Theoretical Understanding Quotes

The earlier, more analytic impulse was to use very rational but kind of absurd techniques or tendencies - mapping, charting, and architecture - to try and make sense of who I was in my time and space and political environment. But there's only so much truth to a theoretical understanding of something. ~ Julie Mehretu

If you really want to contribute to our theoretical understanding of physical laws - and it is an exciting experience if you succeed! - there are many things you need to know. First of all, be serious about it! ~ Gerard 't Hooft

Though Anne was born in Alabama and schooled in Mississippi, she had traveled North, and, like many Southerners, gained a theoretical understanding of the concept of cold. But the mind is an overprotective parent. What it doesn't care for, it hides. Like many inhabiting the subtropics, Anne had repressed the reality of subzero mercury. ~ Kathy Reichs

... it should be remembered that the atomicity of electric charge has already found its expression in the specific numerical value of the fine structure constant, a theoretical understanding of which is still missing today. ~ Wolfgang Pauli

Yet all the knowledge on earth will give me nothing to assure me that this world is mine. ( ... ) I realize that if through science I can seize phenomena and enumerate them, I cannot, for all that, apprehend the world. ~ Albert Camus

Campbell could not disagree with Europeans' condescending view of American science as a backwater rich in money and manpower but poor in theoretical understanding. ~ Michael A. Hiltzik

The theoretical understanding of the world, which is the aim of philosophy, is not a matter of great practical importance to animals, or to savages, or even to most civilised men. ~ Bertrand Russell

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Phil 4:7

The new spirituality will also base itself on a third very large spiritual understanding, which is that life is eternal. Most religious people claim to believe that, but very few people actually live as if that were true. ~ Neale Donald Walsch

Now pay attention to this. God is nameless for no one can either speak of him or know him. Therefore a pagan master says that what we can know or say of the First Cause reflects ourselves more than it does the First Cause, for this transcends all speech and all understanding . . . He is being beyond being: he is a nothingness beyond being. Therefore St. Augustine says: 'The finest thing that we can say of God is to be silent concerning him from the wisdom of inner riches.' Be silent therefore, and do not chatter about God, for by chattering about him, you tell lies and commit a sin. If you wish to be perfect and without sin, then do not prattle about God. Also you should not wish to understand anything about God, for God is beyond all understanding. A master says: If I had a God that I could understand, I would not regard him as God. If you understand anything about him, then he is not in it, and by understanding something of him, you fall into ignorance, and by falling into ignorance, you become like an animal since the animal part in creatures is that which is unknowing. If you do not wish to become like an animal therefore, do not pretend that you understand anything of the ineffable God. ~ Meister Eckhart

We have to cross the boundary between knowing and not knowing many times before we achieve understanding. ~ David Hawkins

Till gradually he became desperate, lost his understanding, was plunged in a revolt that knew no bounds. Inarticulate, he moved with her at the Marsh in violent, gloomy, wordless passion, almost in hatred of her. ~ D.H. Lawrence

People aren't supposed to be able to fathom eternity. It's an amount of time beyond all human comprehension. But ever since everything ended, I think I'm getting closer to understanding it. These little tastes of it in the way hell stretches around us, making pain endless and moments like this one rare and fleeting. Making moments like this one everything. ~ Courtney Summers

Because being witness to all types of human experience is important to understanding the world, but also to understanding myself. To define what is important to me, and who is important, and why. ~ Nina Sankovitch

She told me to picture little Georgia, at five years old or so (when this behavior was learned), and imagine calling her a "stupid fucking idiot" for making a mistake. It made me want to cry. Five-year-old Georgia doesn't deserve that; she deserves understanding and patience and to know that mistakes can be made without them making her a broken person. And so when I berated myself for that wrong turn, I was perpetuating the narrative that Georgia doesn't deserve to be treated with kindness. Even though I didn't start it, the only person who could stop that cycle was myself, and a great way to do that was to picture myself as a little kid when I was being cruel to myself. It's taken some time, but I've definitely been kinder to myself since I learned that. ~ Georgia Hardstark

Is it wrong to call it empathy when you trust the face of suffering, but not the source? How do I inhabit someone's pain without inhabiting their particular understanding of that pain? ~ Leslie Jamison

