Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.
Jacob BronowskiRead
Ask an impertinent question and you are on the way to the pertinent answer.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Asking bold or challenging questions can lead to valuable insights and answers.
This quote emphasizes the importance of inquiry in the pursuit of knowledge. Jacob Bronowski suggests that when we dare to ask questions that may seem inappropriate or challenging, we open the door to deeper understanding and critical thinking, ultimately guiding ourselves towards pertinent answers that may not have been obvious before.
Themes
QuestionsAnswersInquiryKnowledgeCuriosity
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop, you might say this quote to encourage participants to think outside the box.
More from Jacob Bronowski
All quotes βThere is no absolute knowledge. And those who claim it, whether they are scientists or dogmatists, open the door to tragedy.
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To me the most interesting thing about man is that he is an animal who practices art and science and in every known society practices both together.
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A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He does so by finding a likeness between things which were not thought alike before.
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The values by which we are to survive are not rules for just and unjust conduct, but are those deeper illuminations in whose light justice and injustice, good and evil, means and ends are seen in fearful sharpness of outline.
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The basis for poetry and scientific discovery is the ability to comprehend the unlike in the like and the like in the unlike.
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The devil and temptations also do give occasion unto us somewhat to learn and understand the Scriptures, by experience and practice. Without trials and temptations we should never understand anything thereof; no, not although we diligently read and heard the same.
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Here's the truth about telling stories with your life. It's going to sound like a great idea, and you're going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you're not going to want to do it. It's like that with writing books, and it's like that with life. People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain.
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Within each of us there is a silence as vast as the universe. We long for it. We can return to it.
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