QuoteProject
I don't believe that the ultimate theory will come by steady work along existing lines. We need something new. We can't predict what that will be or when we will find it because if we knew that, we would have found it already!
Stephen Hawking
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Innovation requires breaking from traditional methods to discover new theories.

In this quote, Stephen Hawking emphasizes the importance of creativity and new ideas in scientific discovery. He suggests that simply working harder within the confines of existing knowledge is not enough to make significant breakthroughs; instead, we must seek novel approaches that are unpredictable and possibly beyond our current understanding.

Themes

InnovationDiscoveryTheoryCreativityScience

In practice

Example use cases

In a research presentation to inspire colleagues about the importance of innovative thinking.

More from Stephen Hawking

We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.
Stephen HawkingRead
I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.
Stephen HawkingRead
It surprises me how disinterested we are today about things like physics, space, the universe and philosophy of our existence, our purpose, our final destination. Its a crazy world out there. Be curious.
Stephen HawkingRead
I was not a good student. I did not spend much time at college; I was too busy enjoying myself.
Stephen HawkingRead
The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic but technological-technologies that flowed directly from advances in basic science. Clearly, no scientist better represents those advances than Albert Einstein: TIME's Person of the Century.
Stephen HawkingRead
In my opinion, there is no aspect of reality beyond the reach of the human mind.
Stephen HawkingRead

Similar quotes

A scientist who is also a human being cannot rest while knowledge which might be used to reduce suffering rests on the shelf.
Albert SabinRead
Humans are natural-born scientists. When we're born, we want to know why the stars shine. We want to know why the sun rises.
Michio KakuRead
If the Earth gets hit by an asteroid, it's game over. It's control-alt-delete for civilization.
Bill NyeRead
Every usage, no matter how bizarre or nonstandard, fascinates me, as it tells me something about the way language is evolving.
David CrystalRead
People often ask me why I persisted in doing research on a subject that was so controversial. I frequently respond by telling them that only a few scientists are granted the great fortune to pursue topics that are so new and different that only a small number of people can grasp the meaning of such discoveries initially.
Stanley B. PrusinerRead
When the sun is sending more energy to earth in one hour than the entire world consumes in a year, any political play to undermine our ability to harness this energy effectively and efficiently is clearly not economical but it's also unethical.
Deb HaalandRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Stephen Hawking | QuoteProject