--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The TV scientist who mutters sadly, \"The…" description: "\"The TV scientist who mutters sadly, \"The experiment is a failure; we have failed to achieve what we had hoped for,\" is suffering mainly from a bad scri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/robert-m-pirsig-817_achieve_the-tv-scientist-who-mutters-sadly-the-e_776934.png" --- # The TV scientist who mutters sadly, "The experiment is a… ![“The TV scientist who mutters sadly, "The experiment is a failure; we have failed to achieve what we had hoped for," is suffering mainly from a bad script writer. An experiment is never a failure solely because it fails to achieve predicted results. An experiment is a failure only when it also…” quote by Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/robert-m-pirsig-817_achieve_the-tv-scientist-who-mutters-sadly-the-e_776934.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/robert-m-pirsig-817_achieve_the-tv-scientist-who-mutters-sadly-the-e_776934.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4c/robert-m-pirsig-817_achieve_the-tv-scientist-who-mutters-sadly-the-e_776934.png) > “The TV scientist who mutters sadly, "The experiment is a failure; we have failed to achieve what we had hoped for," is suffering mainly from a bad script writer. An experiment is never a failure solely because it fails to achieve predicted results. An experiment is a failure only when it also fails adequately to test the hypothesis in question, when the data it produces don't prove anything one way or another.” [Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An experiment isn’t a failure just because results differ from expectations; it fails only when it cannot adequately test the hypothesis or yield useful data. **In simple terms:** Experiments fail only if they don’t test the hypothesis. Key Takeaway Design experiments that can truly evaluate hypotheses. Themes science methodology learning Mood curious analytical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - lab research - product development - clinical trials - engineering prototypes Key Concepts hypothesis testing experimental design epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure your experiment truly tests the hypothesis? - What criteria define a successful test? A Different Perspective If the experiment is poorly designed, it may never yield meaningful data regardless of outcome. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/) [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) [Experiment Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment-failure-552447/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Fails Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fails-achieve-3918101/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Fails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-fails-293971/) [Hypothesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypothesis/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Scripts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripts/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [Tvs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tvs/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-a-man-achieves-and-all-that-he-fails-to-achieve-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When it doesn’t work out, call it an “experiment,” not a failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan-publishing/when-it-doesn-t-work-out-call-it-an-experiment-not-a-failure/) [Zondervan Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan-publishing/) > [That propaganda is good which leads to success, and that is bad which fails to achieve the desired result. 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