--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we ever do find a complete theory of…" description: "\"If we ever do find a complete theory of the universe, it would be a great triumph of human reason but it wouldn't leave much for us to do. We need an i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/stephen-hawking-389_challenges_if-we-ever-do-find-a-complete-theory-of_1505535.jpg" --- # If we ever do find a complete theory of the universe, it… ![“If we ever do find a complete theory of the universe, it would be a great triumph of human reason but it wouldn't leave much for us to do. We need an intellectual challenge.” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/stephen-hawking-389_challenges_if-we-ever-do-find-a-complete-theory-of_1505535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/stephen-hawking-389_challenges_if-we-ever-do-find-a-complete-theory-of_1505535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/489/stephen-hawking-389_challenges_if-we-ever-do-find-a-complete-theory-of_1505535.jpg) > “If we ever do find a complete theory of the universe, it would be a great triumph of human reason but it wouldn't leave much for us to do. We need an intellectual challenge.” [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. A complete universal theory would be a triumph yet could diminish humanity’s purpose, highlighting the need for intellectual challenges. **In simple terms:** A full theory may limit human purpose. Key Takeaway Seek challenges beyond scientific answers. Themes science purpose intellect humility future Mood curious inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - Research projects - creative arts - philosophical debates - education curricula Key Concepts Philosophy of science existentialism future studies Questions to Reflect On - What challenges drive your curiosity? - How can we find purpose beyond knowledge? A Different Perspective May underestimate the value of applied knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Human reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-reason/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Triumph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triumph/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [If we do discover a complete theory, it should be in time understandable in broad principle by everyone. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/if-we-do-discover-a-complete-theory-it-should-be-in-time/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“... if we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/if-we-do-discover-a-complete-theory-it-should-in-time-be/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Then we shall... be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/then-we-shall-be-able-to-take-part-in-the-discussion-of-the-question/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [According to 'M' theory, ours is not the only universe. Instead, 'M' theory predicts that a great many universes were created out of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/according-to-m-theory-ours-is-not-the-only-universe-instead-m-theory/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“It turns out to be very difficult to devise a theory to describe the universe all in one go. Instead, we break the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/it-turns-out-to-be-very-difficult-to-devise-a-theory-to-describe-the/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Now, if you believe that the universe is not arbitrary, but is governed by definite laws, you ultimately have to combine the partial theories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/now-if-you-believe-that-the-universe-is-not-arbitrary-but-is-governed/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Lisp은 코드와 데이터를 단일하게 취급함으로써, 완전한 계산 이론(a complete theory of computation)을 포함하고 있다는”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lisp-a-complete-theory-of-computation/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Problem 1: Combine general relativity and quantum theory into a single theory that can claim to be the complete theory of nature. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smolin/problem-1-combine-general-relativity-and-quantum-theory-into-a-single/) [Lee Smolin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smolin/) > [There is no complete theory of anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/there-is-no-complete-theory-of-anything/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [An intellectual challenge presents itself? I am in bliss. Instantly, it brings forth the notion of triumph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/an-intellectual-challenge-presents-itself-i-am-in-bliss-instantly-it/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [My first intellectual challenge was to try to understand this incredible city of Banaras (also called Varanasi) in India and its meaning for Hindus.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-l-eck/my-first-intellectual-challenge-was-to-try-to-understand-this/) [Diana L. Eck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-l-eck/) > [In their capacity as a tool, computers will be but a ripple on the surface of our culture. In their capacity as intellectual challenge,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/in-their-capacity-as-a-tool-computers-will-be-but-a-ripple-on-the/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Once I started working with older people, I realized how much I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of taking care of patients who have multiple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-i-started-working-with-older-people-i-realized-how-much-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anyone who claims to be intrigued by the "intellectual challenge of the markets" is not a trader. The markets are as intellectually challenging as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-vince/anyone-who-claims-to-be-intrigued-by-the-intellectual-challenge-of/) Ralph Vince > [To counter the avoidance of intellectual challenge and responsibility, we must reduce the domination of certainty in education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-glasser/to-counter-the-avoidance-of-intellectual-challenge-and-responsibility/) [William Glasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-glasser/) ## 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 Challenges quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Our biggest challenge is to eliminate the popular perception that economists don't have anything useful to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zandi/our-biggest-challenge-is-to-eliminate-the-popular-perception-that/) [Mark Zandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zandi/) > [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/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [I want to be perceived as a guy who played his best in all facets, not just scoring. A guy who loved challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jordan/i-want-to-be-perceived-as-a-guy-who-played-his-best-in-all-facets-not/) [Michael Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jordan/) > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) > [I personally think if something's not a challenge, there's no point doing it, because you're not gonna learn much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-personally-think-if-something-s-not-a-challenge-there-s-no-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men want a challenge, but they want a challenge they can win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-gaskell/men-want-a-challenge-but-they-want-a-challenge-they-can-win/) Whitney Gaskell > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Nobody challenges me. I challenge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakuntala-devi/nobody-challenges-me-i-challenge-myself/) [Shakuntala Devi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakuntala-devi/) > [Challenging is good, like good conversation, yes? Who wants to have dinner with the same old easy listening music sounding friends all the time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/challenging-is-good-like-good-conversation-yes-who-wants-to-have/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) [Browse all 8,851 Challenges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If we ever do find a complete theory of the universe, it would be a great triumph of human reason but it wouldn't leave much for us to do. 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