--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scientific discovery may not be better…" description: "\"Scientific discovery may not be better than sex, but the satisfaction lasts longer.\" — Stephen Hawking" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/stephen-hawking-389_discovery_scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-t_480607.jpg" --- # Scientific discovery may not be better than sex, but the… ![“Scientific discovery may not be better than sex, but the satisfaction lasts longer.” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/stephen-hawking-389_discovery_scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-t_480607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/stephen-hawking-389_discovery_scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-t_480607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/stephen-hawking-389_discovery_scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-t_480607.jpg) > “Scientific discovery may not be better than sex, but the satisfaction lasts longer.” [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. Scientific breakthroughs can be fleeting, but their impact endures longer than momentary pleasures. **In simple terms:** Science lasts longer than sex. Key Takeaway Value lasting impact over short thrills. Themes science legacy impact comparison Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - research funding - public communication - education - policy making Key Concepts epistemology temporal satisfaction Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize lasting contributions? - What pleasures can inspire scientific work? A Different Perspective Short‑term pleasure may distract from deeper inquiry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-sex/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Discovery Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery-better-2341904/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfaction/) [Satisfaction Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfaction-lasts-1959738/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-discovery/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sex Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex-satisfaction-4132680/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) ## Related quotes > [By the time I was six, I made an important discovery that I get along much better with animals than humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-gould/by-the-time-i-was-six-i-made-an-important-discovery-that-i-get-along/) [Glenn Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-gould/) > [Most young people today prefer just to move in together and stay together as long, but no longer, as satisfaction lasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/most-young-people-today-prefer-just-to-move-in-together-and-stay/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [I can't say I want to earn a particular award or sell a certain number of records, because even if I do that, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantal-kreviazuk/i-can-t-say-i-want-to-earn-a-particular-award-or-sell-a-certain/) [Chantal Kreviazuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantal-kreviazuk/) > [Shopping is better than sex. At least if you're not satisfied, you can exchange it for something you really like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-gusoff/shopping-is-better-than-sex-at-least-if-you-re-not-satisfied-you-can/) [Adrienne Gusoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-gusoff/) > [Driving a fire truck is always a thrill. Is it better than sex? No!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-angeli/driving-a-fire-truck-is-always-a-thrill-is-it-better-than-sex-no/) [Lou Angeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-angeli/) > [I love tackling, it's better than sex!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ince/i-love-tackling-it-s-better-than-sex/) [Paul Ince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ince/) > [Skiing is better than sex actually, because for me a good round of sex might be seven minutes. 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Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [In fact, I believe that we need better sex education in our own culture, here in America, so that young folk learn about things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piers-anthony/in-fact-i-believe-that-we-need-better-sex-education-in-our-own/) [Piers Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piers-anthony/) > [They say it's better than sex. It's so much better. It's amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/they-say-it-s-better-than-sex-it-s-so-much-better-it-s-amazing/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [“The way to get better pornography is to give pornographers better sex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-preston/the-way-to-get-better-pornography-is-to-give-pornographers-better-sex/) [John Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-preston/) > [“A good horror is better than sex!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skarlett-horrors/a-good-horror-is-better-than-sex/) [Skarlett Horrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skarlett-horrors/) > [“She often wondered what the hell was wrong with men. Sex could be fun, natural, good. Why did they have to corrupt it? Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/she-often-wondered-what-the-hell-was-wrong-with-men-sex-could-be-fun/) [J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/) ## 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 Discovery quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Throughout my work, I have assumed that the standard model is correct, and hence, the Higgs boson should be found. Although this is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoke-sen/throughout-my-work-i-have-assumed-that-the-standard-model-is-correct/) [Ashoke Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoke-sen/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/) > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Browse all 3,125 Discovery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Scientific discovery may not be better than sex, but the satisfaction lasts longer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Hawking" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-than-sex-but-the-satisfaction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discovery" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-than-sex-but-the-satisfaction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/stephen-hawking-389_discovery_scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-t_480607.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/stephen-hawking-389_discovery_scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-t_480607.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/stephen-hawking-389_discovery_scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-t_480607.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Scientific discovery may not be better than sex, but the satisfaction lasts longer.” — Stephen Hawking", "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": "Stephen Hawking", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Scientific discovery may not be better...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-than-sex-but-the-satisfaction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/scientific-discovery-may-not-be-better-than-sex-but-the-satisfaction/#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 } } ] } ```