I like stories very much," the priest said. "They help me understand myself better. ~ Simon Van Booy

Modern photography must do more than entertain, it must incite thought and by its clear statements of actuality, cultivate a sympathetic understanding of men and women and the life they live and create. ~ Max Dupain

Knowing it without understanding it is enough for one to be qualified a fool;
Understanding without relative adherence, masters one in foolishness. ~ Caleb Ricketts

Too often we confuse 'discovering who we are' with 'discovering who we want to be.' And if we commit to the former it will take care of the latter. ~ Craig D. Lounsbrough

When you read a great book, you don't escape from life, you plunge deeper into it. There may be a superficial escape – into different countries, mores, speech patterns – but what you are essentially doing is furthering your understanding of life's subtleties, paradoxes, joys, pains and truths. Reading and life are not separate but symbiotic. ~ Julian Barnes

When Jesus was moved by compassion, it was not just a feeling he had, but an understanding and conviction of what those people meant to the Father. ~ Shawn Bolz

Living rationally and authentically does not mean that you map out your future by thinking carefully about what it would be like if you chose one path versus another path and then choosing on that basis. ~ L.A. Paul

The world needs a true leader, an Obama that promotes peace and understanding in the world. ~ Hugo Chavez

Hopefully the presence in Congress of an American who happens to be Hindu will increase America's understanding of India as well as India's understanding of America. ~ Tulsi Gabbard

We need this help from the outside because we don't know how to to do this for ourselves. We start with a deep deficit - a chasm really - when it comes to understanding and being tolerant of ourselves, and that's even before we go forth to do battle with the rest of the world. As soon as someone judges, criticizes, dismisses, or ignores, the cycle of pain and reactivity ramps up, compounded by shame, remorse, and rejection. The act of validation, simply saying, 'I can see things from your perspective,' can short-circuit that emotional detour. ~ Kiera Van Gelder

We never actually have serious conversations about anything for more than 20 seconds. So there's a beautiful superficiality to our relationship which sometimes gets covered up by all the genuine affection flowing back and forth. ~ Kamila Shamsie

But beneath it all will run that Sicilian understanding that the underside of joy is grief, that the face of sacrifice and suffering is the dark mirror image of pleasure and enjoyment, that every moment of arrival is to be treasured and enjoyed in the full knowledge that it has brought us a moment closer to the moment of departure. ~ Francine Prose

Unbelief is as much of a choice as belief is. What makes it in many ways more appealing is that whereas to believe in something requires some measure of understanding and effort, not to believe doesn't require much of anything at all. ~ Frederick Buechner

One of my greatest concerns for the young women of the Church is that they will sell themselves short in dating and marriage by forgetting who they really are--daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. . . . Unfortunately, a young woman who lowers her standards far enough can always find temporary acceptance from immature and unworthy young men. . . .

At their best, daughters of God are loving, caring, understanding, and sympathetic. This does not mean they are also gullible, unrealistic, or easily manipulated. If a young man does not measure up to the standards a young woman has set, he may promise her that he will change if she will marry him first. Wise daughters of God will insist that young men who seek their hand in marriage change before the wedding, not after. (I am referring here to the kind of change that will be part of the lifelong growth of every disciple.) He may argue that she doesn't really believe in repentance and forgiveness. But one of the hallmarks of repentance is forsaking sin. Especially when the sin involves addictive behaviors or a pattern of transgression, wise daughters of God insist on seeing a sustained effort to forsake sin over a long period of time as true evidence of repentance. They do not marry someone because they believe they can change him. Young women, please do not settle for someone unworthy of your gospel standards.

