A small slate slab with a fan-shaped chalk smudge and a violet feather resting on it.

Original artwork, not a still

Richard Feynman

If we will only allow that, as we progress, we remain unsure, we will leave opportunities for alternatives. We will not become enthusiastic for the fact, the knowledge, the absolute truth of the day, but remain always uncertain.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Feynman argues for staying a little unsure as we learn. Doubt keeps room open for alternatives, so today's accepted truth doesn't harden into dogma. Being enthusiastic about certainty is the trap he warns against here.

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