---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sit down before fact like a little child…"
description: "\"“Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature le..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/thomas-henry-huxley-14414_children_sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child_2943677.jpg"
---

#  Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared…

![“Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads or you shall learn nothing.” quote by Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/thomas-henry-huxley-14414_children_sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child_2943677.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/thomas-henry-huxley-14414_children_sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child_2943677.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/thomas-henry-huxley-14414_children_sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child_2943677.jpg)

> ““Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads or you shall learn nothing.””

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

## About This Quote

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

One must abandon preconceived ideas and follow nature humbly to truly learn.

**In simple terms:** Let go of bias to learn.

Key Takeaway

Embrace humility in inquiry.

Themes

philosophy science humility

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

intellectual educational

When to use this quote

- research methodology
- education
- personal growth

Key Concepts

epistemology open‑mindedness learning

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize bias?
- What practices foster openness?

A Different Perspective

Rigid beliefs hinder discovery.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fact Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-like-421438/) [Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow/) [Follow Humbly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-humbly-463376/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Shall Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-learn-435886/) [Sit Fact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-fact-3452240/)

## Related quotes

> [Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every conceived notion, follow humbly wherever and whatever abysses nature leads,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/sit-down-before-fact-as-a-little-child-be-prepared-to-give-up-every/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [“Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/sit-down-before-fact-as-a-little-child-be-prepared-to-give-up-every-2/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [Follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/follow-humbly-wherever-and-to-whatever-abyss-nature-leads-or-you/)

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

> [I can't deny the fact that you like me! You like me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-field/i-can-t-deny-the-fact-that-you-like-me-you-like-me/)

[Sally Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-field/)

> [I don't mind being single. In fact, I like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-stewart/i-don-t-mind-being-single-in-fact-i-like-it/)

[Alana Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-stewart/)

> [Yes, it's a well-known fact about you: you're like death, you take everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/yes-it-s-a-well-known-fact-about-you-you-re-like-death-you-take/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [“Sit down before fact with an open mind. Be prepared to give up every preconceived notion. Follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyman-g-rickover/sit-down-before-fact-with-an-open-mind-be-prepared-to-give-up-every/)

[Hyman G. Rickover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyman-g-rickover/)

> [In fact, I'd like to play until I'm 60.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-blanda/in-fact-i-d-like-to-play-until-i-m-60/)

[George Blanda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-blanda/)

> [Do the things you know, and you shall learn the truth you need to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/do-the-things-you-know-and-you-shall-learn-the-truth-you-need-to-know/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [“We shall learn the qualities of governments in the same way as we learn the qualities of individuals, since they are revealed in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/we-shall-learn-the-qualities-of-governments-in-the-same-way-as-we/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [Until we accept the fact that life itself is founded in mystery, we shall learn nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/until-we-accept-the-fact-that-life-itself-is-founded-in-mystery-we/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [You shall find books and sermons everywhere, in the land and in the sea, in the earth and in the skies, and you shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/you-shall-find-books-and-sermons-everywhere-in-the-land-and-in-the/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [He who knows the darkness shall learn to live in the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-who-knows-the-darkness-shall-learn-to-live-in-the-light/)

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

> [With wisdom we shall learn liberality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/with-wisdom-we-shall-learn-liberality/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [You shall learn, though late, the lesson of how to be discreet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/you-shall-learn-though-late-the-lesson-of-how-to-be-discreet/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

## More by Thomas Henry Huxley

> [“In Paley's famous illustration, the adaptation of all the parts of the watch to the function, or purpose, of showing the time, is held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/in-paley-s-famous-illustration-the-adaptation-of-all-the-parts-of-the/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“It is my conviction that, with the spread of true scientific culture, whatever may be the medium, historical, philological, philosophical, or physical, through which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/it-is-my-conviction-that-with-the-spread-of-true-scientific-culture/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, whether you like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/perhaps-the-most-valuable-result-of-all-education-is-the-ability-to/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [It is because the body is a machine that education is possible. Education is the formation of habits, a super inducing of an artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/it-is-because-the-body-is-a-machine-that-education-is-possible/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“There can be no doubt that the existing Fauna and Flora is but the last term of a long series of equally numerous contemporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/there-can-be-no-doubt-that-the-existing-fauna-and-flora-is-but-the/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“When I reached intellectual maturity, and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist, or a pantheist; a materialist or an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/when-i-reached-intellectual-maturity-and-began-to-ask-myself-whether/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“For these two years I have been gravitating towards your doctrines, and since the publication of your primula paper with accelerated velocity. By about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/for-these-two-years-i-have-been-gravitating-towards-your-doctrines-2/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“The publication of the Darwin and Wallace papers in 1858, and still more that of the 'Origin' in 1859, had the effect upon them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/the-publication-of-the-darwin-and-wallace-papers-in-1858-and-still/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/agnosticism-in-fact-is-not-a-creed-but-a-method-the-essence-of-which-2/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“Those who are ignorant of Geology, find no difficulty in believing that the world was made as it is; and the shepherd, untutored in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/those-who-are-ignorant-of-geology-find-no-difficulty-in-believing/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [Logical consequences are the scare-crows of fools and the beacons of wise men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/logical-consequences-are-the-scare-crows-of-fools-and-the-beacons-of/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“The question of the position of man, as an animal, has given rise to much disputation, with the result of proving that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/the-question-of-the-position-of-man-as-an-animal-has-given-rise-to/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“Very few, even among those who have taken the keenest interest in the progress of the revolution in natural knowledge set afoot by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/very-few-even-among-those-who-have-taken-the-keenest-interest-in-the/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“All organisms vary. It is in the highest degree improbable that any given variety should have exactly the same relations to surrounding conditions as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/all-organisms-vary-it-is-in-the-highest-degree-improbable-that-any/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

> [“And those who will carefully study the so-called 'Mosaic code' contained in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, will see that, though Jahveh's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/and-those-who-will-carefully-study-the-so-called-mosaic-code/)

[Thomas Henry Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

[Explore all 46 Thomas Henry Huxley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

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

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads or you shall learn nothing.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Henry Huxley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child-and-be-prepared-to-give-up/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child-and-be-prepared-to-give-up/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/thomas-henry-huxley-14414_children_sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child_2943677.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/thomas-henry-huxley-14414_children_sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child_2943677.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a71/thomas-henry-huxley-14414_children_sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child_2943677.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow…” — Thomas Henry Huxley",
                "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": "Thomas Henry Huxley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-henry-huxley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Sit down before fact like a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child-and-be-prepared-to-give-up/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-henry-huxley/sit-down-before-fact-like-a-little-child-and-be-prepared-to-give-up/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
