Science & Reason Quotes — page 31

Reason is a very light rider and easily shook off.

Power consists in one's capacity to link his will with the purpose of others, to lead by reason and a gift of cooperation.

All the perplexities, confusions, and distresses in America arise, not from defects in their constitution or confederation, not from a want of honor or virtue, so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit, and …

Every fool believes what his teachers tell him, and calls his credulity science or morality as confidently as his father called it divine revelation.

When we say that experience and reason prove that men are not equal, we mean by equality, equality in abilities or similarity in physical strength and mental ability. It goes without saying that in this respect men are not equal. No …

Arithmetic is the science of the Evaluation of Functions, Algebra is the science of the Transformation of Functions.

Nature is our kindest friend and best critic in experimental science if we only allow her intimations to fall unbiased on our minds.

The tender word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so …

In 1673 he wrote his great work De Algebra Tractatus; Historicus & Practicus, of which an English edition appeared in 1685. In this there is seen the first serious attempt in England to write on the history of mathematics, and the result …

We must... maintain that mathematical geometry is not a science of space insofar as we understand by space a visual structure that can be filled with objects - it is a pure theory of manifolds.

The Church has been reproached with endeavouring to appropriate to itself all those professorships in our Universities which are connected with science: it is however certain that the larger portion of these ill-remunerated offices have …

He remarks that "considering their weakness and their size, the work they are represented to have accomplished is stupendous." Here we have an instance of that inability to sum up the effects of a continually recurrent cause, which has …

It would be an endless task to trace the variety of meannesses, cares, and sorrows, into which women are plunged by the prevailing opinion that they were created rather to feel than reason, and that all the power they obtain, must be …

I have ever been prone to seek adventure and to investigate and experiment where wiser men would have left well enough alone.

The greatest talents have been frequently misapplied and have produced evil proportionate to the extent of their powers. Both reason and revelation seem to assure us that such minds will be condemned to eternal death, but while on earth, …

It were well if there were fewer heroes; for I scarcely ever heard of any, excepting Her-cules, but did more mischief than good. These overgrown mortals commonly use their will with their right hand, and their reason with their left.

We call him a hero who maintains himself, single-handed, against superior numbers. We call him a master-horseman who sits a fiery and vicious steed, guiding him at will. And in like manner, we call him a moral hero who conquers the enemies …

O thou sophist, Man! Reason by reason proved unreasonable Continues reasoning still! Confronted close, What is this reason? Like the peacock's tail, Just useful for a flourish, nothing more; And when 'tis down, the world goes on the same.

The truth is, that those who have never entered upon scientific pursuits know not a tithe of the poetry by which they are surrounded.

Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint.

"It's this accursed science," I cried. "It's the very Devil. The medieval priests and persecutors were right and the Moderns are all wrong. You tamper with it—and it offers you gifts. And directly you take them it knocks you to pieces in …

I am the enfant terrible of literature and science.

When learned men begin to use their reason, then I generally discover that they haven't got any.

Every man naturally persuades himself that he can keep his resolutions, nor is he convinced of his imbecility but by length of time and frequency of experiment.