---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea of progress is built on the…"
description: "\"“The idea of progress is built on the notion that if we admit our ignorance and invest resources in research, things can improve. This idea was soon tr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/521/yuval-noah-harari-100_growth_the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-not_2540535.jpg"
---

#  The idea of progress is built on the notion that if we…

![“The idea of progress is built on the notion that if we admit our ignorance and invest resources in research, things can improve. This idea was soon translated into economic terms.” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/521/yuval-noah-harari-100_growth_the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-not_2540535.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/521/yuval-noah-harari-100_growth_the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-not_2540535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/521/yuval-noah-harari-100_growth_the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-not_2540535.jpg)

> ““The idea of progress is built on the notion that if we admit our ignorance and invest resources in research, things can improve. This idea was soon translated into economic terms.””

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## About This Quote

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

Progress relies on acknowledging ignorance and funding research, turning hope into economic growth.

**In simple terms:** Admit ignorance, fund research, improve things.

Key Takeaway

Invest in knowledge to drive advancement.

Themes

progress knowledge economics research

Mood

optimistic analytical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- policy making
- academic research
- business strategy
- public health initiatives

Key Concepts

epistemology innovation investment

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we balance curiosity with practical outcomes?
- What safeguards ensure research benefits society?

A Different Perspective

Economic returns are not guaranteed; research may be misdirected.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

## Related quotes

> [“Beautiful, seamless upgrade from Twitter today, making functionality smoother and cooler. We didn't have to lobby, didn't have to beg, didn't have to elect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tucker/beautiful-seamless-upgrade-from-twitter-today-making-functionality/)

[Jeffrey Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tucker/)

> [“No idea is as absurd as the idea of progress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/no-idea-is-as-absurd-as-the-idea-of-progress/)

[Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/)

> [Are you better off than you were one year ago, one month ago, or one week ago? If not, things will not improve by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/are-you-better-off-than-you-were-one-year-ago-one-month-ago-or-one/)

[Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/)

> [There is a lot of things to improve in my touch game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aryna-sabalenka/there-is-a-lot-of-things-to-improve-in-my-touch-game/)

[Aryna Sabalenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aryna-sabalenka/)

> [Simeone says these things and they aren't negative things about me, they are things to improve. This is what he thinks, so I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-felix/simeone-says-these-things-and-they-aren-t-negative-things-about-me/)

[Joao Felix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-felix/)

> [There's definitely going to be things that I'm not very good at, things I can improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lando-norris/there-s-definitely-going-to-be-things-that-i-m-not-very-good-at/)

[Lando Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lando-norris/)

> [There's always things to improve, you can't be satisfied with what you have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-van-dijk/there-s-always-things-to-improve-you-can-t-be-satisfied-with-what-you/)

[Virgil van Dijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-van-dijk/)

> [For things to change, YOU have to change. For things to get better, YOU have to get better. For things to improve, YOU have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/for-things-to-change-you-have-to-change-for-things-to-get-better-you/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [There's a lot of things I can improve on, off the court and on the court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luka-doncic/there-s-a-lot-of-things-i-can-improve-on-off-the-court-and-on-the/)

[Luka Doncic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luka-doncic/)

> [England's good for me: there's a thousand things to improve, but I fit. I'm happy and I'd really like Arsenal to use the purchase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-mari/england-s-good-for-me-there-s-a-thousand-things-to-improve-but-i-fit/)

[Pablo Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-mari/)

> [In time you'll look back and realize some relationships weren't meant to be. Once you accept your new life, and freedom things will improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/in-time-you-ll-look-back-and-realize-some-relationships-weren-t-meant/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [If one's desire for change is an earnest desire to see things improve, then surely there is a state in which things have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-weinstein/if-one-s-desire-for-change-is-an-earnest-desire-to-see-things-improve/)

[Bret Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-weinstein/)

> [Some things you can improve, some things you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-rahm/some-things-you-can-improve-some-things-you-can-t/)

[Jon Rahm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-rahm/)

> [I am pretty happy. But there are so many things I have to still improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-ivanovic/i-am-pretty-happy-but-there-are-so-many-things-i-have-to-still-improve/)

[Ana Ivanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-ivanovic/)

> [Hang in, keep cool, and stay who you are. Things will improve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gaskarth/hang-in-keep-cool-and-stay-who-you-are-things-will-improve/)

[Alex Gaskarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gaskarth/)

## More by Yuval Noah Harari

> [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/i-think-the-basic-thing-that-happened-is-we-have-lost-our-story/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“the Chinese air-purification market is booming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-chinese-air-purification-market-is-booming/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas liberalism merged with the milder versions of nationalism to protect the unique experiences of each human community, evolutionary humanists such as Hitler identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-liberalism-merged-with-the-milder-versions-of-nationalism-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Corporations, money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. Organic parasites, such as viruses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/ever-more-scholars-see-cultures-as-a-kind-of-mental-infection-or/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-religion-asks-us-to-believe-in-something-money-asks-us-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Yet what happens if the greedy shoemaker increases his profits by paying employees less and increasing their work hours? The standard answer is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-what-happens-if-the-greedy-shoemaker-increases-his-profits-by/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

[Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## More Growth quotes

> [My coach, Robert Allen, helped me a lot. He had more influence on my growth as a player than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamarcus-aldridge/my-coach-robert-allen-helped-me-a-lot-he-had-more-influence-on-my/)

[LaMarcus Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamarcus-aldridge/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

Phil Hogan

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [“I urge you: don't cut short these thought-trains of yours. Follow them through to their end. Your thoughts and your feelings. Follow them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-urge-you-don-t-cut-short-these-thought-trains-of-yours-follow-them/)

[J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/)

> [“Economic growth continued by means of a succession of new products which found growing and ultimately massive demand. Some of the new products were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-a-hudson/economic-growth-continued-by-means-of-a-succession-of-new-products/)

[Edward A. Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-a-hudson/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/)

Lanie Lane

> [“SILENT LIKE SLEEP You appear by my side, silent like sleep. Soft hair, a little wild. No fear, gentle like a calm river. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/silent-like-sleep-you-appear-by-my-side-silent-like-sleep-soft-hair-a/)

[Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/)

> [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [“There is no growth without risk. There is always something to be gained from any experience. It is up to us to interpret our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/there-is-no-growth-without-risk-there-is-always-something-to-be/)

Truth Devour

> [Create an environment for people to fail, to learn, and to grow. Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/)

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

> [You have to improve; that's how you develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gustafsson/you-have-to-improve-that-s-how-you-develop/)

[Alexander Gustafsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gustafsson/)

[Browse all 9,113 Growth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The idea of progress is built on the notion that if we admit our ignorance and invest resources in research, things can improve. This idea was soon translated into economic terms.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yuval Noah Harari"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-notion-that-if-we-admit-our/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Growth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-notion-that-if-we-admit-our/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/521/yuval-noah-harari-100_growth_the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-not_2540535.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/521/yuval-noah-harari-100_growth_the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-not_2540535.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/521/yuval-noah-harari-100_growth_the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-not_2540535.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The idea of progress is built on the notion that if we admit our ignorance and invest resources in research…” — Yuval Noah Harari",
                "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": "Yuval Noah Harari",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The idea of progress is built...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-notion-that-if-we-admit-our/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-idea-of-progress-is-built-on-the-notion-that-if-we-admit-our/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
