- Collection of essential epistemology quotes: 2017-2018 - 100
- List of unused quotes from Philosophy of knowledge: philosopher and scientist quotes (2017) - 85
- List of unused quotes from Philosophy quotes organized (2018) - 503
- Collection of quotes from quotes by person posts: 2021-2024 - 125
- List of unused quotes from notebook posts - 170
Saturday, August 1, 2026
List of official quote lists
This post is the official quote list for this blog. There are 983 quotes total.
List of unused quotes from Philosophy of knowledge: philosopher and scientist quotes (2017)
This post is a list of unused quotes from Philosophy of knowledge: philosopher and scientist quotes (2017). There are 85 quotes listed below alphabetically by last name.
Howard H. Aiken (1900-1973, physicist)
1. "The desire to economize time and mental effort in arithmetical computations, and to eliminate human liability to error is probably as old as the science of arithmetic itself." (Proposed Automatic Calculating Machine, 1937)
1. "The desire to economize time and mental effort in arithmetical computations, and to eliminate human liability to error is probably as old as the science of arithmetic itself." (Proposed Automatic Calculating Machine, 1937)
Alfred Adler (1870-1937, psychologist)
2. "Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations." (What Life Should Mean to You, 1937)
2. "Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations." (What Life Should Mean to You, 1937)
Ralph Alpher (1921-2007, physicist)
3. "There are two reasons you do science. One is the altruistic feeling that maybe you can contribute to mankind's store of knowledge about the world. The other and more personal thing is you want the approbation of your peers. Pure and simple." (Quoted in The Last Big Bang Man Left Standing by Joseph D'Agnese, Discover)
3. "There are two reasons you do science. One is the altruistic feeling that maybe you can contribute to mankind's store of knowledge about the world. The other and more personal thing is you want the approbation of your peers. Pure and simple." (Quoted in The Last Big Bang Man Left Standing by Joseph D'Agnese, Discover)
Peter L. Berger (1929-2017, sociologist)
4. "The symbolic universe also orders history. It locates all collective events in a cohesive unity that includes past, present and future." (The Social Construction Reality, 1966)
Alfred Binet (1857-1911, psychologist)
5. "I wish that people would be persuaded that psychological experiments, especially those on the complex functions, are not improved (by large studies); the statistical method gives only mediocre results..." (L'Etude experimentale de I'intelligence, 1999)
Herophilos (c. 335-280 BC, physician)
40. "When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot be exerted, wealth is useless, and reason is powerless." (AZQuotes.com)
William Whewell (1794-1866, philosopher)
83. "Fundamental ideas are not a consequence of experience, but a result of the particular constitution and activity of the mind, which is independent of all experience in its origin, though constantly combined with experience in its exercise." (AZQuotes.com)
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959, architect)
84. "The scientist has marched in and taken the place of the poet. But one day somebody will find the solution to the problems of the world and remember, it will be a poet, not a scientist." (Quoted in Morrow's International Dictionary of Contemporary Quotations by Jonathon Green)
Wilbur Wright (1867-1912, inventor)
85. "For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man. My disease has increased in severity and I feel that it will soon cost me an increased amount of money if not my life. I have been trying to arrange my affairs in such a way that I can devote my entire time for a few months to experiment in this field." (Letter to Octave Chanute, 1900)
5. "I wish that people would be persuaded that psychological experiments, especially those on the complex functions, are not improved (by large studies); the statistical method gives only mediocre results..." (L'Etude experimentale de I'intelligence, 1999)
Al-Biruni (c. 973-1050 AD, philosopher)
6. "Once a sage asked why scholars always flock to the doors of the rich, whilst the rich are not inclined to call at the doors of scholars. 'The scholars' he answered, 'are well aware of the use of money, but the rich are ignorant of the nobility of science'." (Quoted in Dictionary of Scientific Quotations by Alan L. Mackay)
6. "Once a sage asked why scholars always flock to the doors of the rich, whilst the rich are not inclined to call at the doors of scholars. 'The scholars' he answered, 'are well aware of the use of money, but the rich are ignorant of the nobility of science'." (Quoted in Dictionary of Scientific Quotations by Alan L. Mackay)
Niels Bohr (1885-1962, physicist)
7. "We must be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing mental connections." (Quoted in Defense Implications of International Indeterminacy by Robert J. Pranger)
7. "We must be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing mental connections." (Quoted in Defense Implications of International Indeterminacy by Robert J. Pranger)
Amedeo Avogadro (1776-1856, chemist)
8. "It must... be admitted that very simple relations... exist between the volumes of gaseous substances and the numbers of simple or compound molecules which form them." (Todayinsci.com)
8. "It must... be admitted that very simple relations... exist between the volumes of gaseous substances and the numbers of simple or compound molecules which form them." (Todayinsci.com)
Charles Babbage (1791-1871, inventor)
9. "It is therefore not unreasonable to suppose that some portion of the neglect of science in England, may be attributed to the system of education we pursue. A young man passes from our public schools to the universities, ignorant of almost every branch of useful knowledge; and at these latter establishments... classical and mathematical pursuits are nearly the sole objects proposed to the student's ambition." (Reflections on the Decline of Science in England, and on Some of its Causes,1830)
