinds-of-music-that/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

Browse all 1,489 All kinds quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "After all, that was a main purpose of science: to make things of all kinds happen sooner than they otherwise would.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Aickman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-science-to-make-things-of-all/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "All kinds"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-science-to-make-things-of-all/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/robert-aickman-25472_all-kinds_after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-sci_387183.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/robert-aickman-25472_all-kinds_after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-sci_387183.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c0/robert-aickman-25472_all-kinds_after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-sci_387183.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“After all, that was a main purpose of science: to make things of all kinds happen sooner than they otherwise…” — Robert Aickman",
                "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": "Robert Aickman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aickman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "After all, that was a main...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-science-to-make-things-of-all/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aickman/after-all-that-was-a-main-purpose-of-science-to-make-things-of-all/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
