--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sigmund Freud often remarked that great…" description: "\"Sigmund Freud often remarked that great revolutions in the history of science have but one common, and ironic, feature: they knock human arrogance off ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogance_sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great_1557898.jpg" --- # Sigmund Freud often remarked that great revolutions in the… ![“Sigmund Freud often remarked that great revolutions in the history of science have but one common, and ironic, feature: they knock human arrogance off one pedestal after another of our previous conviction about our own self-importance.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogance_sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great_1557898.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogance_sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great_1557898.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogance_sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great_1557898.jpg) > “Sigmund Freud often remarked that great revolutions in the history of science have but one common, and ironic, feature: they knock human arrogance off one pedestal after another of our previous conviction about our own self-importance.” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific revolutions repeatedly dismantle prevailing human ego, revealing humility as knowledge expands. **In simple terms:** Science humbles human pride. Key Takeaway Embrace humility in learning. Themes science humility progress ego revolution Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - academic research - public policy debates - personal growth - teaching - media commentary Key Concepts philosophy history of science psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does humility affect scientific innovation? - When is confidence more valuable than humility? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on humility may discourage confidence in expertise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Arrogance Pedestal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance-pedestal-5837606/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Features](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/features/) [Freud Remarked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freud-remarked-5837607/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History of science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-of-science/) [Human Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-arrogance-738157/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Ironic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ironic/) [Pedestal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pedestal/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Revolutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutions/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-importance/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sigmund-freud/) ## Related quotes > [The most important scientific revolutions all include, as their only common feature, the dethronement of human arrogance from one pedestal after another of previous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-most-important-scientific-revolutions-all-include-as-their-only/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [“We cannot ignore the meaning of mad cow. It is one more warning about unintended consequences, about human arrogance and the blind worship of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/we-cannot-ignore-the-meaning-of-mad-cow-it-is-one-more-warning-about/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) > [“Nature has a myriad of weapons to combat human arrogance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/nature-has-a-myriad-of-weapons-to-combat-human-arrogance/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) > [To have arrived on this earth as a product of a biological accident, only to depart through human arrogance, would be the ultimate irony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/to-have-arrived-on-this-earth-as-a-product-of-a-biological-accident/) [Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/) > [You must not forget that you have been given worldly means to use and employ against human arrogance and wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knute-nelson/you-must-not-forget-that-you-have-been-given-worldly-means-to-use-and/) [Knute Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knute-nelson/) > [The idea that we are "stewards of the earth" is another symptom of human arrogance. Imagine yourself with the task of overseeing your body's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-margulis/the-idea-that-we-are-stewards-of-the-earth-is-another-symptom-of/) [Lynn Margulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-margulis/) > [Heights of human arrogance…it will finally die of civilization... razing the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiza-elahi/heights-of-human-arrogance-it-will-finally-die-of-civilization-razing/) [Fiza Elahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiza-elahi/) > [I think human arrogance will be the demise of civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ferrara/i-think-human-arrogance-will-be-the-demise-of-civilization/) [Adam Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ferrara/) > [Among the innumerable mortifications which waylay human arrogance on every side may well be reckoned our ignorance of the most common objects and effects,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/among-the-innumerable-mortifications-which-waylay-human-arrogance-on/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Our human arrogance makes us want to atone for our own sins...to make it up to God with works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-human-arrogance-makes-us-want-to-atone-for-our-own-sins-to-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The place where God has supremely destroyed all human arrogance and pretension is the cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/the-place-where-god-has-supremely-destroyed-all-human-arrogance-and/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [“What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult. -Sigmund Freud”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-a-distressing-contrast-there-is-between-the-radiant-intelligence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ For \[Sigmund \] Freud, the manifest dream, that is that which we remember after waking,is like a code message, that can be interpreted, provided… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/for-sigmund-freud-the-manifest-dream-that-is-that-which-we-remember/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [When you are dealing with a serious compulsion or addictive pattern, then by definition self-will, self-discipline, and any other machinations of the conscious mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-serious-compulsion-or-addictive-pattern/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [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/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Arrogance quotes > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/) [Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/) > [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) [Miguel Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cervantes/) > [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/) [Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/) [Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sigmund Freud often remarked that great revolutions in the history of science have but one common, and ironic, feature: they knock human arrogance off one pedestal after another of our previous conviction about our own self-importance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great-revolutions-in-the-history-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arrogance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great-revolutions-in-the-history-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogance_sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great_1557898.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogance_sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great_1557898.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/515/stephen-jay-gould-885_arrogance_sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great_1557898.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sigmund Freud often remarked that great revolutions in the history of science have but one common, and…” — Stephen Jay Gould", "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 Jay Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sigmund Freud often remarked that great...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great-revolutions-in-the-history-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/sigmund-freud-often-remarked-that-great-revolutions-in-the-history-of/#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 } } ] } ```