9. "It is therefore not unreasonable to suppose that some portion of the neglect of science in England, may be attributed to the system of education we pursue. A young man passes from our public schools to the universities, ignorant of almost every branch of useful knowledge; and at these latter establishments... classical and mathematical pursuits are nearly the sole objects proposed to the student's ambition." (Reflections on the Decline of Science in England, and on Some of its Causes,1830)
Roger Bacon (c. 1219-1292, philosopher)
10. "Reasoning draws a conclusion and makes us grant the conclusion, but does not make the conclusion certain, nor does it remove doubt so that the mind may rest on the intuition of truth, unless the mind discovers it by the path of experience." (Quoted in The Opus Majus of Roger Bacon, Volume 2 by Robert Belle Burke)
10. "Reasoning draws a conclusion and makes us grant the conclusion, but does not make the conclusion certain, nor does it remove doubt so that the mind may rest on the intuition of truth, unless the mind discovers it by the path of experience." (Quoted in The Opus Majus of Roger Bacon, Volume 2 by Robert Belle Burke)
Jeremy Bentham (c. 1748-1832, philosopher)
11. "He who thinks and thinks for himself, will always have a claim to thanks; it is no matter whether it be right or wrong, so as it be explicit. If it is right, it will serve as a guide to direct; if wrong, as a beacon to warn." (AZQuotes.com)
11. "He who thinks and thinks for himself, will always have a claim to thanks; it is no matter whether it be right or wrong, so as it be explicit. If it is right, it will serve as a guide to direct; if wrong, as a beacon to warn." (AZQuotes.com)
Torbern Bergman (1735-1784, chemist)
12. "A scientist strives to understand the work of nature. But with our insufficient talents as scientists, we do not hit upon the truth all at once. We must content ourselves with tracking it down, enveloped in considerable darkness, which leads us to make new mistakes and errors. By diligent examination, we may at length little by little peel off the thickest layers, but we seldom get the core quite free, so that finally we have to be satisfied with a little incomplete knowledge." (AZQuotes.com)
12. "A scientist strives to understand the work of nature. But with our insufficient talents as scientists, we do not hit upon the truth all at once. We must content ourselves with tracking it down, enveloped in considerable darkness, which leads us to make new mistakes and errors. By diligent examination, we may at length little by little peel off the thickest layers, but we seldom get the core quite free, so that finally we have to be satisfied with a little incomplete knowledge." (AZQuotes.com)
Joseph Black (1728-1799, chemist)
13. "A nice adaptation of conditions will make almost any hypothesis agree with the phenomena. This will please the imagination but does not advance our knowledge." (AZQuotes.com)
13. "A nice adaptation of conditions will make almost any hypothesis agree with the phenomena. This will please the imagination but does not advance our knowledge." (AZQuotes.com)
Boethius (c. 480-524 AD, philosopher)
14. "By first recognizing false goods, you begin to escape the burden of their influence; then afterwards true goods may gain possession of your spirit." (On the Consolation of Philosophy, 524 AD)
14. "By first recognizing false goods, you begin to escape the burden of their influence; then afterwards true goods may gain possession of your spirit." (On the Consolation of Philosophy, 524 AD)
Thomas Burnet (c. 1635-1715, philosopher)
15. "I can easily believe, that there are more invisible than visible beings in the universe." (Archaeologiae Philosophicae, 1692)
15. "I can easily believe, that there are more invisible than visible beings in the universe." (Archaeologiae Philosophicae, 1692)
Alexis Carrel (1873-1944, biologist)
16. "All great men are gifted with intuition. They know without reasoning or analysis, what they need to know." (Quoted in Nava-Vēda: God and Man by Raja Rao)
16. "All great men are gifted with intuition. They know without reasoning or analysis, what they need to know." (Quoted in Nava-Vēda: God and Man by Raja Rao)
Iris Chang (1968-2004, historian)
17. "I have certainly amassed many historical research gathering skills." (AZQuotes.com)
17. "I have certainly amassed many historical research gathering skills." (AZQuotes.com)
Noam Chomsky (1928-now, linguist)
18. "Science talks about very simple things, and asks hard questions about them. As soon as things become too complex, science can't deal with them... But it's a complicated matter: science studies what's at the edge of understanding, and what's at the edge of understanding is usually fairly simple. And it rarely reaches human affairs. Human affairs are way too complicated. In fact even understanding insects is an extremely complicated problem in the sciences. So the actual sciences tell us virtually nothing about human affairs." (Science in the Dock: Discussion with Noam Chomsky, Lawrence Krauss and Sean Carroll, 2011)
18. "Science talks about very simple things, and asks hard questions about them. As soon as things become too complex, science can't deal with them... But it's a complicated matter: science studies what's at the edge of understanding, and what's at the edge of understanding is usually fairly simple. And it rarely reaches human affairs. Human affairs are way too complicated. In fact even understanding insects is an extremely complicated problem in the sciences. So the actual sciences tell us virtually nothing about human affairs." (Science in the Dock: Discussion with Noam Chomsky, Lawrence Krauss and Sean Carroll, 2011)
Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831, army officer)
