--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mind was formed by studying…" description: "\"My mind was formed by studying philosophy, Plato and that sort of thing.\" — Werner Heisenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/werner-heisenberg-4501_education_my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosoph_591527.jpg" --- # My mind was formed by studying philosophy, Plato and that… ![“My mind was formed by studying philosophy, Plato and that sort of thing.” quote by Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/werner-heisenberg-4501_education_my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosoph_591527.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/werner-heisenberg-4501_education_my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosoph_591527.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/werner-heisenberg-4501_education_my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosoph_591527.jpg) > “My mind was formed by studying philosophy, Plato and that sort of thing.” [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying philosophy shaped his scientific worldview **In simple terms:** Philosophy influenced his mind Key Takeaway Integrate philosophical inquiry into scientific work Themes science philosophy education Mood thoughtful introspective Type academic inspirational When to use this quote - university curricula - research seminars - public lectures - self‑study Key Concepts epistemology critical thinking interdisciplinary study Questions to Reflect On - How does philosophy inform your research? - Can scientific thinking benefit from philosophical critique? A Different Perspective Philosophy may not provide concrete answers for empirical problems ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Formed Studying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formed-studying-4839939/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Formed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-formed-1785496/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Philosophy Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-plato-1155045/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plato/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Studying philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studying-philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [Philosophy, for Plato, is a kind of vision, the 'vision of truth'...Everyone who has done any kind of creative work has experienced, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/philosophy-for-plato-is-a-kind-of-vision-the-vision-of-truth-everyone/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Plato is philosophy, and philosophy, Plato,--at once the glory and the shame of mankind, since neither Saxon nor Roman have availed to add any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/plato-is-philosophy-and-philosophy-plato-at-once-the-glory-and-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In general, I distrust philosophy. Plato recommended chasing poets from the city; the 'great' Heidegger was a Nazi; Lukacs was a communist; and J.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-simon/in-general-i-distrust-philosophy-plato-recommended-chasing-poets-from/) [Claude Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-simon/) > [A mind, once formed, is never suited after, One yet in growth will ever grateful be. \[Ger., Wer fertig ist, dem ist nichts recht…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/a-mind-once-formed-is-never-suited-after-one-yet-in-growth-will-ever/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [How resilient was the body, to return to its prior form so quickly! Yet the mind was formed of a less pliable substance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/how-resilient-was-the-body-to-return-to-its-prior-form-so-quickly-yet/) [Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/) > [“I thought I know you, but it was only me. The you that you truly are is not the you I see. My mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-ching/i-thought-i-know-you-but-it-was-only-me-the-you-that-you-truly-are-is/) [Tao Ching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-ching/) > [Man's mind is so formed that it is far more susceptible to falsehood than to truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/man-s-mind-is-so-formed-that-it-is-far-more-susceptible-to-falsehood/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [“But why hadn't the TV set reverted instead to formless metals and plastics? Those, after all, were its constituents; it had been constructed out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-why-hadn-t-the-tv-set-reverted-instead-to-formless-metals-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I think… that love encompasses the experience of the possible transition from the pure randomness of chance to a state that has universal value.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-badiou/i-think-that-love-encompasses-the-experience-of-the-possible/) [Alain Badiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-badiou/) > [When I first began studying philosophy, a good deal of what went on in analytic epistemology was focused on addressing the Gettier problem. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/when-i-first-began-studying-philosophy-a-good-deal-of-what-went-on-in/) [Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/) > [I'd been studying philosophy at the University of Chicago. I hadn't been doing well, because I was sitting in with jazz musicians at night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-elling/i-d-been-studying-philosophy-at-the-university-of-chicago-i-hadn-t/) [Kurt Elling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-elling/) > [I have some intellectual-type pursuits, like studying philosophy and stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/i-have-some-intellectual-type-pursuits-like-studying-philosophy-and/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [As does every young man studying philosophy, I naturally asked myself questions about the truth of all this, and about the meaning of freedom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/as-does-every-young-man-studying-philosophy-i-naturally-asked-myself/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [I started my first year at college on May 10 2015, and dropped my first video, 'Black Box' on the same day, it's pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santan-dave/i-started-my-first-year-at-college-on-may-10-2015-and-dropped-my/) [Santan Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santan-dave/) > [It was while I was studying philosophy that I came to understand. . . that it is no sign of moral or spiritual strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/it-was-while-i-was-studying-philosophy-that-i-came-to-understand-that/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) ## More by Werner Heisenberg > [“Revere those things beyond science which really matter and about which it is so difficult to speak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/revere-those-things-beyond-science-which-really-matter-and-about/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [“In the history of science, ever since the famous trial of Galileo, it has repeatedly been claimed that scientific truth cannot be reconciled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/in-the-history-of-science-ever-since-the-famous-trial-of-galileo-it/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [The more closely you look at one thing, the less closely can you see something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/the-more-closely-you-look-at-one-thing-the-less-closely-can-you-see/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [I think that if a United States of Europe were to be formed, it would be in our interests to fight for it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/i-think-that-if-a-united-states-of-europe-were-to-be-formed-it-would/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [Whether we electrons, light quanta, benzol molecules, or stones, we shall always come up against these two characteristics, the corpuscular and the undular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/whether-we-electrons-light-quanta-benzol-molecules-or-stones-we-shall/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [It is probably true quite generally that in the history of human thinking the most fruitful developments frequently take place at those points where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/it-is-probably-true-quite-generally-that-in-the-history-of-human/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [If we made atomic bombs, we would bring about a terrible change in the world. Who knows what would happen from this?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/if-we-made-atomic-bombs-we-would-bring-about-a-terrible-change-in-the/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [The positivists have a simple solution: the world must be divided into that which we can say clearly and the rest, which we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/the-positivists-have-a-simple-solution-the-world-must-be-divided-into/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [“what we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning’.77”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/what-we-observe-is-not-nature-itself-but-nature-exposed-to-our-method/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [A consistent pursuit of classical physics forces a transformation in the very heart of that physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/a-consistent-pursuit-of-classical-physics-forces-a-transformation-in/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [ It was about three o'clock at night when the final result of the calculation \[which gave birth to quantum mechanics\] lay before me ...… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/it-was-about-three-o-clock-at-night-when-the-final-result-of-the/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [Only a few know, how much one must know to know how little one knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/only-a-few-know-how-much-one-must-know-to-know-how-little-one-knows/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [“We have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/we-have-to-remember-that-what-we-observe-is-not-nature-in-itself-but/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [I think that modern physics has definitely decided in favor of Plato. In fact the smallest units of matter are not physical objects in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/i-think-that-modern-physics-has-definitely-decided-in-favor-of-plato/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [The end of the First World War had thrown Germany's youth into great turmoil. The reins of power had fallen from the hands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/the-end-of-the-first-world-war-had-thrown-germany-s-youth-into-great/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) [Explore all 109 Werner Heisenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) [Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) [H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My mind was formed by studying philosophy, Plato and that sort of thing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Werner Heisenberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosophy-plato-and-that-sort-of-thing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosophy-plato-and-that-sort-of-thing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/werner-heisenberg-4501_education_my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosoph_591527.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/werner-heisenberg-4501_education_my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosoph_591527.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48d/werner-heisenberg-4501_education_my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosoph_591527.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My mind was formed by studying philosophy, Plato and that sort of thing.” — Werner Heisenberg", "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": "Werner Heisenberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My mind was formed by studying...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosophy-plato-and-that-sort-of-thing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/my-mind-was-formed-by-studying-philosophy-plato-and-that-sort-of-thing/#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 } } ] } ```