On the other hand, young women should not refuse to settle down. There is no right age for young men ~ Robert D. Hales

It's not in searching externally for the peace that passes all understanding; it's in searching from within you. ~ Alice Hocker

That was the problem with understanding someone too well – you couldn't help but forgive them, no matter what they did. ~ Tommy Wallach

I had always been very rational, but I'd always used reason in such a way as to convince myself that reasoning alone would not solve anything, really. Reasoning is theoretical. Until you feel with your heart, you don't know if a thing is true. I found that book was absolutely authentic. I absolutely knew it was the truth. My whole heart accepted it. ~ Goswami Kriyananda

I'm suspicious of too much certainty in the pursuit of understanding just because I think people are limited in their understanding. ~ Barack Obama

Face it," Gary told her kindly. "You'll never catch up. You just do as much as you can and take the punishments without saying anything. Sometimes I wonder if that isn't what they're really trying to teach us
to take plenty and keep our mouths shut. ~ Tamora Pierce

I do not pray for anything. I am not nearly strong enough to do that. I pray for strength, patience, understanding, the ability to love God, detachment from the physical world and other qualities. I will pray for the healing or benefit of other people. However I have noticed that some healing prayers have lines like 'Thou, verily, art the All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.' So it seems to me we are not praying for healing, we are praying for the correct outcome. ~ Heather Cardin

No one has ever been able to control his thinking, although people may tell the story of how they have. I don't let go of my thoughts-I meet them with understanding. Then they let go of me. ~ Byron Katie

The shareholders who financed the risk taking had no real understanding of what the risk takers were doing, and, as the risk taking grew ever more complex, their understanding diminished. All that was clear was that the profits to be had from smart people making complicated bets overwhelmed anything that could be had from servicing customers, or allocating capital to productive enterprise. ~ Michael Lewis

He who doesn't understand history is doomed to repeat it. ~ Pittacus Lore

Man with all his shrewdness is as stupid about understanding by himself the mysteries of God, as an ass is incapable of understanding musical harmony. ~ John Calvin

Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the understanding of a problem. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

I don't think you automatically become an enlightened person because you are a daddy. But they will change you, of course - their understanding of you puts you in a different place. ~ John Hurt

In my own research when I'm working with equations, I never feel like I really understand what I'm doing if I'm solely relying on the mathematics for my understanding. I need to have a visual picture in my mind. I'm constantly translating from the math to some intuitive mind's-eye picture. ~ Brian Greene

Consciousness creates the body. Our bodies are made up of dynamic energy systems that are affected by our diets, relationships, heredity, and culture and the interplay of all these factors and activities ... We cannot hope to reclaim our bodily wisdom and inherent ability to create health without first understanding the influence of our society on how we think about and care for our bodies. ~ Christiane Northrup

Hey," the man said, raising his hands in surrender, "I don't have any issues with you, Farrow. You know that."
"Then we have an understanding, but just in case you're thinking of somehow repeating history and trying to control me through her," he said, arching a brow in warning, "do you remember how fast I am? How deadly?"
Navarra nodded without hesitation.
Reyes leaned toward him and raised his own hand to cover part of his mouth as though telling a secret. "She's faster. ~ Darynda Jones

I had made the very common mistake of thinking that marriage was a mode of absolute commonality and a breaking down of all boundaries, instead of understanding it simply as a pact between two people willing to be the guardians of each other's solitude. ~ Valeria Luiselli

Of true knowledge at any time, a good part is merely convenient, necessary indeed to the worker, but not to an understanding of his subject: One can judge a building without knowing where to buy the bricks; one can understand a violin sonata without knowing how to score for the instrument. The work may in fact be better understood without a knowledge of the details of its manufacture, of attention to these tends to distract from meaning and effect. ~ Jacques Barzun

A theoretical system does not merely state facts which have been observed and that logically deducible relations to other facts which have also been observed. ~ Talcott Parsons

What exactly is this energy - and will I learn to control it?" "We call it Ousia." "Oo-what?" "OO-ZEE-AH. "It means the Essence. Once you are trained, you will be able to control it." It sounds a lot like the Jedi Force. "Where does it come from?" "It is all around us. Human scientists call it dark energy." "Oh. I've read about that. But it's theoretical. It's never been seen." "That's why they call it dark," he says with a tilt of his head. ~ A.J. Sparber

I am different because I have better schooling, better understanding of the line, gesture, how feet working, positions. They taught me modern things ... and I wanted to give what I had: my schooling. ~ Natalia Makarova

A true understanding of who God is, who we are, and the missionary task should drive us to our knees and keep us there. ~ Kevin Baggett

If I lend my support to a specific cause, it has to be something that I look over and that I have a complete understanding of and it's not just some extracurricular bullshit. ~ Immortal Technique