19. "Any complex activity, if it is to be carried on with any degree of virtuosity, calls for appropriate gifts of intellect and temperament. If they are outstanding and reveal themselves in exceptional achievements, their possessor is called a 'genius'." (On War, 1832)
19. "Any complex activity, if it is to be carried on with any degree of virtuosity, calls for appropriate gifts of intellect and temperament. If they are outstanding and reveal themselves in exceptional achievements, their possessor is called a 'genius'." (On War, 1832)
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543, astronomer)
20. "When, therefore, I had long considered this uncertainty of traditional mathematics, it began to weary me that no more definite explanation of the movement of the world-machine established in our behalf by the best and most systematic builder of all, existed among the philosophers who had studied so exactly in other respects the minutest details in regard to the sphere." (Quoted in The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science by Edwin Arthur Burtt)
20. "When, therefore, I had long considered this uncertainty of traditional mathematics, it began to weary me that no more definite explanation of the movement of the world-machine established in our behalf by the best and most systematic builder of all, existed among the philosophers who had studied so exactly in other respects the minutest details in regard to the sphere." (Quoted in The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science by Edwin Arthur Burtt)
Georges Cuvier (1769-1832, naturalist)
21. "It is evident that one cannot say anything demonstrable about the problem before having resolved these preliminary questions, and yet we hardly possess the necessary information to solve some of them." (Stated before the National Institute of Sciences and Arts in Paris, 1796)
21. "It is evident that one cannot say anything demonstrable about the problem before having resolved these preliminary questions, and yet we hardly possess the necessary information to solve some of them." (Stated before the National Institute of Sciences and Arts in Paris, 1796)
Louis Daguerre (1787-1851, inventor)
22. "The daguerreotype is not merely an instrument which serves to draw nature; on the contrary it is a chemical and physical process which gives her the power to reproduce herself." (ArtQuotes.net)
22. "The daguerreotype is not merely an instrument which serves to draw nature; on the contrary it is a chemical and physical process which gives her the power to reproduce herself." (ArtQuotes.net)
Charles Darwin (1809-1882, biologist)
23. "I have deeply regretted that I did not proceed far enough at least to understand something of the great leading principles of mathematics, for men thus endowed seem to have an extra sense." (The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, 1887 posthumous)
23. "I have deeply regretted that I did not proceed far enough at least to understand something of the great leading principles of mathematics, for men thus endowed seem to have an extra sense." (The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, 1887 posthumous)
Democritus (c. 460-370 BC, philosopher)
24. "We know nothing accurately in reality, but [only] as it changes according to the bodily condition, and the constitution of those things that flow upon [the body] and impinge upon it." (AZQuotes.com)
24. "We know nothing accurately in reality, but [only] as it changes according to the bodily condition, and the constitution of those things that flow upon [the body] and impinge upon it." (AZQuotes.com)
Will Durant (1885-1981, philosopher)
25. "Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art." (The Story of Philosophy, 1926)
25. "Every science begins as philosophy and ends as art." (The Story of Philosophy, 1926)
Epicurus (341-270 BC, philosopher)
26. "We must consider both the ultimate end and all clear sensory evidence, to which we refer our opinions; for otherwise everything will be full of uncertainty and confusion." (Sovereign Maxims)
26. "We must consider both the ultimate end and all clear sensory evidence, to which we refer our opinions; for otherwise everything will be full of uncertainty and confusion." (Sovereign Maxims)
Enrico Fermi (1901-1954, physicist)
27. "There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery." (Quotes in Nuclear Principles in Engineering by Tatjana Jevremovic)
27. "There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery." (Quotes in Nuclear Principles in Engineering by Tatjana Jevremovic)
Richard Feynman (1918-1988, physicist)
28. "Pure mathematics is just such an abstraction from the real world, and pure mathematics does have a special precise language for dealing with its own special and technical subjects. But this precise language is not precise in any sense if you deal with real objects of the world, and it is only pedantic and quite confusing to use it unless there are some special subtleties which have to be carefully distinguished." (New Textbooks for the 'New' Mathematics, 1965)
28. "Pure mathematics is just such an abstraction from the real world, and pure mathematics does have a special precise language for dealing with its own special and technical subjects. But this precise language is not precise in any sense if you deal with real objects of the world, and it is only pedantic and quite confusing to use it unless there are some special subtleties which have to be carefully distinguished." (New Textbooks for the 'New' Mathematics, 1965)
Ronald Fisher (1890-1962, statistician)
29. "After all, it is a common weakness of young authors to put too much into their papers." (Contributions to Mathematical Statistics, 1950)
29. "After all, it is a common weakness of young authors to put too much into their papers." (Contributions to Mathematical Statistics, 1950)
Galen (c. 129-216 AD, physician)
