---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great literature remains great when it…"
description: "\"“Great literature remains great when it says new things to new generations, and the loops of a knot quite nicely parallel the contours and convolutions..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/sam-kean-10876_books_great-literature-remains-great-when-it-s_965966.png"
---

#  Great literature remains great when it says new things to…

![“Great literature remains great when it says new things to new generations, and the loops of a knot quite nicely parallel the contours and convolutions of Carroll’s plot anyway.What’s more, he probably would have been delighted at how this whimsical branch of math invaded the real world and became…” quote by Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/sam-kean-10876_books_great-literature-remains-great-when-it-s_965966.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/sam-kean-10876_books_great-literature-remains-great-when-it-s_965966.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/sam-kean-10876_books_great-literature-remains-great-when-it-s_965966.png)

> ““Great literature remains great when it says new things to new generations, and the loops of a knot quite nicely parallel the contours and convolutions of Carroll’s plot anyway.What’s more, he probably would have been delighted at how this whimsical branch of math invaded the real world and became crucial to understanding our biology.””

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

## About This Quote

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

Great literature stays relevant by offering fresh insights, and mathematics like knot theory unexpectedly informs biology.

**In simple terms:** Literature and math both reveal new truths across time.

Key Takeaway

Explore interdisciplinary connections.

Themes

literature mathematics biology

Mood

enthusiastic thoughtful

Type

educational inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- research
- creative writing

Key Concepts

knot theory interdisciplinary study science history

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we make interdisciplinary concepts approachable?
- What role does curiosity play in learning?

A Different Perspective

Complex ideas can be inaccessible without proper explanation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Carroll Plot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carroll-plot-1822054/) [Great literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-literature/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-remains-1822055/) [New things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-things/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Understanding Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-biology-1822056/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [Literature remains alive only if we set ourselves immeasurable goals, far beyond all hope of achievement. Only if poets and writers set themselves tasks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/literature-remains-alive-only-if-we-set-ourselves-immeasurable-goals/)

[Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/)

> [If the task of scientific methodology is to piece together an account of what scientists actually do, then the testimony of biologists should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-medawar/if-the-task-of-scientific-methodology-is-to-piece-together-an-account/)

[Peter Medawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-medawar/)

> [There is no true understanding of Biology without Chemistry. And there's no true understanding of Chemistry without Physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/there-is-no-true-understanding-of-biology-without-chemistry-and-there/)

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

> [Teens are by nature, experimental learners. There is no real understanding of biology without the lab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mogel/teens-are-by-nature-experimental-learners-there-is-no-real/)

[Wendy Mogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mogel/)

> [Oldboy makes us feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. It's a grand, gritty, indelible experience, the sort of picture that mimics great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-zacharek/oldboy-makes-us-feel-a-part-of-something-bigger-than-ourselves-it-s-a/)

[Stephanie Zacharek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-zacharek/)

> [Absolutely No doubt: you are a great Literature, but if you Don't Have Been Any Assumptions About social situation, then have been worthless all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/absolutely-no-doubt-you-are-a-great-literature-but-if-you-don-t-have/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [“This is the thing about great literature. It reads like truth and sticks to you forever and lets you know that you are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlaina-tibensky/this-is-the-thing-about-great-literature-it-reads-like-truth-and/)

[Arlaina Tibensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlaina-tibensky/)

> [Freedom of speech doesn't guarantee great literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/freedom-of-speech-doesn-t-guarantee-great-literature/)

[Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/)

> [A people may become great through many means, but there is only one measure by which its greatness is recognized and acknowledged. The final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/a-people-may-become-great-through-many-means-but-there-is-only-one/)

[James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/)

> [Great literature is like moral leadership; everyone deplores the lack of it, but there is a tendency to prefer it from the safely dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/great-literature-is-like-moral-leadership-everyone-deplores-the-lack/)

[Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/)

> [The most exciting periods of literature have always been those when the critics were great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-most-exciting-periods-of-literature-have-always-been-those-when/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [This act of empathy, that women go through from the time we're little girls - we read all of literature, all of history, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/this-act-of-empathy-that-women-go-through-from-the-time-we-re-little/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [Great literature has always been written in a like spirit, and is, indeed, the Forgiveness of Sin, and when we find it becoming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/great-literature-has-always-been-written-in-a-like-spirit-and-is/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [Nothing better protects a human being against the stupidity of prejudice, racism, religious or political sectarianism, and exclusivist nationalism than this truth that invariably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/nothing-better-protects-a-human-being-against-the-stupidity-of/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [The memoir by women, read by female readers, is considered a market form, not "great literature."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/the-memoir-by-women-read-by-female-readers-is-considered-a-market/)

[Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/)

## More by Sam Kean

> [“So while Pauling struggled with his model, Watson and Crick turned theirs inside out, so the negative phosphorus ions wouldn’t touch. This gave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/so-while-pauling-struggled-with-his-model-watson-and-crick-turned/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [So if big enough droplets fell far enough fast enough, someone floating right near the metallic hydrogen layer inside Jupiter maybe, just maybe, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/so-if-big-enough-droplets-fell-far-enough-fast-enough-someone/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [Mendeleev, unlike the squeamish Meyer, had balls enough to predict that new elements would be dug up. Look harder, you chemists and geologists, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/mendeleev-unlike-the-squeamish-meyer-had-balls-enough-to-predict-that/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Lithium regulates the proteins that control the body’s inner clock. This clock runs, oddly, on DNA, inside special neurons deep in the brain. Special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/lithium-regulates-the-proteins-that-control-the-body-s-inner-clock/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Despite the earnest belief of most of his fans, Einstein did not win his Nobel Prize for the theory of relativity, special or general.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/despite-the-earnest-belief-of-most-of-his-fans-einstein-did-not-win/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“The irony is too rich not to point out. When arranging the different human races in tiers, from just below the angels to just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/the-irony-is-too-rich-not-to-point-out-when-arranging-the-different/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Think of the most fussy science teacher you ever had. The one who docked your grade if the sixth decimal place in your answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/think-of-the-most-fussy-science-teacher-you-ever-had-the-one-who/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“For his part, Mendeleev scanned Lecoq de Boisbaudran’s data on gallium and told the experimentalist, with no justification, that he must have measured something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/for-his-part-mendeleev-scanned-lecoq-de-boisbaudran-s-data-on-gallium/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Sir Isaac Newton famously said that he had achieved everything by standing on the shoulders of giants—the scientific men whose findings he built upon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/sir-isaac-newton-famously-said-that-he-had-achieved-everything-by/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“If certain bacteria, fungi, or algae inch across something made of copper, they absorb copper atoms, which disrupt their metabolism (human cells are unaffected).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/if-certain-bacteria-fungi-or-algae-inch-across-something-made-of/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Scarily, cadmium is not even the worst poison among the elements. It sits above mercury, a neurotoxin. And to the right of mercury sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/scarily-cadmium-is-not-even-the-worst-poison-among-the-elements-it/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Somehow, though, life turned that danger around, and this former poison became essential. It may sound trite, but this reversal always reminds me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/somehow-though-life-turned-that-danger-around-and-this-former-poison/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Since before even the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians, human beings used the stars and seasons to track time and record their most important moments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/since-before-even-the-ancient-egyptians-and-babylonians-human-beings/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Today alpha equals 1/137.0359 or so. Regardless, its value makes the periodic table possible. It allows atoms to exist and also allows them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/today-alpha-equals-1-137-0359-or-so-regardless-its-value-makes-the/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

> [“Furthermore, because silicon packs on more protons than carbon, it's bulkier, like carbon with fifty extra pounds. Sometimes that's not a big deal. Silicon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/furthermore-because-silicon-packs-on-more-protons-than-carbon-it-s/)

[Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

[Explore all 58 Sam Kean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Great literature remains great when it says new things to new generations, and the loops of a knot quite nicely parallel the contours and convolutions of Carroll’s plot anyway.What’s more, he probably would have been delighted at how this whimsical branch of math invaded the real world and became crucial to understanding our biology.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sam Kean"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/great-literature-remains-great-when-it-says-new-things-to-new/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/great-literature-remains-great-when-it-says-new-things-to-new/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/sam-kean-10876_books_great-literature-remains-great-when-it-s_965966.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/sam-kean-10876_books_great-literature-remains-great-when-it-s_965966.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20c/sam-kean-10876_books_great-literature-remains-great-when-it-s_965966.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Great literature remains great when it says new things to new generations, and the loops of a knot quite…” — Sam Kean",
                "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": "Sam Kean",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Great literature remains great when it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/great-literature-remains-great-when-it-says-new-things-to-new/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/great-literature-remains-great-when-it-says-new-things-to-new/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
