Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,161,747 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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Science
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“My own proposals for reform [in academia] include the abolition of all literary conferences and the replacement of women's studies with sex studies, based on the rigorous study of world history, anthropology, psychology, and science. Today, in politically correct America, questions of quality, learning, and intellectual distinction are out of style.”
Camille Paglia (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You may hear people say that submarines have done away with the battleship, and that aircraft have annulled the mastery of the sea. That is what our pessimists say. But do you imagine that the clumsy submarine or the fragile aeroplane is really the last word of science?”
John Buchan (1875–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you believe that science and technology have given us the highest standard of living in history or that they have trapped us inside of a machine we can't escape from, we live in a situation we inherited, as a result of a long and complex series of events through history. At no time in the past could anybody have known that what they were doing then would end up like this now.”
James Burke (science historian) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All the tabloid-fed hysteria, the religious ravings, the pompous and hostile commentaries, made no sense, of course. If to abandon ten or a thousand sentient squid was a crime, so was abandoning one. But when, she thought sourly, had sense and rationality been a predominant element in public debate on science and technology?”
Stephen Baxter (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“‘In matters of science, curiosity gratified begets not indolence, but new desires.’”
Stephen Baxter (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Society rests upon conscience and not upon science.”
Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881) first seen 1870 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 26 October 1870
“Without faith a man can do nothing. But faith can stifle all science.”
Henri-Frédéric Amiel (1821–1881) first seen 1872 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 7 February 1872
“I have endeavored to dissipate these religious superstitions from the minds of women, and base their faith on science and reason, where I found for myself at last that peace and comfort I could never find in the Bible and the church.”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902) said by 1902 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Superhero science has taught me this: Entire universes fit comfortably inside our skulls.”
Grant Morrison (born 1960) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Supergods, 2011; chapter 9 (p. 116)
“After Nietzsche’s devastating criticism of those “last men” who “invented happiness,” there is probably no need for me to remind you of the naïve optimism with which we once celebrated science, or the technology for the mastery of life based on it, as the path to happiness. Who believes this, apart from a few overgrown children occupying university chairs or editorial offices?”
Max Weber (1864–1920) said by 1920 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The capacity for the accomplishment of religious virtuosos — the “intellectual sacrifice”— is the decisive characteristic of the positively religious man. That this is so is shown by the fact that in spite of (or rather in consequence) of theology (which unveils it) the tension between the value-spheres of “science” and the sphere of “the holy” is unbridgeable.”
Max Weber (1864–1920) said by 1920 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”
Rod Serling (1924–1975) first seen 1959 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: First introduction to The Twilight Zone television series; first episode (2 October 1959).
“The ethos of science involves the functionally necessary demand that theories or generalizations be evaluated in [terms of] their logical consistency and consonance with facts.”
Robert K. Merton (1910–2003) first seen 1938 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Merton (1938) "Science and the Social Order". In: Philosophy of Science Vol 5, nr 3, p. 326
“It is the great beauty of our science, chemistry, that advancement in it, whether in a degree great or small, instead of exhausting the subjects of research, opens the doors to further and more abundant knowledge, overflowing with beauty and utility.”
Michael Faraday (1791–1867) first seen 1834 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Experimental Researches in Electricity, Vol. 2 (1834) p. 257
“When a politician says, concerning an issue involving science, that the debate is over, you may be sure the debate is rolling on and not going swimmingly for his side.”
George Will (born 1941) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Column, February 26, 2014, "The liberal agenda: Being good to liberals" at washingtonpost.com.
“It makes no sense at all if people consider the one who lacks knowledge and science as a prosperous person.”
Ja'far al-Sadiq (699–765) said by 765 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Learn knowledge and science from him who teaches it, even if he doesn't practice what he preaches.”
Muhammad al-Baqir (677–733) said by 733 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Knowledge and science is the fruit of paradise; in times of threat it is one's ally, in exile it keeps one company, and in solitude it is one's intimate friend and companion.”
Muhammad al-Baqir (677–733) said by 733 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are still waging Peloponnesian wars. Our control of the material world and our positive science have grown fantastically. But our very achievements turn against us, making politics more random and wars more bestial.”
George Steiner (1929–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Secrecy in science does not work. Withholding information does more damage to us than to our competitors.”
Edward Teller (1908–2003) first seen 1165 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Proceedings of the International Conference on Lasers '87 (1988) edited by F. J. Duarte, p. 1165
“If we could have ended the war by showing the power of science without killing a single person, all of us would now be happier, more reasonable and much more safe.”
Edward Teller (1908–2003) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Edward Teller Is Dead at 95; Fierce Architect of H-Bomb", New York Times (Sept. 10, 2003) by Walter Sullivan.
“Lord Bute was my schoolfellow. He was a man of taste and science, and I do believe his intentions were good. He wished to blend and unite all parties. The Tories were willing to come in for a share of power, after having been so long excluded—but the Whigs were not willing to grant that share. Power is an intoxicating draught; the more a man has, the more he desires.”
Horace Walpole (1717–1797) said by 1797 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“First-rate science fiction was, and remains, more interesting than second-rate art.”
Clive James (1939–2019) said by 2019 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are many men now living who were in the habit of using the age-old expression: 'It is as impossible as flying.' The discoveries in physical science, the triumphs in invention, attest the value of the process of trial and error. In large measure, these advances have been due to experimentation.”
Louis Brandeis (1856–1941) first seen 1932 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Dissent, New State Ice Co. v. Liebmann, 285 U.S. 262 (1932).