30. "It would be better, I think, for the man who really seeks the truth not to ask what the poets say; rather, he should first learn the method of finding the scientific premises that I discussed in the second book; then he should train and exercise himself in this method; and when his training is sufficiently advanced, then, as he approaches each particular problem, he should enquire into the premise needed for proving it, which premise he should take from simple sense-perception, which from experience, whether drawn from life or from the arts, which from the truths clearly apprehended by the mind, in order to draw out from them the desired conclusion." (On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato)
30. "It would be better, I think, for the man who really seeks the truth not to ask what the poets say; rather, he should first learn the method of finding the scientific premises that I discussed in the second book; then he should train and exercise himself in this method; and when his training is sufficiently advanced, then, as he approaches each particular problem, he should enquire into the premise needed for proving it, which premise he should take from simple sense-perception, which from experience, whether drawn from life or from the arts, which from the truths clearly apprehended by the mind, in order to draw out from them the desired conclusion." (On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato)
George Gamow (1904-1968, physicist)
31. "It is well known that theoretical physicists cannot handle experimental equipment; it breaks whenever they touch it. Pauli was such a good theoretical physicist that something usually broke in the lab whenever he merely stepped across the threshold." (Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory, 1966)
31. "It is well known that theoretical physicists cannot handle experimental equipment; it breaks whenever they touch it. Pauli was such a good theoretical physicist that something usually broke in the lab whenever he merely stepped across the threshold." (Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory, 1966)
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855, mathematician)
32. "I mean the word proof not in the sense of the lawyers, who set two half proofs equal to a whole one, but in the sense of a mathematician, where ½ proof = 0, and it is demanded for proof that every doubt becomes impossible." (Letter to Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, 1826)
32. "I mean the word proof not in the sense of the lawyers, who set two half proofs equal to a whole one, but in the sense of a mathematician, where ½ proof = 0, and it is demanded for proof that every doubt becomes impossible." (Letter to Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers, 1826)
Clifford Geertz (1926-2006, anthropologist)
33. "To look at the symbolic dimensions of social action — art, religion, ideology, science, law, morality, common sense — is not to turn away from the existential dilemmas of life for some empyrean realm of de-emotionalized forms; it is to plunge into the midst of them." (The Interpretation of Cultures, 1973)
33. "To look at the symbolic dimensions of social action — art, religion, ideology, science, law, morality, common sense — is not to turn away from the existential dilemmas of life for some empyrean realm of de-emotionalized forms; it is to plunge into the midst of them." (The Interpretation of Cultures, 1973)
Erving Goffman (1922-1982, sociologist)
34. "So I ask that these papers be taken for what they merely are: exercises, trials, tryouts, a means of displaying possibilities, not establishing fact." (AZQuotes.com)
34. "So I ask that these papers be taken for what they merely are: exercises, trials, tryouts, a means of displaying possibilities, not establishing fact." (AZQuotes.com)
Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002, biologist)
35."Organisms are not billiard balls, propelled by simple and measurable external forces to predictable new positions on life's pool table." (The Panda's Thumb, 1980)
Robert Grosseteste (c. 1168-1253, philosopher)
36. "The consideration of lines, angles and figures is of the greatest utility since it is impossible for natural philosophy to be known without them... All causes of natural effects have to be given through lines, angles and figures, for otherwise it is impossible for the reason why (propter quid) to be known in them." (On Lines, Angles and Figures)
36. "The consideration of lines, angles and figures is of the greatest utility since it is impossible for natural philosophy to be known without them... All causes of natural effects have to be given through lines, angles and figures, for otherwise it is impossible for the reason why (propter quid) to be known in them." (On Lines, Angles and Figures)
Otto Hahn (1879-1968, chemist)
37. "Usually, a discovery is not made in the easiest but on a complicated way; the simple cases show up only later." (Vom Radiothor zur Utranspaltung, 1962)
37. "Usually, a discovery is not made in the easiest but on a complicated way; the simple cases show up only later." (Vom Radiothor zur Utranspaltung, 1962)
William Harvey (1578-1657, physician)
38. "As art is a habit with reference to things to be done, so is science a habit in respect to things to be known." (De Generatione Animalium, 1651)
38. "As art is a habit with reference to things to be done, so is science a habit in respect to things to be known." (De Generatione Animalium, 1651)
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831, philosopher)
39. "Reading the morning newspaper is the realist's morning prayer. One orients one's attitude toward the world either by God or by what the world is. The former gives as much security as the latter, in that one knows how one stands." (Quoted in Miscellaneous writings of G.W.F. Hegel by Jon Bartley Stewart)
39. "Reading the morning newspaper is the realist's morning prayer. One orients one's attitude toward the world either by God or by what the world is. The former gives as much security as the latter, in that one knows how one stands." (Quoted in Miscellaneous writings of G.W.F. Hegel by Jon Bartley Stewart)
