"I soon became convinced... that all the theorizing would be empty brain exercise and therefore a waste of time unless one first ascertained what the population of the universe really consists of"

Fritz Zwicky's quote suggests that thinking is not useful unless one first understands the population of the universe. He indicates that without this understanding, thinking is an empty workout and a wild-goose chase. This suggests that Zwicky believed that comprehending the population of the universe was essential in order to make significant development in thinking. He likely thought that without this knowledge, theorizing would be based on incomplete or inaccurate information, and for that reason would not be useful. Zwicky's quote stresses the value of comprehending the population of deep space in order to make meaningful development in thinking. He suggests that without this understanding, theorizing is an empty exercise and a waste of time. This indicates that Zwicky thought that understanding the population of deep space was necessary in order to make meaningful development in theorizing.