---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can you half believe something? No, that…"
description: "\"“Can you half believe something? No, that wasn't quite right. This was quantum mechanics. The better question: can you both believe in something and no..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/ted-kosmatka-44024_belief_can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-w_503300.jpg"
---

#  Can you half believe something? No, that wasn't quite…

![“Can you half believe something? No, that wasn't quite right. This was quantum mechanics. The better question: can you both believe in something and not?” quote by Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/ted-kosmatka-44024_belief_can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-w_503300.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/ted-kosmatka-44024_belief_can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-w_503300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/ted-kosmatka-44024_belief_can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-w_503300.jpg)

> ““Can you half believe something? No, that wasn't quite right. This was quantum mechanics. The better question: can you both believe in something and not?””

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote reflects on the paradox of belief in quantum mechanics, suggesting one can hold belief while acknowledging uncertainty.

**In simple terms:** You can believe in something while questioning it.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty while maintaining belief.

Themes

philosophy science paradox

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

- scientific research
- philosophical debate
- education
- personal worldview

Key Concepts

quantum mechanics epistemology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you reconcile belief with doubt?
- What role does uncertainty play in scientific progress?

A Different Perspective

Quantum mechanics is complex and counterintuitive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Half Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-believe-2407071/) [Quantum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum/) [Quantum mechanics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantum-mechanics/) [Question Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/question-believe-1010291/) [Right Quantum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-quantum-550321/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [Only just the right quantum of wit should be put into a book; in conversation a little excess is allowable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/only-just-the-right-quantum-of-wit-should-be-put-into-a-book-in/)

[Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/)

> [“My experience has been that times always ends. In theory, you are right, the quantum physicists are right, the religious and romantics are right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/my-experience-has-been-that-times-always-ends-in-theory-you-are-right/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I would rather believe for something great and receive half of it, than to believe for nothing and receive all of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-would-rather-believe-for-something-great-and-receive-half-of-it/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [It is a good idea to believe only half of what you hear, but be sure the half you believe isn't the wrong half!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-good-idea-to-believe-only-half-of-what-you-hear-but-be-sure/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I remember I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child. What heaven can be more real than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrix-potter/i-remember-i-used-to-half-believe-and-wholly-play-with-fairies-when-i/)

[Beatrix Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrix-potter/)

> [To love is the half of to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/to-love-is-the-half-of-to-believe/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [I don't want to be your other half. I believe that one and one make two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-morissette/i-don-t-want-to-be-your-other-half-i-believe-that-one-and-one-make-two/)

[Alanis Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-morissette/)

> [My father died many years ago, and yet when something special happens to me, I talk to him secretly not really knowing whether he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-josefowitz/my-father-died-many-years-ago-and-yet-when-something-special-happens/)

[Natasha Josefowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-josefowitz/)

> [“ Tuesday, November 17th. 1896 ... I remember I used to half believe and wholly play with fairies when I was a child. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrix-potter/tuesday-november-17th-1896-i-remember-i-used-to-half-believe-and/)

[Beatrix Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrix-potter/)

> [The mathematics of quantum mechanics very accurately describes how our universe works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-garrett-lisi/the-mathematics-of-quantum-mechanics-very-accurately-describes-how/)

[Antony Garrett Lisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-garrett-lisi/)

> [“Quantum mechanics, for example, shows us that we are not as separate from the rest of the world as we once thought. Particle physics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-feuerstein/quantum-mechanics-for-example-shows-us-that-we-are-not-as-separate/)

[Georg Feuerstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-feuerstein/)

> [String theory is the most developed theory with the capacity to unite general relativity and quantum mechanics in a consistent manner. I do believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-greene/string-theory-is-the-most-developed-theory-with-the-capacity-to-unite/)

[Brian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-greene/)