Herophilos (c. 335-280 BC, physician)
40. "When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot be exerted, wealth is useless, and reason is powerless." (AZQuotes.com)
John Herschel (1792-1871, mathematician)
41. "To ascend to the origin of things and speculate on the creation, is not the business of the natural philosopher. A humbler field is sufficient for him in the endeavor to discover, as far as our faculties will permit; what are these primary qualities impressed on matter, and to discover the spirit of the laws of nature." (A Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy, 1831)
41. "To ascend to the origin of things and speculate on the creation, is not the business of the natural philosopher. A humbler field is sufficient for him in the endeavor to discover, as far as our faculties will permit; what are these primary qualities impressed on matter, and to discover the spirit of the laws of nature." (A Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy, 1831)
Robert Hooke (1635-1703, inventor)
42. "The truth is, the science of nature has been already too long made only a work of the brain and the fancy: it is now high time that it should return to the plainness and soundness of observations on material and obvious things." (AZQuotes.com)
42. "The truth is, the science of nature has been already too long made only a work of the brain and the fancy: it is now high time that it should return to the plainness and soundness of observations on material and obvious things." (AZQuotes.com)
Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859, geographer)
43. "There are three stages of scientific discovery: first people deny it is true; then they deny it is important; finally they credit the wrong person." (Goodreads.com)
43. "There are three stages of scientific discovery: first people deny it is true; then they deny it is important; finally they credit the wrong person." (Goodreads.com)
David Hume (1711-1776, philosopher)
44. "There is nothing in any object, considered in itself, which can afford us a reason for drawing a conclusion beyond it... even after the observation of the frequent or constant conjunction of objects, we have no reason to draw any inference concerning any object beyond those of which we have had experience." (A Treatise of Human Nature, 1739)
44. "There is nothing in any object, considered in itself, which can afford us a reason for drawing a conclusion beyond it... even after the observation of the frequent or constant conjunction of objects, we have no reason to draw any inference concerning any object beyond those of which we have had experience." (A Treatise of Human Nature, 1739)
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960, anthropologist)
45. "Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein." (Dust Tracks on a Road, 1942)
45. "Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose. It is a seeking that he who wishes may know the cosmic secrets of the world and they that dwell therein." (Dust Tracks on a Road, 1942)
Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746, philosopher)
46. "Whoever voluntarily undertakes the necessary office of rearing and educating, obtains the parental power without generation." (A System of Moral Philosophy, 1755)
46. "Whoever voluntarily undertakes the necessary office of rearing and educating, obtains the parental power without generation." (A System of Moral Philosophy, 1755)
William James (1842-1910, philosopher)
47. "All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods." (The Dilemma of Determinism, 1884)
47. "All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods." (The Dilemma of Determinism, 1884)
Thomas Kuhn (1922-1996, philosopher)
48. "Only when they must choose between competing theories do scientists behave like philosophers." (Logic of Discovery or Psychology of Research? 1970)
48. "Only when they must choose between competing theories do scientists behave like philosophers." (Logic of Discovery or Psychology of Research? 1970)
Mary Leakey (1913-1996, anthropologist)
49. "Theories come and go, but fundamental data always remain the same." (BrainyQuote.com)
49. "Theories come and go, but fundamental data always remain the same." (BrainyQuote.com)
Richard Leakey (1944-2022, anthropologist)
50. "A vital leap in the evolution of intellectual capacity would have been the ability to form concepts, to conceive of individual objects as belonging to distinct classes, and thus do away with the almost intolerable burden of relating one experience to another. Concepts, moreover, can be manipulated and this is the root of abstract thought and of invention. The formation of concepts is also a necessary, but apparently not sufficient, condition for the emergence of language." (Origins, 1977)
50. "A vital leap in the evolution of intellectual capacity would have been the ability to form concepts, to conceive of individual objects as belonging to distinct classes, and thus do away with the almost intolerable burden of relating one experience to another. Concepts, moreover, can be manipulated and this is the root of abstract thought and of invention. The formation of concepts is also a necessary, but apparently not sufficient, condition for the emergence of language." (Origins, 1977)
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519, artist)
51. "There is no certainty in sciences where one of the mathematical sciences cannot be applied, or which are not in relation with these mathematics." (The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, translated by R. C. Bell and Edward John Poynter)
51. "There is no certainty in sciences where one of the mathematical sciences cannot be applied, or which are not in relation with these mathematics." (The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, translated by R. C. Bell and Edward John Poynter)
Mikhail Lomonosov (1711-1765, chemist)
