--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The universe is not indifferent to our…" description: "\"The universe is not indifferent to our existence - it depends on it.\" — Stephen Hawking" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/stephen-hawking-389_depends_the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-e_2009239.jpg" --- # The universe is not indifferent to our existence - it… ![“The universe is not indifferent to our existence - it depends on it.” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/stephen-hawking-389_depends_the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-e_2009239.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/stephen-hawking-389_depends_the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-e_2009239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/stephen-hawking-389_depends_the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-e_2009239.jpg) > “The universe is not indifferent to our existence - it depends on it.” [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. The universe cares about our existence; our presence matters to it. **In simple terms:** The universe depends on us. Key Takeaway Recognize your impact on the cosmos. Themes existence cosmos interconnectedness Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical scientific When to use this quote - scientific discourse - spiritual reflection - environmental activism Key Concepts anthropic principle philosophical implication Questions to Reflect On - How does this view affect responsibility? - What evidence supports this claim? A Different Perspective Human significance may be overstated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-depends-356211/) [Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent/) [Indifferent Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent-existence-3480140/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Our](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-indifferent-1127493/) ## Related quotes > [I believe, not theoretically, but from direct personal experience, that very few of the things that happen to us are purposeless or accidental (and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/i-believe-not-theoretically-but-from-direct-personal-experience-that/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [The universe is not indifferent to intelligence, it is actively hostile to it. Love thy neighbor as yourself, but choose your neighborhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-lester/the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-intelligence-it-is-actively/) [Louise Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-lester/) > [And yet, even so, there is a way to find happiness. That is to be curious about all of the interlocking events that add…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/and-yet-even-so-there-is-a-way-to-find-happiness-that-is-to-be/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Though the youth at last grows indifferent, the laws of the universe are not indifferent, but are forever on the side of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/though-the-youth-at-last-grows-indifferent-the-laws-of-the-universe/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I believe that an orderly universe, one indifferent to human preoccupations, in which everything has an explanation even if we still have a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-believe-that-an-orderly-universe-one-indifferent-to-human/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The universe is not indifferent. It is actively hostile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-universe-is-not-indifferent-it-is-actively-hostile/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Your existence depends on what you have, not what you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinita-kinra/your-existence-depends-on-what-you-have-not-what-you-are/) [Vinita Kinra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinita-kinra/) > [“The universe is indifferent to our fates. This was the crushing burden that the character took with him as he struggled through the surf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/the-universe-is-indifferent-to-our-fates-this-was-the-crushing-burden/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“He thinks of all he has seen and learned: that the universe is indifferent to our human endeavors, that what gives our lives meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-davenport/he-thinks-of-all-he-has-seen-and-learned-that-the-universe-is/) [Kiana Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-davenport/) > [“Man, in this view, is incapable of looking around him and acknowledging without wincing or worse, without falling down in despair, that he doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-maisel/man-in-this-view-is-incapable-of-looking-around-him-and-acknowledging/) [Eric Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-maisel/) > [It is indeed possible to change your view of the universe from indifferent to friendly. I have helped thousands of persons make this transition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srikumar-rao/it-is-indeed-possible-to-change-your-view-of-the-universe-from/) [Srikumar Rao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srikumar-rao/) > [Nothing that can be known has existence in itself. It depends on a knower. The knower is consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-klein/nothing-that-can-be-known-has-existence-in-itself-it-depends-on-a/) [Jean Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-klein/) > [“To explore and affiliate with life is a deep and complicated process in mental development. To an extent still undervalued in philosophy and religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/to-explore-and-affiliate-with-life-is-a-deep-and-complicated-process/) [Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/) > [“This is why you are told “Let the weak man say, ‘I am strong’.” (Joel 3:10), for by his assumption, the cause-substance — ‘I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/this-is-why-you-are-told-let-the-weak-man-say-i-am-strong-joel-3-10/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [“There can be no sense of security in your existence when it depends upon outside factors, for the unpredictable changes of reality can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/there-can-be-no-sense-of-security-in-your-existence-when-it-depends/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## 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 Depends quotes > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Surely to root politics out of art is a highly necessary undertaking: for the freedom of art, like that of science, depends entirely upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyndham-lewis/surely-to-root-politics-out-of-art-is-a-highly-necessary-undertaking/) [Wyndham Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyndham-lewis/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [India may be overtaking China as the world's most polluted country. Even now, which country is worse depends on the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/india-may-be-overtaking-china-as-the-world-s-most-polluted-country/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) > [What my day is like depends on where I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniela-pestova/what-my-day-is-like-depends-on-where-i-am/) [Daniela Pestova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniela-pestova/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [A free society depends upon a high degree of mutual trust. The public will not give that trust to officials who are not seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-cox/a-free-society-depends-upon-a-high-degree-of-mutual-trust-the-public/) [Archibald Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-cox/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Every crucial experience can be regarded either as a setback, or the start of a wonderful new adventure, it depends on your perspective!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/every-crucial-experience-can-be-regarded-either-as-a-setback-or-the/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) > [Unless we are prepared to search our souls to discover what to say, and then how to say it effectively, we cannot expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-case/unless-we-are-prepared-to-search-our-souls-to-discover-what-to-say/) [Everett Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-case/) > [What you can do and what it became the Depends are Only your Attitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/what-you-can-do-and-what-it-became-the-depends-are-only-your-attitude/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) [Browse all 3,689 Depends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The universe is not indifferent to our existence - it depends on it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Hawking" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-existence-it-depends-on-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depends" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-existence-it-depends-on-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/stephen-hawking-389_depends_the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-e_2009239.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/stephen-hawking-389_depends_the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-e_2009239.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b0c/stephen-hawking-389_depends_the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-e_2009239.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The universe is not indifferent to our existence - it depends on it.” — 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": "The universe is not indifferent to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-existence-it-depends-on-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-existence-it-depends-on-it/#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 } } ] } ```