--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the next [21st] century will be…" description: "\"I think the next [21st] century will be the century of complexity. We have already discovered the basic laws that govern matter and understand all the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/stephen-hawking-389_21st-century_i-think-the-next-21st-century-will-be-th_251313.jpg" --- # I think the next \[21st\] century will be the century of… ![“I think the next [21st] century will be the century of complexity. We have already discovered the basic laws that govern matter and understand all the normal situations. We don't know how the laws fit together, and what happens under extreme conditions. But I expect we will find a complete unified…” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/stephen-hawking-389_21st-century_i-think-the-next-21st-century-will-be-th_251313.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/stephen-hawking-389_21st-century_i-think-the-next-21st-century-will-be-th_251313.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/108/stephen-hawking-389_21st-century_i-think-the-next-21st-century-will-be-th_251313.jpg) > “I think the next \[21st\] century will be the century of complexity. We have already discovered the basic laws that govern matter and understand all the normal situations. We don't know how the laws fit together, and what happens under extreme conditions. But I expect we will find a complete unified theory sometime this century. The is no limit to the complexity that we can build using those basic laws.” [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. Complexity will dominate future discoveries; we know basic laws but must integrate them to handle extreme conditions and build intricate systems. **In simple terms:** Complexity will shape the next century. Key Takeaway Embrace interdisciplinary research. Themes science future complexity Mood optimistic thoughtful Type visionary inspirational When to use this quote - AI development - climate modeling - quantum computing - space exploration Key Concepts systems theory unified physics Questions to Reflect On - What interdisciplinary tools can manage rising complexity? - How do we balance innovation with safety? A Different Perspective Complexity may outpace our ability to predict outcomes, leading to uncertainty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [21st century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/21st-century/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Century Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century-complexity-2499485/) [Complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity/) [Complexity Discovered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexity-discovered-2499486/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Know how](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-how/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Situation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situation/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Theory Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory-century-2499487/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Unified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unified/) ## Related quotes > [I think the next century will be the century of complexity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-think-the-next-century-will-be-the-century-of-complexity/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Complexity is the prodigy of the world. Simplicity is the sensation of the universe. Behind complexity, there is always simplicity to be revealed. Inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idris-mootee/complexity-is-the-prodigy-of-the-world-simplicity-is-the-sensation-of/) [Idris Mootee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idris-mootee/) > [If history is any guide at all, it seems to me to suggest that there is a final theory. In this century we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-history-is-any-guide-at-all-it-seems-to-me-to-suggest-that-there/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [M-theory is the unified theory Einstein was hoping to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/m-theory-is-the-unified-theory-einstein-was-hoping-to-find/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Participatory complexity may well be the key descriptor of the 21st century - in our economies, in our politics, and in our everyday lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/participatory-complexity-may-well-be-the-key-descriptor-of-the-21st/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [With genetic engineering, we will be able to increase the complexity of our DNA, and improve the human race. But it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/with-genetic-engineering-we-will-be-able-to-increase-the-complexity/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [We must all move shoulder to shoulder in a unified front to show this administration that the true majority of people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/we-must-all-move-shoulder-to-shoulder-in-a-unified-front-to-show-this/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [There's an agreement that Syria should be a unified country, united; that it needs to be secular; that ISIL needs to be taken on;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/there-s-an-agreement-that-syria-should-be-a-unified-country-united/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Let us face reality. The framers (of the Constitution) have simply been too shrewd for us. They have outwitted us. They designed separate institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/let-us-face-reality-the-framers-of-the-constitution-have-simply-been/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [Clearly, a stable, unified and democratic Iraq cannot be achieved militarily by the U.S.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-olver/clearly-a-stable-unified-and-democratic-iraq-cannot-be-achieved/) [John Olver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-olver/) > [What neo-capitalism does so brilliantly is that it's always subdividing and dividing, so that people are never able to be joined in their numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/what-neo-capitalism-does-so-brilliantly-is-that-it-s-always/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Sciences are being unified by the search for life in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-grunsfeld/sciences-are-being-unified-by-the-search-for-life-in-the-universe/) [John M. Grunsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-grunsfeld/) > [Europe unified its monetary policy through the euro before it unified politically, therefore sustaining member countries' abilities to pursue the kind of independent fiscal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/europe-unified-its-monetary-policy-through-the-euro-before-it-unified/) [Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/) > [... man has an idea of a better world than this. But better does not mean different, it means unified... Religion or crime, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/man-has-an-idea-of-a-better-world-than-this-but-better-does-not-mean/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## 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. This leads me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/i-believe-the-simplest-explanation-is-there-is-no-god-no-one-created/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The Paralympic Games is about transforming our perception of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-paralympic-games-is-about-transforming-our-perception-of-the-world/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The increase of disorder or entropy is what distinguishes the past from the future, giving a direction to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-increase-of-disorder-or-entropy-is-what-distinguishes-the-past/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Most sets of values would give rise to universes that, although they might be very beautiful, would contain no one able to wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/most-sets-of-values-would-give-rise-to-universes-that-although-they/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, and science, which is based on observation and reason. 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 21st century quotes > [The young people today are the 21st century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/the-young-people-today-are-the-21st-century/) [Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/) > [“You know it’s the 21st Century when someone TEXTS you from the washroom to ask you to bring them a roll of toilet paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/comic-strip-mama/you-know-it-s-the-21st-century-when-someone-texts-you-from-the/) [Comic Strip Mama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/comic-strip-mama/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) [Bella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-james/) > [Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States. Too many of our students fail to graduate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/like-many-others-i-have-deep-misgivings-about-the-state-of-education/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Undeniably, character does count for our citizens, out communities, and our Nation, and this week we celebrate the importance of character in our individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/undeniably-character-does-count-for-our-citizens-out-communities-and/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [The hope of Internet anarchists was that repressive governments would have only two options: accept the Internet with its limitless possibilities of spreading information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/the-hope-of-internet-anarchists-was-that-repressive-governments-would/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Maybe we need a tax credit for the poorest Americans to buy a laptop. Now, maybe that's wrong, maybe that's expensive, maybe we can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/maybe-we-need-a-tax-credit-for-the-poorest-americans-to-buy-a-laptop/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I firmly believe that the mission of religion in the 21st century must be to contribute concretely to the peaceful coexistence of humankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisaku-ikeda/i-firmly-believe-that-the-mission-of-religion-in-the-21st-century/) [Daisaku Ikeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisaku-ikeda/) > [Facebook, Twitter...Welcome to The 21st Century...Where Someone can stalk you without leaving the couch!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/facebook-twitter-welcome-to-the-21st-century-where-someone-can-stalk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. (at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/like-the-railroads-that-brought-us-together-in-the-19th-century-these/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/what-i-love-about-making-albums-in-the-21st-century-is-that-so-few/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [As a former Apollo astronaut, I think it's safe to say that SpaceX and the other commercial developers embody the 21st century version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusty-schweickart/as-a-former-apollo-astronaut-i-think-it-s-safe-to-say-that-spacex-and/) [Rusty Schweickart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusty-schweickart/) > [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) [Browse all 771 21st century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/21st-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the next [21st] century will be the century of complexity. 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