52. "Nature uncovers the inner secrets of nature in two ways: one by the force of bodies operating outside it; the other by the very movements of its innards. The external actions are strong winds, rains, river currents, sea waves, ice, forest fires, floods; there is only one internal force - earthquake." (AZQuotes.com)
52. "Nature uncovers the inner secrets of nature in two ways: one by the force of bodies operating outside it; the other by the very movements of its innards. The external actions are strong winds, rains, river currents, sea waves, ice, forest fires, floods; there is only one internal force - earthquake." (AZQuotes.com)
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527, philosopher)
53. "A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent." (The Prince, 1513)
53. "A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent." (The Prince, 1513)
Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786, philosopher)
54. "The analysis of concepts is for the understanding nothing more than what the magnifying glass is for sight." (AZQuotes.com)
54. "The analysis of concepts is for the understanding nothing more than what the magnifying glass is for sight." (AZQuotes.com)
Thomas Merton (1915-1968, philosopher)
55. "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." (AZQutotes.com)
55. "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." (AZQutotes.com)
Jules Michelet (1798-1874, historian)
56. "You are one of the forces of nature." (AZQutotes.com)
56. "You are one of the forces of nature." (AZQutotes.com)
Joseph Needham (1900-1995, historian)
57. "The hierarchy of relations, from the molecular structure of carbon to the equilibrium of the species and ecological whole, will perhaps be the leading idea of the future." (AZQuotes.com)
57. "The hierarchy of relations, from the molecular structure of carbon to the equilibrium of the species and ecological whole, will perhaps be the leading idea of the future." (AZQuotes.com)
Hans Christian Orsted (1777-1851, physicist)
58. "The agreement of this law with nature will be better seen by the repetition of experiments than by a long explanation." (Experiments on the Effect of a Current of Electricity on the Magnetic Needle, Annals of Philosophy, 1820)
58. "The agreement of this law with nature will be better seen by the repetition of experiments than by a long explanation." (Experiments on the Effect of a Current of Electricity on the Magnetic Needle, Annals of Philosophy, 1820)
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895, chemist)
59. "There does not exist a category of science to which one can give the name applied science. There are sciences and the applications of science, bound together as the fruit of the tree which bears it." (Revue Scientifique, 1871)
59. "There does not exist a category of science to which one can give the name applied science. There are sciences and the applications of science, bound together as the fruit of the tree which bears it." (Revue Scientifique, 1871)
Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936, psychologist)
60. "Learn, compare, collect the facts!" (Bequest to the Academic Youth of Soviet Russia, 1936)
60. "Learn, compare, collect the facts!" (Bequest to the Academic Youth of Soviet Russia, 1936)
Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914, philosopher)
61. "Few persons care to study logic, because everybody conceives himself to be proficient enough in the art of reasoning already." (Illustrations of the Logic of Science, 1877)
61. "Few persons care to study logic, because everybody conceives himself to be proficient enough in the art of reasoning already." (Illustrations of the Logic of Science, 1877)
Jean Piaget (1896-1980, psychologist)
62. "To express the same idea in still another way, I think that human knowledge is essentially active." (AZQuotes.com)
62. "To express the same idea in still another way, I think that human knowledge is essentially active." (AZQuotes.com)
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973, artist)
63. "I can hardly understand the importance given to the word 'research' in connection with modern painting. In my opinion to search means nothing in painting. To find is the thing. Nobody is interested in following a man who, with his eyes fixed on the ground, spends his life looking for the purse that fortune should put in his path. The one who finds something no matter what it might be, even if his intention were not to search for it, at least arouses our curiosity, if not our admiration." (Picasso Speaks, 1923)
63. "I can hardly understand the importance given to the word 'research' in connection with modern painting. In my opinion to search means nothing in painting. To find is the thing. Nobody is interested in following a man who, with his eyes fixed on the ground, spends his life looking for the purse that fortune should put in his path. The one who finds something no matter what it might be, even if his intention were not to search for it, at least arouses our curiosity, if not our admiration." (Picasso Speaks, 1923)
Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887-1920, mathematician)
64. "An equation means nothing to me unless it expresses a thought of God." (Quoted in Ramanujan, the Man and the Mathematician by Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan)
64. "An equation means nothing to me unless it expresses a thought of God." (Quoted in Ramanujan, the Man and the Mathematician by Shiyali Ramamrita Ranganathan)
Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934, neuroscientist)
65. "The history of civilization proves beyond doubt just how sterile the repeated attempts of metaphysics to guess at nature' s laws have been. Instead, there is every reason to believe that when the human intellect ignores reality and concentrates within, it can no longer explain the simplest inner workings of life's machinery or of the world around us." (Advice for a Young Investigator, 1897)
