---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Consciousness ... is the phenomenon…"
description: "\"Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.\" — Roger Penrose"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/roger-penrose-10729_consciousness_consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby_1060921.jpg"
---

#  Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's…

![“Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.” quote by Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/roger-penrose-10729_consciousness_consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby_1060921.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/roger-penrose-10729_consciousness_consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby_1060921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/roger-penrose-10729_consciousness_consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby_1060921.jpg)

> “Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.”

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

## About This Quote

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

Consciousness is presented as the universe’s way of becoming self‑aware, suggesting a deep link between existence and awareness.

**In simple terms:** Consciousness makes the universe aware of itself.

Key Takeaway

Recognize consciousness as fundamental.

Themes

philosophy metaphysics science existence

Mood

thoughtful speculative

Type

philosophical inquisitive

When to use this quote

- philosophical debate
- scientific research
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

mind‑body problem cosmology anthropic principle

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports consciousness as universal?
- Can consciousness exist without a universe?

A Different Perspective

The claim is speculative and not empirically proven.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Phenomenon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenon/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/)

## Related quotes

> [Intelligence is: (a) the most complex phenomenon in the Universe; or (b) a profoundly simple process. The answer, of course, is (c) both of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/intelligence-is-a-the-most-complex-phenomenon-in-the-universe-or-b-a/)

[Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/)

> [Mathematics would certainly have not come into existence if one had known from the beginning that there was in nature no exactly straight line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/mathematics-would-certainly-have-not-come-into-existence-if-one-had/)

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

> [“what is a woman but too make a man's existence known”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-kotb/what-is-a-woman-but-too-make-a-man-s-existence-known/)

Olivia Kotb

> [The natural phenomenon of the universe is so mind-blowing, but you have to know about it. You have to be curious. You've got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/the-natural-phenomenon-of-the-universe-is-so-mind-blowing-but-you/)

[Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/)

> [I believe in God. It makes no sense to me to assume that the Universe and our existence is just a cosmic accident, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hewish/i-believe-in-god-it-makes-no-sense-to-me-to-assume-that-the-universe/)

[Antony Hewish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hewish/)

> [A scenario is suggested by which the universe and its laws could have arisen naturally from nothing. Current cosmology suggests that no laws of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-j-stenger/a-scenario-is-suggested-by-which-the-universe-and-its-laws-could-have/)

[Victor J. Stenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-j-stenger/)

> [The whole universe is one. There is only one Self in the universe, only One Existence, and that One Existence, when it passes through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-whole-universe-is-one-there-is-only-one-self-in-the-universe-only/)

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

> [I have hitherto followed the lines marked out by the Theist in his attempt to prove that there exists a mind behind natural phenomena,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chapman-cohen/i-have-hitherto-followed-the-lines-marked-out-by-the-theist-in-his/)

[Chapman Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chapman-cohen/)

> [Creation,' in the ordinary sense of the word, is perfectly conceivable. I find no difficulty in conceiving that, at some former period, this universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/creation-in-the-ordinary-sense-of-the-word-is-perfectly-conceivable-i/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [Earlier in this century, the Heisenberg Principle established that the very act of observing a natural phenomenon can change what is being observed. Although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/earlier-in-this-century-the-heisenberg-principle-established-that-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [Of course the word chaos is used in rather a vague sense by a lot of writers, but in physics it means a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/of-course-the-word-chaos-is-used-in-rather-a-vague-sense-by-a-lot-of/)

[Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/)

> [Fly flight is just a great phenomenon to study. It has everything - from the most sophisticated sensory biology; really, really interesting physics; really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/fly-flight-is-just-a-great-phenomenon-to-study-it-has-everything-from/)

[Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/)

> [One of the most abused country on earth is Mexico. The marketing spills over the border, and people are persuaded to eat food that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-patel/one-of-the-most-abused-country-on-earth-is-mexico-the-marketing/)

[Raj Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-patel/)

> [“Empirically, things are poignant, tragic, beautiful, humorous, settled, disturbed, comfortable, annoying, barren, harsh, consoling, splendid, fearful; are such immediately and in their own right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/empirically-things-are-poignant-tragic-beautiful-humorous-settled/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

## More by Roger Penrose

> [Ordinary photons do have spin, they have a notion of helicity so they spin around their direction on motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/ordinary-photons-do-have-spin-they-have-a-notion-of-helicity-so-they/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [My father himself was a human geneticist who was recognized for demonstrating that older mothers tend to get more Down syndrome children, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/my-father-himself-was-a-human-geneticist-who-was-recognized-for/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [A computational device is incapable of developing a mind. We got consciousness not just by being clever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/a-computational-device-is-incapable-of-developing-a-mind-we-got/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [It is hard to see how one could begin to develop a quantum-theoretical description of brain action when one might well have to regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/it-is-hard-to-see-how-one-could-begin-to-develop-a-quantum/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [It may well be there is something else going on in the brain that we don't have an inkling of at the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/it-may-well-be-there-is-something-else-going-on-in-the-brain-that-we/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [As for morality, well that's all tied up with the question of consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/as-for-morality-well-that-s-all-tied-up-with-the-question-of/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [The basic theory in twistor theory is not to add extra dimensions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/the-basic-theory-in-twistor-theory-is-not-to-add-extra-dimensions/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [I used to make polyhedra with my father. There were no clear lines between games and toys for children and his professional work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/i-used-to-make-polyhedra-with-my-father-there-were-no-clear-lines/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [In the book, I make the point that here we have string theory and here we have twistor theory and we don't know if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/in-the-book-i-make-the-point-that-here-we-have-string-theory-and-here/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [Some people take the view that we happen by accident. I think that there is something much deeper, of which we have very little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/some-people-take-the-view-that-we-happen-by-accident-i-think-that/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [I'm pretty tenacious when it comes to problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/i-m-pretty-tenacious-when-it-comes-to-problems/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [My older brother is a distinguished theoretical physicist, a fellow of the Royal Society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/my-older-brother-is-a-distinguished-theoretical-physicist-a-fellow-of/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [If you didn't have any conscious beings in the world, there really wouldn't be morality but with consciousness that you have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/if-you-didn-t-have-any-conscious-beings-in-the-world-there-really/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [I believe there is something going on in a conscious being, which includes many animals, as well as ourselves, that is not a computational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/i-believe-there-is-something-going-on-in-a-conscious-being-which/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [What right do we have to claim, as some might, that human beings are the only inhabitants of our planet blessed with an actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/what-right-do-we-have-to-claim-as-some-might-that-human-beings-are/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

[Explore all 63 Roger Penrose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

## More Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

Dylan Gelulla

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Penrose"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby-the-universe-s-very-existence/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby-the-universe-s-very-existence/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/roger-penrose-10729_consciousness_consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby_1060921.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/roger-penrose-10729_consciousness_consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby_1060921.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff3/roger-penrose-10729_consciousness_consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby_1060921.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.” — Roger Penrose",
                "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": "Roger Penrose",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby-the-universe-s-very-existence/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/consciousness-is-the-phenomenon-whereby-the-universe-s-very-existence/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
