The human body and mind are tremendous forces that are continually amazing scientists and society. Therefore, we have no choice but to keep an open mind as to what the human being can achieve.

The quote argues for intellectual humility about human potential. By framing body and mind as “tremendous forces” that repeatedly surprise both scientists and the wider public, it suggests that prevailing assumptions about ability—especially about limits imposed by physiology or circumstance—are often provisional. The conclusion (“we have no choice but to keep an open mind”) turns that observation into an ethical and practical stance: progress in knowledge and in human achievement depends on resisting premature certainty. Attributed to Evelyn Glennie, the sentiment aligns with themes often associated with her public advocacy—reconsidering how we define “hearing,” “listening,” and capability—though the specific provenance of this wording is unclear.