“Space or science fiction has become a dialect for our time.”
Doris Lessing (1919–2013) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Guardian, London (7 November 1988)
“Bad science contributes to the steady dumbing down of our nation. Crude beliefs get transmitted to political leaders and the result is considerable damage to society. We see this happening now in the rapid rise of the religious right and how it has taken over large segments of the Republican Party.”
Martin Gardner (1914–2010) first seen 1998 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in Kendrick Frazier, A Mind at Play: An Interview with Martin Gardner, Skeptical Inquirer (Mar/Apr 1998), 22, No. 2, 37.
“Let the Bible be the Bible! It’s not about science. It’s not accurate history. It is a grab bag of religious fantasies written by many authors. Some of its myths, like the Star of Bethlehem, are very beautiful. Others are dull and ugly. Some express lofty ideals, such as the parables of Jesus. Others are morally disgusting.”
Martin Gardner (1914–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For reasons that reflect popular ignorance of science, combined with a love of miracles, the notion that fresh eggs balance more easily on the first day of spring caught fire in the United States.”
Martin Gardner (1914–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is in the true man of science a desire stronger than the wish to have his beliefs upheld; namely, the desire to have them true.”
William Kingdon Clifford (1845–1879) first seen 1879 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: https://archive.org/details/lecturesessaysby02clif/page/311/mode/1up Lectures and essays (1879), vol. 2, p. 311
“Science means simply the aggregate of all the recipes that are always successful. All the rest is literature.”
Paul Valéry (1871–1945) said by 1945 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We commenced research where modern conjecture closes its faithless wings. And with us, those were the common elements of science which the sages of to-day disdain as wild chimeras, or despair of as unfathomable mysteries.”
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873) said by 1873 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted by H.P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, Part One, Science, Ch. 1 (1877)
“In science, read, by preference, the newest works; in literature, the oldest. The classic literature is always modern.”
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873) said by 1873 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But there have been those who did not want to work, but wanted to rest on their laurels. They were our enemies. We angered them through our prosperous development, our industry and science, our art and popular education, social legislation, etc. That raised our nation to a high place, and then came envy. Envy caused our opponents to fight, and so the war came over us who had no idea of it.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) first seen 1918 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to Officials and Workers at Krupp's (11 September 1918), quoted in W. W. Coole (ed.), Thus Spake Germany (London: George Routledge & Sons, 1941), p. 114
“The feeling of sympathy for science which is innate in every Prussian king is also active in me.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Religion has never risen from science: it is an overflowing of the heart of man in his relations with God.”
Wilhelm II, German Emperor (1859–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Civilized men laugh," said Conan. "But not one can tell me how Zogar Sag can call pythons and tigers and leopards out of the wilderness and make them do his bidding. They would say it is a lie, if they dared. That's the way with civilized men. When they can't explain something by their half-baked science, they refuse to believe it.”
Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The work of science is to substitute facts for appearances, and demonstrations for impressions.”
John Ruskin (1819–1900) said by 1900 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We shall be remembered in history as the most cruel, and therefore the most unwise, generation of men that ever yet troubled the earth: — the most cruel in proportion to their sensibility, — the most unwise in proportion to their science. No people, understanding pain, ever inflicted so much: no people, understanding facts, ever acted on them so little.”
John Ruskin (1819–1900) said by 1900 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I grew up in a large communal apartment where most of the rooms were occupied by my family and relations and only a few by outsiders. The house was pervaded by a strong traditional family spirit — a vital enthusiasm for work and respect for professional competence. Within the family we provided one another with mutual support, just as we shared a love of literature and science.”
Andrei Sakharov (1921–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Cookery is become an art, a noble science; cooks are gentlemen.”
Robert Burton (1577–1640) said by 1640 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Marxism emerged not only with the intention of explaining scientifically everything in the world, but in addition to this, as a representative of the ‘hurt and injured’ classes of the world, expressing thus the centuries old dream of an earthly paradise. But dreams and wishes have nothing to do with science.”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All in all, Engels talked so much rot of every kind, that now all the world’s academies of science should be directed to rectify his mistakes and idiocies.”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The firmest proof that Marxism is not science but an ideology is Marxism’s attitude to the experience of the real communist (or socialist) societies.”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The individual is today capable of carrying out an ideological treatment on information received, the effects of which are assured. Science is ultimately content to provide the phraseology, ideas and themes. p. 288”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The ideology in the present case is eager to give itself the air of science. p. 289”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Which means that we are seriously mistaken when we hope to see science play a role as an instrument of progress and civilization.”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“... the masters of the global supra-society continue Hitler's work, but using the much more powerful means of contemporary science and masking their aims under the label of democracy.”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“... as far as the conquests of science are concerned, they are the foundation on which an obscurantism flourishes, with which the obscurantism of the Middle Ages pales in comparison.”
Alexander Zinoviev (1922–2006) said by 2006 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Humanism is only another name for spiritual laziness, or a vague half-creed adopted by men of science and logicians whose heads are too occupied with the world of mathematics and physics to worry about religious categories.”
Colin Wilson (1931–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I do not regard the late Carl Sagan as any kind of authority. On the contrary, as this book will show, I regard him in many ways as a dubious publicity seeker and careerist, more concerned to maintain his reputation as the brilliant and sceptical representative of hard-headed science than to look squarely and honestly at the facts. In short, a bit of a crook.”
Colin Wilson (1931–2013) said by 2013 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source