Quotessence
Home / Quotes / Quote by Alan Lightman

Quote by Alan Lightman

“But why are we attracted to symmetry? Why do we human beings delight in seeing perfectly round planets through the lens of a telescope and six-sided snowflakes on a cold winter day? The answer must be partly psychological. I would claim that symmetry represents order, and we crave order in this strange universe we find ourselves in. The search for symmetry, and the emotional pleasure we derive when we find it, must help us make sense of the the seasons and the reliability of friendships. Symmetry is also economy. Symmetry is simplicity.”

Quote by Alan Lightman

Create image

Author

Alan Lightman
Alan Lightman

Alan Lightman is an American physicist and an accomplished writer. Born on November 28, 1948, he is renowned for his contributions to physics and his literary achievements that blend science and fiction. more

You May Also Like

“the architecture of our brains was born from the same trial and error, the same energy principles, the same pure mathematics that happen in flowers and jellyfish and Higgs particles. Viewed in this way, our human aesthetic is necessarily the aesthetic of nature. Viewed in this way, it is nonsensical to ask why we find nature beautiful. Beauty and symmetry and minimum principles are not qualities we ascribe to the cosmos and then marvel at in their perfection. They are simply what is, just like the particular arrangement of atoms that make up our minds. We are not observers on the outside looking in. We are on the inside too.”

NatureBrainKnowledgeHuman MindSymmetryNatural Laws
Book:The Accidental Universe: The World You Thought You Knew
Create image

“One of the most powerful effects in your life is brought by Who-You-Think-You-Are. The moment your brain became functional, you began to build an image of who and what you believe yourself to be. All the events of your life have helped to create that image, the self-image of Who-You-Think-You-Are.”

LifeWisdomSpiritualLife LessonsLife QuotesHealingAuthenticityAuthentic SelfNatural LawsI Ching Wu Wei
Book:I Ching Life: Becoming Your Authentic Self
Create image

“Endurance is a state that is not worn down by anything. To achieve the goal of endurance so that your relationships will survive through the difficulties, failures, successes, and changes that all relationships encounter as part of the human condition, it is necessary to fix your mind on the goal of endurance.”

LifeWisdomSpiritualLife LessonsLife QuotesHealingAuthenticityAuthentic SelfNatural LawsI Ching Wu Wei
Book:I Ching Life: Becoming Your Authentic Self
Create image

“There are human made laws and divine laws of nature, sometimes these laws coincide but not always. To paraphrase Saint Thomas Aquinas, any law that uplifts humankind, gives rein to other people expressing the profundity of life, and gives flight to their personality is just. Or as expressed by Martin Luther King, Jr., any law is unjust that distorts the soul, damages the personality of any person, bestows any group with a false sense of class superiority, or imposes upon any individual or oppressed group a segregated and false sense of inferiority.”

LawJusticePrejudiceOppressionSegregationLaws Of NatureInferiorityLawsUplifting QuotesNatural Laws
Book:Dead Toad Scrolls
Create image