65. "The history of civilization proves beyond doubt just how sterile the repeated attempts of metaphysics to guess at nature' s laws have been. Instead, there is every reason to believe that when the human intellect ignores reality and concentrates within, it can no longer explain the simplest inner workings of life's machinery or of the world around us." (Advice for a Young Investigator, 1897)
Bernhard Riemann (1826-1866, mathematician)
66. "As is known, scientific physics dates its existence from the discovery of the differential calculus. Only when it was learned how to follow continuously the course of natural events, attempts, to construct by means of abstract conceptions the connection between phenomena, met with success." (Quoted in Memorabilia Mathematica by Robert Edouard Moritz)
66. "As is known, scientific physics dates its existence from the discovery of the differential calculus. Only when it was learned how to follow continuously the course of natural events, attempts, to construct by means of abstract conceptions the connection between phenomena, met with success." (Quoted in Memorabilia Mathematica by Robert Edouard Moritz)
Wilhelm Rontgen (1845-1923, physicist)
67. "I am not a prophet, and I am opposed to prophesying. I am pursuing my investigations, and as fast as my results are verified I shall make them public." (The New Marvel in Photography, 1838)
67. "I am not a prophet, and I am opposed to prophesying. I am pursuing my investigations, and as fast as my results are verified I shall make them public." (The New Marvel in Photography, 1838)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778, philosopher)
68. "Our island is this earth; and the most striking object we behold is the sun. As soon as we pass beyond our immediate surroundings, one or both of these must meet our eye. Thus the philosophy of most savage races is mainly directed to imaginary divisions of the earth or to the divinity of the sun." (Emile, or On Education, 1762)
68. "Our island is this earth; and the most striking object we behold is the sun. As soon as we pass beyond our immediate surroundings, one or both of these must meet our eye. Thus the philosophy of most savage races is mainly directed to imaginary divisions of the earth or to the divinity of the sun." (Emile, or On Education, 1762)
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970, philosopher)
69. "The scientific attitude of mind involves a sweeping away of all other desires in the interests of the desire to know - it involves suppression of hopes and fears, loves and hates, and the whole subjective emotional life, until we become subdued to the material, able to see it frankly, without preconceptions, without bias, without any wish except to see it as it is, and without any belief that what it is must be determined by some relation, positive or negative, to what we should like it to be, or to what we can easily imagine it to be." (Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays, 1918)
69. "The scientific attitude of mind involves a sweeping away of all other desires in the interests of the desire to know - it involves suppression of hopes and fears, loves and hates, and the whole subjective emotional life, until we become subdued to the material, able to see it frankly, without preconceptions, without bias, without any wish except to see it as it is, and without any belief that what it is must be determined by some relation, positive or negative, to what we should like it to be, or to what we can easily imagine it to be." (Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays, 1918)
Carl Sagan (1934-1996, astronomer), Anne Kalosh (journalist)
70. "We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. That's a clear prescription for disaster." (Bringing Science Down to Earth, 1994)
70. "We live in a society absolutely dependent on science and technology and yet have cleverly arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. That's a clear prescription for disaster." (Bringing Science Down to Earth, 1994)
Frederick Sanger (1918-2013, chemist)
71. "It is like a voyage of discovery into unknown lands, seeking not for new territory but for new knowledge. It should appeal to those with a good sense of adventure." (AZQuotes.com)
71. "It is like a voyage of discovery into unknown lands, seeking not for new territory but for new knowledge. It should appeal to those with a good sense of adventure." (AZQuotes.com)
Erwin Schrodinger (1887-1961, physicist)
72. "Science cannot tell us a word about why music delights us, of why and how an old song can move us to tears." (Nature and the Greeks, 1954)
72. "Science cannot tell us a word about why music delights us, of why and how an old song can move us to tears." (Nature and the Greeks, 1954)
Glenn T. Seaborg (1912-1999, chemist)
73. "There is a beauty in discovery. There is mathematics in music, a kinship of science and poetry in the description of nature, and exquisite form in a molecule. Attempts to place different disciplines in different camps are revealed as artificial in the face of the unity of knowledge. All literate men are sustained by the philosopher, the historian, the political analyst, the economist, the scientist, the poet, the artisan and the musician." (Quoted in Biographical Memoirs by Darleane C. Hoffman)
73. "There is a beauty in discovery. There is mathematics in music, a kinship of science and poetry in the description of nature, and exquisite form in a molecule. Attempts to place different disciplines in different camps are revealed as artificial in the face of the unity of knowledge. All literate men are sustained by the philosopher, the historian, the political analyst, the economist, the scientist, the poet, the artisan and the musician." (Quoted in Biographical Memoirs by Darleane C. Hoffman)
Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873, geologist)
74. "As a system of philosophy it is not like the Tower of Babel, so daring its high aim as to seek a shelter against God's anger; but it is like a pyramid poised on its apex." (AZQuotes.com)
