--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People get a lot of confusion, because…" description: "\"People get a lot of confusion, because they keep trying to think of quantum mechanics as classical mechanics.\" — Sidney Coleman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/sidney-coleman-81010_confusion_people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-th_3189643.jpg" --- # People get a lot of confusion, because they keep trying to… ![“People get a lot of confusion, because they keep trying to think of quantum mechanics as classical mechanics.” quote by Sidney Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/sidney-coleman-81010_confusion_people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-th_3189643.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/sidney-coleman-81010_confusion_people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-th_3189643.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/sidney-coleman-81010_confusion_people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-th_3189643.jpg) > “People get a lot of confusion, because they keep trying to think of quantum mechanics as classical mechanics.” Sidney Coleman ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People confuse quantum mechanics with classical mechanics, leading to misunderstanding. **In simple terms:** Quantum and classical ideas are mixed up. Key Takeaway Learn the distinct principles of quantum physics. Themes science education misconception Mood analytical inquisitive Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - university courses - public lectures - science outreach - media articles Key Concepts quantum theory classical physics epistemology Questions to Reflect On - Why do we default to classical intuition? - How can educators clarify quantum ideas? A Different Perspective Quantum concepts are non‑intuitive; simplifying can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Mechanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanic/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Quantum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum/) [Quantum mechanics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum-mechanics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [If anybody says he can think about quantum physics without getting giddy, that only shows he has not understood the first thing about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/if-anybody-says-he-can-think-about-quantum-physics-without-getting/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Quantum mechanics broke the mold of the previous framework, classical mechanics, by establishing that the predictions of science are necessarily probabilistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/quantum-mechanics-broke-the-mold-of-the-previous-framework-classical/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [A system such as classical mechanics may be 'scientific' to any degree you like; but those who uphold it dogmatically - believing, perhaps, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/a-system-such-as-classical-mechanics-may-be-scientific-to-any-degree/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [Certainly we do not need quantum mechanics for macroscopic objects, which are well described by classical physics - this is the reason why quantum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-aspect/certainly-we-do-not-need-quantum-mechanics-for-macroscopic-objects/) Alain Aspect > [The birth of science as we know it arguably began with Isaac Newton's formulation of the laws of gravitation and motion. It is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/the-birth-of-science-as-we-know-it-arguably-began-with-isaac-newton-s/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Physics is really figuring out how to discover new things that are counterintuitive, like quantum mechanics. It's really counterintuitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/physics-is-really-figuring-out-how-to-discover-new-things-that-are/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [If all this damned quantum jumping were really here to stay, I should be sorry, I should be sorry I ever got involved with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-schrodinger/if-all-this-damned-quantum-jumping-were-really-here-to-stay-i-should/) [Erwin Schrodinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-schrodinger/) > [What're quantum mechanics?" "I don't know. People who repair quantums, I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/what-re-quantum-mechanics-i-don-t-know-people-who-repair-quantums-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [ Anybody who is not shocked by this subject has failed to understand it. \[of quantum mechanics\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anybody-who-is-not-shocked-by-this-subject-has-failed-to-understand/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [ It was about three o'clock at night when the final result of the calculation \[which gave birth to quantum mechanics\] lay before me ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/it-was-about-three-o-clock-at-night-when-the-final-result-of-the/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [Anyone not shocked by quantum mechanics has not yet understood it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/anyone-not-shocked-by-quantum-mechanics-has-not-yet-understood-it/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Yes, I am a quantum mechanic! Those darn quantum computers break all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/yes-i-am-a-quantum-mechanic-those-darn-quantum-computers-break-all/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [I liked quantum mechanics very much. The subject was hard to understand but easy to apply to a large number of interesting problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-lamb/i-liked-quantum-mechanics-very-much-the-subject-was-hard-to/) [Willis Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-lamb/) > [String theory is the most developed theory with the capacity to unite general relativity and quantum mechanics in a consistent manner. I do believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/string-theory-is-the-most-developed-theory-with-the-capacity-to-unite/) [Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/) > [A popular feel for scientific endeavors should, if possible, be restored given the needs of the twenty-first century. This does not mean that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/a-popular-feel-for-scientific-endeavors-should-if-possible-be/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) ## More by Sidney Coleman > [The career of a young theoretical physicist consists of treating the harmonic oscillator in ever-increasing levels of abstraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-coleman/the-career-of-a-young-theoretical-physicist-consists-of-treating-the/) Sidney Coleman > [If you tell yourself something over and over again, right or wrong, it becomes intuitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-coleman/if-you-tell-yourself-something-over-and-over-again-right-or-wrong-it/) Sidney Coleman Explore all 3 Sidney Coleman quotes ## More Confusion quotes > [The fog of illusion, the fog of confusion is hanging all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/the-fog-of-illusion-the-fog-of-confusion-is-hanging-all-over-the-world/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [Being actors we are dealing with the beauty and complexity of human confusion, no? And we are always trying to get answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/being-actors-we-are-dealing-with-the-beauty-and-complexity-of-human/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [“Wait, seriously, what's a piss pot?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-shand/wait-seriously-what-s-a-piss-pot/) [Pat Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-shand/) > [I think there's confusion around what the point of social networks is. A lot of different companies characterized as social networks have different goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-think-there-s-confusion-around-what-the-point-of-social-networks-is/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [In history as it comes to be written, there is usually some Spirit of the Age which historians can define, but the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/in-history-as-it-comes-to-be-written-there-is-usually-some-spirit-of/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/love-is-doing-what-will-enthrall-the-beloved-with-the-greatest-and/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Psychedelic drugs cause paranoia, confusion, and total loss of reality in politicians that have never taken them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/psychedelic-drugs-cause-paranoia-confusion-and-total-loss-of-reality/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [That feeling you get when you know you are forgetting something, but you don't know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-feeling-you-get-when-you-know-you-are-forgetting-something-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/what-are-we-doing-here-that-is-the-question-and-we-are-blessed-in/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [But, when it comes to global warming, the public- at-large really doesn't know whom to believe anymore. And NASA has contributed to that confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cunningham/but-when-it-comes-to-global-warming-the-public-at-large-really-doesn/) [Walter Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cunningham/) > [You know your in LOVE,because,for once.. You know reality is better than your DREAMS..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-your-in-love-because-for-once-you-know-reality-is-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In these days of faith-cures, and hypnotism, and telepathy, and subliminalities – why, the simple old world grows very confusing. But rarely, very rarely novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/in-these-days-of-faith-cures-and-hypnotism-and-telepathy-and/) [Walter de la Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [“If you want nothing to do with god then why do you say his name all the time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-reimer/if-you-want-nothing-to-do-with-god-then-why-do-you-say-his-name-all/) Emily Reimer [Browse all 1,822 Confusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People get a lot of confusion, because they keep trying to think of quantum mechanics as classical mechanics.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sidney Coleman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-coleman/people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-they-keep-trying-to-think-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-coleman/people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-they-keep-trying-to-think-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/sidney-coleman-81010_confusion_people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-th_3189643.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/sidney-coleman-81010_confusion_people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-th_3189643.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/764/sidney-coleman-81010_confusion_people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-th_3189643.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People get a lot of confusion, because they keep trying to think of quantum mechanics as classical mechanics.” — Sidney Coleman", "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": "Sidney Coleman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-coleman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People get a lot of confusion,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-coleman/people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-they-keep-trying-to-think-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-coleman/people-get-a-lot-of-confusion-because-they-keep-trying-to-think-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 } } ] } ```