---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a world that operates…"
description: "\"“We live in a world that operates according to a few general laws of nature. Everything you do from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/robert-m-hazen-36896_art-of-life_we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-accordi_861610.jpg"
---

#  We live in a world that operates according to a few…

![“We live in a world that operates according to a few general laws of nature. Everything you do from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed happens because of the working of one of these laws. This exceedingly beautiful and elegant view of the world is the crowning achievement of…” quote by Robert M. Hazen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/robert-m-hazen-36896_art-of-life_we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-accordi_861610.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/robert-m-hazen-36896_art-of-life_we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-accordi_861610.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/robert-m-hazen-36896_art-of-life_we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-accordi_861610.jpg)

> ““We live in a world that operates according to a few general laws of nature. Everything you do from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed happens because of the working of one of these laws. This exceedingly beautiful and elegant view of the world is the crowning achievement of centuries of work by scientists. There is intellectual and aesthetic satisfaction to be gained from seeing the unity between a pot of water on a stove and the slow march of the continents, between the colors of the rainbow and the behavior of the fundamental constituents of matter. The scientifically illiterate person has been cut off from an enriching part of life, just as surely as a person who cannot read. Finally,””

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

## About This Quote

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

Understanding natural laws reveals deep unity across phenomena, enriching life and offering aesthetic satisfaction

**In simple terms:** Science shows how everything is connected, giving meaning and beauty

Key Takeaway

Seek knowledge of nature’s laws for deeper appreciation

Themes

science unity beauty education

Mood

inspired curious

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- Everyday observations
- education curricula
- public talks
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

Physics philosophy aesthetics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does recognizing natural unity change your view of daily life?
- What steps can you take to improve scientific literacy?

A Different Perspective

Complex scientific concepts may be inaccessible without proper explanation

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/) [Colors of the rainbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colors-of-the-rainbow/) [Illiterate person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiterate-person/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Part of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/part-of-life/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“Instant Reading. A certain famous Fakir was claiming in the village that he could teach an illiterate person to read by a lightning technique.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/instant-reading-a-certain-famous-fakir-was-claiming-in-the-village/)

[Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/)

> [In the year 2000 an illiterate person will not be someone who can't read or write, but someone who is not able to learn,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/in-the-year-2000-an-illiterate-person-will-not-be-someone-who-can-t/)

[Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/)

> [The more we study mind and matter scientifically the more we see that all things follow a natural sequence, a sequence as liable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewelyn-powys/the-more-we-study-mind-and-matter-scientifically-the-more-we-see-that/)

[Llewelyn Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewelyn-powys/)

> [“Science arouses a soaring sense of wonder. But so does pseudoscience. Sparse and poor popularizations of science abandon ecological niches that pseudoscience promptly fills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/science-arouses-a-soaring-sense-of-wonder-but-so-does-pseudoscience-3/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“All over the world there are enormous numbers of smart, even gifted, people who harbor a passion for science. But that passion is unrequited.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/all-over-the-world-there-are-enormous-numbers-of-smart-even-gifted-2/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [We are more dependent on science and engineering than at any other time in history. However, there is plenty of evidence that far too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/we-are-more-dependent-on-science-and-engineering-than-at-any-other/)

[Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/)

> [All over the world there are enormous numbers of smart, even gifted, people who harbor a passion for science. But that passion is unrequited.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/all-over-the-world-there-are-enormous-numbers-of-smart-even-gifted/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [The problem is not scientifically illiterate kids; it is scientifically illiterate adults. Kids are born curious about the natural world. They are always turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-problem-is-not-scientifically-illiterate-kids-it-is/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [You can't have people making decisions about the future of the world who are scientifically illiterate. That's a recipe for disaster. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/you-can-t-have-people-making-decisions-about-the-future-of-the-world/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [The problem in society is not kids not knowing science. The problem is adults not knowing science. They outnumber kids 5 to 1, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-problem-in-society-is-not-kids-not-knowing-science-the-problem-is/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Increasingly, our leaders must deal with dangers that threaten the entire world, where an understanding of those dangers and the possible solutions depends on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/increasingly-our-leaders-must-deal-with-dangers-that-threaten-the/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [In effect, I feel like a blind, deaf, and illiterate person working through the sensibilities and multiple, real talents of other people. Everything I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey-reggio/in-effect-i-feel-like-a-blind-deaf-and-illiterate-person-working/)

[Godfrey Reggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey-reggio/)

> [You cannot possibly expect even the most illiterate person on Earth to believe that you really want a democracy in Iraq while you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/you-cannot-possibly-expect-even-the-most-illiterate-person-on-earth/)

[Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/)

> [The ordinary man looking at a mountain is like an illiterate person confronted with a Greek manuscript.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-ordinary-man-looking-at-a-mountain-is-like-an-illiterate-person/)

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

> [Today I still feel like the most illiterate person ever to have roamed the campuses of Wellesley and Harvard, where I later transferred. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-shue/today-i-still-feel-like-the-most-illiterate-person-ever-to-have/)

[Elisabeth Shue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-shue/)

## More by Robert M. Hazen

> [“we proposed eighteen great ideas of science that we felt framed virtually all discoveries of the natural world and all advances in technology. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/we-proposed-eighteen-great-ideas-of-science-that-we-felt-framed/)

