--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Bodies like the earth are not made to…" description: "\"Bodies like the earth are not made to move on curved orbits by a force called gravity; instead, they follow the nearest thing to a straight path in a c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/stephen-hawking-389_body_bodies-like-the-earth-are-not-made-to-mo_1872733.jpg" --- # Bodies like the earth are not made to move on curved… ![“Bodies like the earth are not made to move on curved orbits by a force called gravity; instead, they follow the nearest thing to a straight path in a curved space, which is called a geodesic. A geodesic is the shortest (or longest) path between two nearby points.” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/stephen-hawking-389_body_bodies-like-the-earth-are-not-made-to-mo_1872733.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/stephen-hawking-389_body_bodies-like-the-earth-are-not-made-to-mo_1872733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/529/stephen-hawking-389_body_bodies-like-the-earth-are-not-made-to-mo_1872733.jpg) > “Bodies like the earth are not made to move on curved orbits by a force called gravity; instead, they follow the nearest thing to a straight path in a curved space, which is called a geodesic. A geodesic is the shortest (or longest) path between two nearby points.” [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Objects move along geodesics, the straightest possible paths in curved spacetime, rather than being forced by gravity alone. **In simple terms:** Objects follow the straightest path in curved space. Key Takeaway Understand natural motion in relativity. Themes physics relativity geometry science Mood educational scientific Type explanatory inspirational When to use this quote - space travel - GPS technology - educational curricula Key Concepts geodesic spacetime curvature gravity Questions to Reflect On - How does this concept affect everyday technology? - What visual analogies help explain geodesics? A Different Perspective Complex math can obscure intuitive grasp. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Gravity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gravity/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Orbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orbit/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Straight path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-path/) ## Related quotes > [“My father hasn’t told me about it but he showed me the straight path”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fahmid-hassan-prohor/my-father-hasn-t-told-me-about-it-but-he-showed-me-the-straight-path/) [Fahmid Hassan Prohor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fahmid-hassan-prohor/) > [“god has shown me that conducting our lives to look like "The Untouchables" --looking like we have it all together, like we are perfect--does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juanita-bynum/god-has-shown-me-that-conducting-our-lives-to-look-like-the/) Juanita Bynum > [I have never seen a man lost who was on a straight path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/i-have-never-seen-a-man-lost-who-was-on-a-straight-path/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [The movie business can be very frustrating and very circuitous; theres no straight path. You have to have tremendous perseverance, dedication and passion. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-di-novi/the-movie-business-can-be-very-frustrating-and-very-circuitous-theres/) [Denise Di Novi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-di-novi/) > [“Having conceived of a purpose, a maston should mentally mark out a straight pathway to achievement, looking neither to the right nor left. Doubts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-wheeler/having-conceived-of-a-purpose-a-maston-should-mentally-mark-out-a/) [Jeff Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-wheeler/) > [“Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, (1) The Beneficent, the Merciful. (2) Owner of the Day of Judgment, (3) Thee (alone) we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quran/praise-be-to-allah-lord-of-the-worlds-1-the-beneficent-the-merciful-2/) [Quran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quran/) > [I was born to fight devils and factions. It is my business to remove obstacles, to cut down thorns, to fill up quagmires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/i-was-born-to-fight-devils-and-factions-it-is-my-business-to-remove/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I saw that I'd get nowhere on the straight path, and that to go crookedly was straighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolai-gogol/i-saw-that-i-d-get-nowhere-on-the-straight-path-and-that-to-go/) [Nikolai Gogol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolai-gogol/) > [“…I have a feeling of being at home when I am with Sien, a feeling that she gives me my own hearth, that our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-have-a-feeling-of-being-at-home-when-i-am-with-sien-a-feeling-that/) [Vincent van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Though a hundred crooked paths may conduct to a temporary success, the one plain and straight path of public and private virtue can alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/though-a-hundred-crooked-paths-may-conduct-to-a-temporary-success-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Midway along the journey of our life I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered off from the straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/midway-along-the-journey-of-our-life-i-woke-to-find-myself-in-a-dark/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Drink lots of water, and nap. 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Among these aspirations is the desire that there will be a straight path to those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-zahn/all-beings-begin-their-lives-with-hope-and-aspirations-among-these/) [Timothy Zahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-zahn/) > [Midway along the journey of our life I woke to find myself in a dark wood, for I had wandered off from the straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/midway-along-the-journey-of-our-life-i-woke-to-find-myself-in-a-dark-2/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) ## More by Stephen Hawking > [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-are-the-product-of-quantum-fluctuations-in-the-very-early-universe/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The human race does not have a very good record of intelligent behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-does-not-have-a-very-good-record-of-intelligent/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“We have finally found something that doesn’t have a cause, because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-have-finally-found-something-that-doesn-t-have-a-cause-because/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. 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Science will win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/there-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-religion-which-is-based-on/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: Did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/in-the-eighteenth-century-philosophers-considered-the-whole-of-human/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Empedocles noticed that if you cover the neck before you immerse it, a clepsydra does not fill. He reasoned that something invisible must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/empedocles-noticed-that-if-you-cover-the-neck-before-you-immerse-it-a/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-shouldn-t-have-all-its-eggs-in-one-basket-or-on-one/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I hope I have helped to raise the profile of science and to show that physics is not a mystery but can be understood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-hope-i-have-helped-to-raise-the-profile-of-science-and-to-show-that/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) [Explore all 601 Stephen Hawking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [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/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. 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