Theory Will Take You Only So Far

J. Robert Oppenheimer was a theoretical physicist who published many important contributions to the world of quantum theory. He is most well known for being the director of the Los Alamos laboratory and leading the Manhattan Project resulting in the United States developing the atomic bomb. In the recent biographical thriller film Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence tells Robert Oppenheimer that, “Theory will take you only so far.” This quote came after Oppenheimer theorized that splitting the atom could not be done while Lawrence confirmed they had recreated the experiment in the room next door. In this case, the physical experiment proved the theory wrong. What Oppenheimer became most well known for was taking theory and making it a reality. Theory only took Oppenheimer so far. In our own lives, theory only takes us so far.

In a world where you are not a theoretical physicist, theory should not be your basis for living. You should theorize and hypothesize to a point, but action should always follow the theories you construct in your mind. If you spend your time only theorizing, nothing tangible gets done. You need to act to bring your thoughts, hopes, dreams, and pursuits to life. If they only live in the abstract world of your mind and imagination, you are not accomplishing anything real.

If you want to lose weight, you need to plan out your meals and exercise plan. These parts of the process need to be theorized. But, if all you do is theorize them, you will not lose weight. Your action dictates the results. In this case, with no change to your diet or exercise flow, you will not lose weight.

If you want to read 12 books over the course of the year, you should plan your schedule for how long you will read and how often you should read, and you should pick out books that interest you. This is the theory part of the plan. Without action, you will not buy or rent the books, and you will not open the books to read them. By just theorizing, you will think about the books you want to read, action is what makes the goal of reading 12 books over the course of a year real.

There are countless examples that you can use to explain this perspective for your own life. If you are struggling to accomplish or achieve what you want, assess your situation. See how much action or inaction you are currently doing. If you find yourself mostly operating in the theoretical world, you may want to move to more action. Theory will take you only so far.