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

> [“Play that cosmic tape backward, and everything converges down to a point about 13.7 billion years ago. That’s the Big Bang. The light from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/play-that-cosmic-tape-backward-and-everything-converges-down-to-a/)

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

> [“the education of professional scientists is often just as narrowly focused as the education of any other group of professionals, and scientists are just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/the-education-of-professional-scientists-is-often-just-as-narrowly/)

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

> [“The same kind of situation complicates many public debates, like that over global warming. Many scientists predict that altered atmospheric conditions will raise the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/the-same-kind-of-situation-complicates-many-public-debates-like-that/)

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

> [“Most funding for American scientific research comes from the federal government (your tax dollars at work).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/most-funding-for-american-scientific-research-comes-from-the-federal/)

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

> [“Intense study of a particular field of science does not necessarily make one scientifically literate. Indeed, it has been our experience that working scientists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/intense-study-of-a-particular-field-of-science-does-not-necessarily/)

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

> [“To get a sense of the scale of Earth history, imagine walking back in time, a hundred years per step—every pace equal to more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/to-get-a-sense-of-the-scale-of-earth-history-imagine-walking-back-in/)

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

> [“For us, scientific literacy constitutes the knowledge you need to understand public issues. It is a mix of facts, vocabulary, concepts, history, and philosophy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/for-us-scientific-literacy-constitutes-the-knowledge-you-need-to/)

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

> [“Astronomers using powerful telescopes have found that about two of every three stars we see in the night sky are actually binaries—systems in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/astronomers-using-powerful-telescopes-have-found-that-about-two-of/)

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

> [“To function as a citizen, you need to know a little bit about a lot of different sciences—a little biology, a little geology, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/to-function-as-a-citizen-you-need-to-know-a-little-bit-about-a-lot-of/)

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

> [“Oceans today represent only about 0.02 percent of Earth’s total mass, while the atmosphere is no more than one part per million of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/oceans-today-represent-only-about-0-02-percent-of-earth-s-total-mass/)

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

[Explore all 12 Robert M. Hazen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hazen/)

## More Art of life quotes

> [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/)

One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named

> [Having depression is tough, but surviving every day and telling yourself to go one more day longer is truly courageous. Amidst, all the pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/having-depression-is-tough-but-surviving-every-day-and-telling/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [“The mistaken and unhappy notion that a man is an enduring unity is known to you. It is also known to you that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-mistaken-and-unhappy-notion-that-a-man-is-an-enduring-unity-is/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [“Learning what to want is the most radical, the most painful and the most creative art of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-vickers/learning-what-to-want-is-the-most-radical-the-most-painful-and-the/)

Geoffrey Vickers

> [New teachers were just a part of life, for a few days after one arrived, squawks of interest were emitted from various corners, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/new-teachers-were-just-a-part-of-life-for-a-few-days-after-one/)

[Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/)

> [“Everywhere you go you'll see highs and lows These things are just part of life and its flows It helps to understand that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/everywhere-you-go-you-ll-see-highs-and-lows-these-things-are-just/)

[Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/)

> [I need someone...to be half of myself...to carry my 2nd part of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/singu/i-need-someone-to-be-half-of-myself-to-carry-my-2nd-part-of-life/)

[SINGU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/singu/)

> [The easy part of life is finding someone to love you. The hard part of life is finding some to love you back!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-easy-part-of-life-is-finding-someone-to-love-you-the-hard-part-of/)

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

> [“It's a part of life. You never know what you are going to get; you just have to be strong enough to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-hill/it-s-a-part-of-life-you-never-know-what-you-are-going-to-get-you-just/)

[Melissa Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-hill/)

> [Experience is the only real teacher and if you keep a diary you get three bites at educating yourself - when it happens, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/experience-is-the-only-real-teacher-and-if-you-keep-a-diary-you-get/)

[Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/)

> [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Mistakes are a part of life, everyone makes them, everyone regrets them, but no one notices them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil/mistakes-are-a-part-of-life-everyone-makes-them-everyone-regrets-them/)

[Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil/)

> [“What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore? Nobody really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-advice-would-you-give-to-a-smart-driven-college-student-about-to/)

[Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/)

[Browse all 957 Art of life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We live in a world that operates according to a few general laws of nature. Everything you do from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed happens because of the working of one of these laws. This exceedingly beautiful and elegant view of the world is the crowning achievement of centuries of work by scientists. There is intellectual and aesthetic satisfaction to be gained from seeing the unity between a pot of water on a stove and the slow march of the continents, between the colors of the rainbow and the behavior of the fundamental constituents of matter. The scientifically illiterate person has been cut off from an enriching part of life, just as surely as a person who cannot read. Finally,”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert M. Hazen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-according-to-a-few-general-laws-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art of life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-according-to-a-few-general-laws-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/robert-m-hazen-36896_art-of-life_we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-accordi_861610.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/robert-m-hazen-36896_art-of-life_we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-accordi_861610.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/733/robert-m-hazen-36896_art-of-life_we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-accordi_861610.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We live in a world that operates according to a few general laws of nature. Everything you do from the…” — Robert M. Hazen",
                "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 M. Hazen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hazen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We live in a world that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-according-to-a-few-general-laws-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hazen/we-live-in-a-world-that-operates-according-to-a-few-general-laws-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
