--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Remember that [scientific thought] is the…" description: "\"Remember that [scientific thought] is the guide of action; that the truth which it arrives at is not that which we can ideally contemplate without erro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_action_remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the_2230855.jpg" --- # Remember that \[scientific thought\] is the guide of action… ![“Remember that [scientific thought] is the guide of action; that the truth which it arrives at is not that which we can ideally contemplate without error, but that which we may act upon without fear; and you cannot fail to see that scientific thought is not an accompaniment or condition of human…” quote by William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_action_remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the_2230855.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_action_remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the_2230855.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_action_remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the_2230855.jpg) > “Remember that \[scientific thought\] is the guide of action; that the truth which it arrives at is not that which we can ideally contemplate without error, but that which we may act upon without fear; and you cannot fail to see that scientific thought is not an accompaniment or condition of human progress, but human progress itself.” [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scientific thought drives action; its truth is provisional but sufficient for fearless application, making it the engine of progress **In simple terms:** Science guides action despite imperfect knowledge Key Takeaway Act on scientific insight confidently Themes science philosophy progress epistemology Mood inquisitive optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Policy making - technological development - education reform - public health initiatives Key Concepts Fallibilism pragmatism rationalism Questions to Reflect On - What limits should we set on acting before absolute certainty? - How do we manage errors from provisional scientific claims? A Different Perspective Overreliance on provisional truths may cause errors ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Contemplate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplate/) [Contemplating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplating/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Guides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guides/) [Human progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-progress/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideally Contemplate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideally-contemplate-5017875/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientific Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific-thought-1056535/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Guide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-guide-5017874/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [scientific thought does not mean thought about scientific subjects with long names. There are no scientific subjects. The subject of science is the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/scientific-thought-does-not-mean-thought-about-scientific-subjects/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [The aim of scientific thought, then, is to apply past experience to new circumstances; the instrument is an observed uniformity in the course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/the-aim-of-scientific-thought-then-is-to-apply-past-experience-to-new/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [Nothing is inevitable if we are willing to contemplate what is happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/nothing-is-inevitable-if-we-are-willing-to-contemplate-what-is/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Midlife is the time to let go of an overdominant ego and to contemplate the deeper significance of human existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/midlife-is-the-time-to-let-go-of-an-overdominant-ego-and-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I contemplate God, the more God looks on me. The more I pray to him, the more he thinks of me too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-of-clairvaux/the-more-i-contemplate-god-the-more-god-looks-on-me-the-more-i-pray/) [Bernard of Clairvaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-of-clairvaux/) > [The universe is the mirror in which we can contemplate only what we have learned to know in ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/the-universe-is-the-mirror-in-which-we-can-contemplate-only-what-we/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [Let man then contemplate the whole of nature in her full and grand majesty... No idea approaches it. We may enlarge our conceptions beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/let-man-then-contemplate-the-whole-of-nature-in-her-full-and-grand/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Like most musicians, Im good at becoming immersed in the music that I am currently working on. We seldom lift up our heads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-levin/like-most-musicians-im-good-at-becoming-immersed-in-the-music-that-i/) [Tony Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-levin/) > [ \[When nature appears complicated:\] The moment we contemplate it as it is, and attain a position from which we can take a commanding view,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-herschel/when-nature-appears-complicated-the-moment-we-contemplate-it-as-it-is/) [John Herschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-herschel/) > [Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/nothing-makes-the-future-look-so-rosy-as-to-contemplate-it-through-a/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [ \[The lion\] began to contemplate me with a kind of quiet premeditation, like that of a slow-witted man fondling an unaccustomed thought. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/the-lion-began-to-contemplate-me-with-a-kind-of-quiet-premeditation/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“The value of anything is only relative in the moment of contemplating it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/the-value-of-anything-is-only-relative-in-the-moment-of-contemplating/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [So many hours must I take my rest; So many hours must I contemplate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/so-many-hours-must-i-take-my-rest-so-many-hours-must-i-contemplate/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The two hardest things to contemplate in life ... are failure and age; those are one and the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-two-hardest-things-to-contemplate-in-life-are-failure-and-age/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have actually seen people contemplate their navels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-heilpern/i-have-actually-seen-people-contemplate-their-navels/) [John Heilpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-heilpern/) ## More by William Kingdon Clifford > [The rule which should guide us in such cases is simple and obvious enough: that the aggregate testimony of our neighbours is subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/the-rule-which-should-guide-us-in-such-cases-is-simple-and-obvious/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [We feel much happier and more secure when we think we know precisely what to do, no matter what happens, then when we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-feel-much-happier-and-more-secure-when-we-think-we-know-precisely/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [All our liberties are due to men who, when their conscience has compelled them, have broken the laws of the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/all-our-liberties-are-due-to-men-who-when-their-conscience-has/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [To consider only one other such witness: the followers of the Buddha have at least as much right to appeal to individual and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-consider-only-one-other-such-witness-the-followers-of-the-buddha/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/no-simplicity-of-mind-no-obscurity-of-station-can-escape-the/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [“ Newton supposed that the case of the planet was similar to that of \[a ball spun around on the end of an elastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/newton-supposed-that-the-case-of-the-planet-was-similar-to-that-of-a/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [He who truly believes that which prompts him to an action has looked upon the action to lust after it, he has committed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/he-who-truly-believes-that-which-prompts-him-to-an-action-has-looked/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [“ Euclid 's Elements has been for nearly twenty-two centuries the encouragement and guide of that scientific thought which is one thing with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/euclid-s-elements-has-been-for-nearly-twenty-two-centuries-the/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [We may always depend on it that algebra, which cannot be translated into good English and sound common sense, is bad algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-may-always-depend-on-it-that-algebra-which-cannot-be-translated/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [There is one thing in the world more wicked than the desire to command, and that is the will to obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/there-is-one-thing-in-the-world-more-wicked-than-the-desire-to/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [To know all about anything is to know how to deal with it under all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-know-all-about-anything-is-to-know-how-to-deal-with-it-under-all/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [Thought is powerless, except it make something outside of itself: the thought which conquers the world is not contemplative but active.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/thought-is-powerless-except-it-make-something-outside-of-itself-the/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [“In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient-2/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) [Explore all 38 William Kingdon Clifford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [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/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) [Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Remember that [scientific thought] is the guide of action; that the truth which it arrives at is not that which we can ideally contemplate without error, but that which we may act upon without fear; and you cannot fail to see that scientific thought is not an accompaniment or condition of human progress, but human progress itself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Kingdon Clifford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the-guide-of-action-that-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Action" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the-guide-of-action-that-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_action_remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the_2230855.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_action_remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the_2230855.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a3/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_action_remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the_2230855.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Remember that [scientific thought] is the guide of action; that the truth which it arrives at is not that…” — William Kingdon Clifford", "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": "William Kingdon Clifford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Remember that [scientific thought] is the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the-guide-of-action-that-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/remember-that-scientific-thought-is-the-guide-of-action-that-the/#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 } } ] } ```