--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It takes a long time for a country to…" description: "\"It takes a long time for a country to build a strong base in science, but only a short time to destroy it. Germany was a sad example. It was a world le..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/torsten-wiesel-40732_long_it-takes-a-long-time-for-a-country-to-bu_1454423.jpg" --- # It takes a long time for a country to build a strong base… ![“It takes a long time for a country to build a strong base in science, but only a short time to destroy it. Germany was a sad example. It was a world leader in the sciences for more than a century, until its science base was demolished during the Nazi era, and the country ceded its position to the…” quote by Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/torsten-wiesel-40732_long_it-takes-a-long-time-for-a-country-to-bu_1454423.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/torsten-wiesel-40732_long_it-takes-a-long-time-for-a-country-to-bu_1454423.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d04/torsten-wiesel-40732_long_it-takes-a-long-time-for-a-country-to-bu_1454423.jpg) > “It takes a long time for a country to build a strong base in science, but only a short time to destroy it. Germany was a sad example. It was a world leader in the sciences for more than a century, until its science base was demolished during the Nazi era, and the country ceded its position to the United States.” [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific infrastructure takes generations to develop but can be erased quickly by political upheaval **In simple terms:** Science builds slowly, collapses fast under oppression Key Takeaway Protect and diversify scientific institutions Themes history politics science policy Mood cautious reflective Type analytical historical When to use this quote - National research funding - education reform - international collaboration - ethical governance Key Concepts Institutional resilience knowledge preservation Questions to Reflect On - How can societies safeguard scientific progress? - What safeguards prevent rapid loss of knowledge? A Different Perspective Political regimes can sabotage long‑term progress ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Base Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/base-science-5238217/) [Country Build](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country-build-534142/) [Germany Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germany-sad-5238216/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science Base](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-base-4597748/) [Sciences Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sciences-century-4425441/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-leader/) ## Related quotes > [“at base, science is no more than an investigation of a miracle we can never explain, and art is an interpretation of that miracle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/at-base-science-is-no-more-than-an-investigation-of-a-miracle-we-can/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Arts and sciences in one and the same century have arrived at great perfection; and no wonder, since every age has a kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/arts-and-sciences-in-one-and-the-same-century-have-arrived-at-great/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Human resources are just tremendous in Egypt but we need the science base.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-h-zewail/human-resources-are-just-tremendous-in-egypt-but-we-need-the-science/) [Ahmed H. Zewail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-h-zewail/) > [When I give a lecture on Egypt there are thousands of people in the lecture hall, so obviously they would like to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-h-zewail/when-i-give-a-lecture-on-egypt-there-are-thousands-of-people-in-the/) [Ahmed H. Zewail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-h-zewail/) > [The only way we come back as a country is to build the domestic economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-celente/the-only-way-we-come-back-as-a-country-is-to-build-the-domestic/) [Gerald Celente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-celente/) > [It is madness for any country to build its policy with an eye to nuclear war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/it-is-madness-for-any-country-to-build-its-policy-with-an-eye-to/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [A country, after all, is not something you build as the pharaohs built the pyramids, and then leave standing there to defy eternity. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/a-country-after-all-is-not-something-you-build-as-the-pharaohs-built/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“Never build your country, until you build and grow your people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-osman-abbasheikh/never-build-your-country-until-you-build-and-grow-your-people/) [Mohamed Osman Abbasheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-osman-abbasheikh/) > [Blow up your TV...throw away your paper...move to the country and build you a home. Plant a little garden...eat a lot of peaches...try and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/blow-up-your-tv-throw-away-your-paper-move-to-the-country-and-build/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [I think America has more than enough maturity and intelligence to start exercising its world leadership responsibly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-america-has-more-than-enough-maturity-and-intelligence-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Australia is a remarkable country with incredible technical and physical resources and a capacity to be a world leader in renewables.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/australia-is-a-remarkable-country-with-incredible-technical-and/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [My vision for Western Kentucky's economy is to turn the region into a world leader in agritech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-beshear/my-vision-for-western-kentucky-s-economy-is-to-turn-the-region-into-a/) [Andy Beshear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-beshear/) > [He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/he-who-has-never-learned-to-obey-cannot-be-a-good-commander/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/that-s-nonsense-in-fact-the-opposite-is-true-leaders-are-made-rather/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Taiwan has proven time and time again to be a trusted ally of the United States and a world leader in global health security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-kim/taiwan-has-proven-time-and-time-again-to-be-a-trusted-ally-of-the/) [Young Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-kim/) ## More by Torsten Wiesel > [The eye and brain are not like a fax machine, nor are there little people looking at the images coming in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/the-eye-and-brain-are-not-like-a-fax-machine-nor-are-there-little/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [Innate mechanisms endow the visual system with highly specific connections, but visual experience early in life is necessary for their maintenance and full development.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/innate-mechanisms-endow-the-visual-system-with-highly-specific/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [Oh, no, I was afraid of that! I'd better go and hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/oh-no-i-was-afraid-of-that-i-d-better-go-and-hide/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [Science is not an intelligence test. Intuition is important, knowing what kind of questions to ask. The other thing is a passion for getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/science-is-not-an-intelligence-test-intuition-is-important-knowing/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [In the early Sixties, having begun to describe the physiology of cells in the adult cat visual cortex, David Hubel and I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/in-the-early-sixties-having-begun-to-describe-the-physiology-of-cells/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [After forty years in the lab, I was asked in 1991 to become president of The Rockefeller University. Unlike a working scientist, being president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/after-forty-years-in-the-lab-i-was-asked-in-1991-to-become-president/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [In 1983, I became the Vincent and Brook Astor Professor at The Rockefeller University, where I established a new Laboratory of Neurobiology and continued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/in-1983-i-became-the-vincent-and-brook-astor-professor-at-the/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [I cannot think of a greater symbol of human resistance and courage than our Nobel laureate colleague Andrei Sakharov.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/i-cannot-think-of-a-greater-symbol-of-human-resistance-and-courage/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) > [Aside from my work, my interests lie in the arts and in world affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torsten-wiesel/aside-from-my-work-my-interests-lie-in-the-arts-and-in-world-affairs/) [Torsten Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) [Explore all 10 Torsten Wiesel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torsten-wiesel/) ## More Long quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Browse all 39,551 Long quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It takes a long time for a country to build a strong base in science, but only a short time to destroy it. 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