> [A popular feel for scientific endeavors should, if possible, be restored given the needs of the twenty-first century. This does not mean that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/a-popular-feel-for-scientific-endeavors-should-if-possible-be/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“in experimental quantum mechanics we have run right up against what was previously perceived to be a purely philosophical barrier. The experiments are telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-baggott/in-experimental-quantum-mechanics-we-have-run-right-up-against-what/)

[Jim Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-baggott/)

> [“The world of quantum mechanics is not a world of objects: it is a world of events.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-rovelli/the-world-of-quantum-mechanics-is-not-a-world-of-objects-it-is-a/)

[Carlo Rovelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-rovelli/)

## More by Ted Kosmatka

> [“I'd ask you to think outside the box on this, but it's obvious your box is broken. And has schizophrenia.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/i-d-ask-you-to-think-outside-the-box-on-this-but-it-s-obvious-your/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

> [“And how I hated the term, politically incorrect, hated the shield it gave racists who got to label themselves politically incorrect, instead of admitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/and-how-i-hated-the-term-politically-incorrect-hated-the-shield-it/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

> [“You look at your child's face, and you don't wonder whose side you're on. You know. That side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/you-look-at-your-child-s-face-and-you-don-t-wonder-whose-side-you-re/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

> [“The enrichment center would like to announce a new employee initiative of forced voluntary participation. If any Aperture Science employee would like to opt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/the-enrichment-center-would-like-to-announce-a-new-employee/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

> [“And is that what you’d wish for him, to have an easy life?" "Isn't that what every parent wishes for?" "No," I said. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/and-is-that-what-you-d-wish-for-him-to-have-an-easy-life-isn-t-that/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

> [“There is a moment, climbing a tree, when you know you should climb no higher. A winnowing of branches the farther you go, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/there-is-a-moment-climbing-a-tree-when-you-know-you-should-climb-no/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

> [“The enrichment center would like to announce a new employee initiative of forced voluntary participation. If any Aperture Science employee would like to opt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/the-enrichment-center-would-like-to-announce-a-new-employee-2/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

> [“Speaking of boxes... Do you know that thought experiment with the cat in the box with the poison? Theory requires the cat to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/speaking-of-boxes-do-you-know-that-thought-experiment-with-the-cat-in/)

[Ted Kosmatka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

[Explore all 9 Ted Kosmatka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/)

## More Belief quotes

> [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/)

[Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/)

> [“MIND &amp; GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/)

[Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/)

[Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/)

> [“Here is a fundamental difference between the man of faith and the man of unbelief. The unbeliever is 'of the world', judges everything by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/here-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-the-man-of-faith-and-the-man/)

[Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/)

> [“She herself vacillated when it came to belief. She did not particularly believe in God. Or, rather, she didn't believe in a particular God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-herself-vacillated-when-it-came-to-belief-she-did-not/)

[Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [“Rigid traditions capture souls prisons of spiritual thought man’s religion has captured a god grown too small and very weak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/rigid-traditions-capture-souls-prisons-of-spiritual-thought-man-s/)

[David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/)

> [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [In business, as in politics, it is never easy to go against the beliefs and attitudes held by the majority. The businessman who moves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-paul-getty/in-business-as-in-politics-it-is-never-easy-to-go-against-the-beliefs/)

[J. Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/)

> [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/)

[LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/)

> [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/)

[Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/)

[Browse all 10,268 Belief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Can you half believe something? No, that wasn't quite right. This was quantum mechanics. The better question: can you both believe in something and not?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ted Kosmatka"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-wasn-t-quite-right-this-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Belief"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-wasn-t-quite-right-this-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/ted-kosmatka-44024_belief_can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-w_503300.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/ted-kosmatka-44024_belief_can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-w_503300.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fec/ted-kosmatka-44024_belief_can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-w_503300.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Can you half believe something? No, that wasn't quite right. This was quantum mechanics. The better…” — Ted Kosmatka",
                "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": "Ted Kosmatka",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-kosmatka/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Can you half believe something? No,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-wasn-t-quite-right-this-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-kosmatka/can-you-half-believe-something-no-that-wasn-t-quite-right-this-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