74. "As a system of philosophy it is not like the Tower of Babel, so daring its high aim as to seek a shelter against God's anger; but it is like a pyramid poised on its apex." (AZQuotes.com)
Adam Smith (c. 1723-1790, economist)
75. "The difference between the most dissimilar characters, between a philosopher and a common street porter, for example, seems to arise not so much from nature, as from habit, custom, and education." (The Wealth of Nations, 1776)
75. "The difference between the most dissimilar characters, between a philosopher and a common street porter, for example, seems to arise not so much from nature, as from habit, custom, and education." (The Wealth of Nations, 1776)
Socrates (c. 470-399 BC, philosopher)
76. "The body is a source of endless trouble to us by reason of the mere requirement of food; and is also liable to diseases which overtake and impede us in the search after truth: and by filling us so full of loves, and lusts, and fears, and fancies, and idols, and every sort of folly, prevents our ever having, as people say, so much as a thought." (Quoted in Phaedo by Plato)
Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877, inventor)
77. "One advantage of the discovery of the Photographic Art will be, that it will enable us to introduce into our pictures a multitude of minute details which add to the truth and reality of the representation, but which no artist would take the trouble to faithfully copy from nature." (AZQuotes.com)
Charles H. Townes (1915-2015, physicist)
78. "In many cases, people who win a Nobel prize, their work slows down after that because of the distractions. Yes, fame is rewarding, but it's a pity if it keeps you from doing the work you are good at." (AZQuotes.com)
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564, physician)
79. "I am not accustomed to saying anything with certainty after only one or two observations." (Letter on the China Root)
76. "The body is a source of endless trouble to us by reason of the mere requirement of food; and is also liable to diseases which overtake and impede us in the search after truth: and by filling us so full of loves, and lusts, and fears, and fancies, and idols, and every sort of folly, prevents our ever having, as people say, so much as a thought." (Quoted in Phaedo by Plato)
Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877, inventor)
77. "One advantage of the discovery of the Photographic Art will be, that it will enable us to introduce into our pictures a multitude of minute details which add to the truth and reality of the representation, but which no artist would take the trouble to faithfully copy from nature." (AZQuotes.com)
Charles H. Townes (1915-2015, physicist)
78. "In many cases, people who win a Nobel prize, their work slows down after that because of the distractions. Yes, fame is rewarding, but it's a pity if it keeps you from doing the work you are good at." (AZQuotes.com)
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564, physician)
79. "I am not accustomed to saying anything with certainty after only one or two observations." (Letter on the China Root)
Alessandro Volta (1745-1827, physicist)
80. "The language of experiment is more authoritative than any reasoning: facts can destroy our ratiocination - not vice versa." (Todayinsci.com)
80. "The language of experiment is more authoritative than any reasoning: facts can destroy our ratiocination - not vice versa." (Todayinsci.com)
Robert Watson-Watt (1892-1973, engineer)
81. "There is a great deal of emotional satisfaction in the elegant demonstration, in the elegant ordering of facts into theories, and in the still more satisfactory, still more emotionally exciting discovery that the theory is not quite right and has to be worked over again, very much as any other work of art - a painting, a sculpture has to be worked over in the interests of aesthetic perfection. So there is no scientist who is not to some extent worthy of being described as artist or poet." (AZQuotes.com)
81. "There is a great deal of emotional satisfaction in the elegant demonstration, in the elegant ordering of facts into theories, and in the still more satisfactory, still more emotionally exciting discovery that the theory is not quite right and has to be worked over again, very much as any other work of art - a painting, a sculpture has to be worked over in the interests of aesthetic perfection. So there is no scientist who is not to some extent worthy of being described as artist or poet." (AZQuotes.com)
John Archibald Wheeler (1911-2008, physicist)
82. "We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance." (Quoted in The New Challenges by John Horgan, Scientific American)
82. "We live on an island surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance." (Quoted in The New Challenges by John Horgan, Scientific American)
William Whewell (1794-1866, philosopher)
83. "Fundamental ideas are not a consequence of experience, but a result of the particular constitution and activity of the mind, which is independent of all experience in its origin, though constantly combined with experience in its exercise." (AZQuotes.com)
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959, architect)
84. "The scientist has marched in and taken the place of the poet. But one day somebody will find the solution to the problems of the world and remember, it will be a poet, not a scientist." (Quoted in Morrow's International Dictionary of Contemporary Quotations by Jonathon Green)
Wilbur Wright (1867-1912, inventor)
85. "For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man. My disease has increased in severity and I feel that it will soon cost me an increased amount of money if not my life. I have been trying to arrange my affairs in such a way that I can devote my entire time for a few months to experiment in this field." (Letter to Octave Chanute, 1900)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)