--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reality is contradictory. And it's…" description: "\"Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical. If there's any one word -- if you had to pick one word to describe the nature of the universe -- I thin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/tom-robbins-169_contradictory_reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-parado_765680.jpg" --- # Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical. If there's… ![“Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical. If there's any one word -- if you had to pick one word to describe the nature of the universe -- I think that word would be paradox. That's true at the subatomic level, right through sociological, psychological, philosophical levels on up to cosmic…” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/tom-robbins-169_contradictory_reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-parado_765680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/tom-robbins-169_contradictory_reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-parado_765680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/tom-robbins-169_contradictory_reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-parado_765680.jpg) > “Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical. If there's any one word -- if you had to pick one word to describe the nature of the universe -- I think that word would be paradox. That's true at the subatomic level, right through sociological, psychological, philosophical levels on up to cosmic levels.” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## 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 exhibits contradictions and paradoxes at every scale, from subatomic particles to human societies and the cosmos. **In simple terms:** The universe is full of contradictions. Key Takeaway Embrace complexity and uncertainty. Themes paradox complexity science philosophy cosmology Mood curious thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Scientific research - philosophical debate - personal reflection - creative writing Key Concepts Quantum mechanics social dynamics psychology metaphysics Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile contradictory evidence? - What role does paradox play in your worldview? A Different Perspective Paradoxes can be unsettling and may hinder clear decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contradictory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/) [Contradictory Paradoxical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory-paradoxical-5179390/) [Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [One word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-word/) [Paradox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox/) [Paradox True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradox-true-3827901/) [Paradoxical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradoxical/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Physics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physics/) [Picks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/picks/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Contradictory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-contradictory-3536189/) [Sociological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sociological/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-think-563250/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-paradoxical/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [ \[I am a\] contradictory and paradoxical man. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/i-am-a-contradictory-and-paradoxical-man/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [“There was no explaining this thing, but it was so. he was on Xapur, and that fantastic heap of towering masonry was on Xapur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/there-was-no-explaining-this-thing-but-it-was-so-he-was-on-xapur-and/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [Reality is very, very contradictory, and so I try to write just perfecting what I see, what I read, what I feel, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/reality-is-very-very-contradictory-and-so-i-try-to-write-just/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) > [Men of universe (those who think they are citizen of universe rather than their city/ country) belong nowhere and everywhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/men-of-universe-those-who-think-they-are-citizen-of-universe-rather/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [I believe that there are no mistakes in the universe, so I think it all happens as it should!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-hall/i-believe-that-there-are-no-mistakes-in-the-universe-so-i-think-it/) [Carla Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-hall/) > [It's a very salutary thing to realize that the rather dull universe in which most of us spend most of our time is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/it-s-a-very-salutary-thing-to-realize-that-the-rather-dull-universe/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [If we're looking for intelligence in the universe I think everybody assumes that this has to start with life and so the question is:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/if-we-re-looking-for-intelligence-in-the-universe-i-think-everybody/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [Sometimes I think we're alone in the universe, and sometimes I think we're not. In either case the idea is quite staggering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/sometimes-i-think-we-re-alone-in-the-universe-and-sometimes-i-think/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [If I could start over today, I would choose literature again. If the answers exist in the world or in the universe, I still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/if-i-could-start-over-today-i-would-choose-literature-again-if-the/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [One of the things I do know is we know very little about our universe. Even though we think we know a lot, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-a-ford/one-of-the-things-i-do-know-is-we-know-very-little-about-our-universe/) [Kevin A. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-a-ford/) > [You think you want to know the secrets of the universe. You think you want to see the way things all fit together. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-think-you-want-to-know-the-secrets-of-the-universe-you-think-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration. —Nokola Tesla; inventor, physicist, supergenius”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-find-the-secrets-of-the-universe-think-in-terms-of-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.     —Nikola Tesla; inventor, physicist, supergenius When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/if-you-want-to-find-the-secrets-of-the-universe-think-in-terms-of/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [“The argument that Hawking has offered may be conveyed by question-and-answer, as in the Catholic catechism.   A Catechism of Quantum Cosmology Q: From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berlinski/the-argument-that-hawking-has-offered-may-be-conveyed-by-question-and/) [David Berlinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berlinski/) ## More by Tom Robbins > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More Contradictory quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [We've got a great team sport, but we harp on about individuals. It's a bit contradictory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/we-ve-got-a-great-team-sport-but-we-harp-on-about-individuals-it-s-a/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/strong-men-don-t-compromise-it-is-said-and-principles-should-never-be/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [Ruth and I don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one. How can I say two things that seem so contradictory?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/ruth-and-i-don-t-have-a-perfect-marriage-but-we-have-a-great-one-how/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“Away from Lev, she craves his need for her. When with him, it enervates. Why is that? She cannot help it. Nothing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/away-from-lev-she-craves-his-need-for-her-when-with-him-it-enervates/) [Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/) > [“Throughout my life, I have always felt torn between my dual contradictory natures. I'm the obedient daughter and devoted friend, but also a self-destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-schein/throughout-my-life-i-have-always-felt-torn-between-my-dual/) [Elyse Schein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyse-schein/) > [When faced with a loss, it is no use trying to recover what has gone. On the other hand, a great space has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-faced-with-a-loss-it-is-no-use-trying-to-recover-what-has-gone/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [ The typical white intellectual considers himself superior to ordinary white people for two contradictory reasons: a\] he constantly proclaims belief in human equality, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-sailer/the-typical-white-intellectual-considers-himself-superior-to-ordinary/) [Steve Sailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-sailer/) > [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [The form most contradictory to human life that can appear among the human species is the "self-sat-isfied man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-form-most-contradictory-to-human-life-that-can-appear-among-the/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [A girl asks her doctor, "Doctor, I've forgotten to take my contradictory pill!" The doctor says: "Are you ignorant?" The girl says: "Yes, three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-carson/a-girl-asks-her-doctor-doctor-i-ve-forgotten-to-take-my-contradictory/) [Frank Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-carson/) > [“Is this a Kurdish thing?’ ‘What?’ ‘Being deliberately contradictory?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcdonald/is-this-a-kurdish-thing-what-being-deliberately-contradictory/) [Ian McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcdonald/) [Browse all 443 Contradictory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical. If there's any one word -- if you had to pick one word to describe the nature of the universe -- I think that word would be paradox. That's true at the subatomic level, right through sociological, psychological, philosophical levels on up to cosmic levels.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Robbins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-paradoxical-if-there-s-any-one-word/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contradictory" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-paradoxical-if-there-s-any-one-word/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/tom-robbins-169_contradictory_reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-parado_765680.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/tom-robbins-169_contradictory_reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-parado_765680.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc3/tom-robbins-169_contradictory_reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-parado_765680.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical. If there's any one word -- if you had to pick one word to…” — Tom Robbins", "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": "Tom Robbins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reality is contradictory. And it's paradoxical....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-paradoxical-if-there-s-any-one-word/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/reality-is-contradictory-and-it-s-paradoxical-if-there-s-any-one-word/#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 } } ] } ```