Philosophy itself cannot but benefit from our disputes, for if our conceptions prove true, new achievements will be made; if false, their refutation will further confirm the original doctrines. Galileo Galilei More Quotes by Galileo Galilei More Quotes From Galileo Galilei Alas! Your dear friend and servant Galileo has been for the last month hopelessly blind; so that this heaven, this earth, this universe, which I by my marvelous discoveries and clear demonstrations had enlarged a hundred thousand times beyond the belief of the wise men of bygone ages, henceforward for me is shrunk into such a small space as is filled by my own bodily sensations. Galileo Galilei wise discovery men But, because my private lectures and domestic pupils are a great hinderance and intteruption of my studies, I wish to live entirely exempt from the former, and in great measure from the latter. ... in short, I should wish to gain my bread from my writings. Galileo Galilei research wish writing For my part I consider the earth very noble and admirable precisely because of the diverse alterations, changes, generations, etc. that occur in it incessantly. Galileo Galilei generations noble earth But of all other stupendous inventions, what sublimity of mind must have been his who conceived how to communicate his most secret thoughts to any other person, though very far distant either in time or place? And with no greater difficulty than the various arrangement of two dozen little signs upon paper? Let this be the seal of all the admirable inventions of man. Galileo Galilei secret men two The number of the fixed stars which observers have been able to see without artificial powers of sight up to this day can be counted. It is therefore decidedly a great feat to add to their number, and to set distinctly before the eyes other stars in myriads, which have never been seen before, and which surpass the old, previously known stars in number more than ten times. Galileo Galilei stars eye numbers When the moon is ninety degrees away from the sun it sees but half the earth illuminated (the western half). For the other (the eastern half) is enveloped in night. Hence the moon itself is illuminated less brightly from the earth, and as a result its secondary light appears fainter to us. Galileo Galilei moon night science Surely it is a great thing to increase the numerous host of fixed stars previously visible to the unaided vision, adding countless more which have never before been seen, exposing these plainly to the eye in numbers ten times exceeding the old and familiar stars. Galileo Galilei stars eye numbers They seemed to forget that the increase of known truths stimulates the investigation, establishment and growth of the arts; not their dimination or destruction. Galileo Galilei growth forget art I truly believe the book of philosophy to be that which stands perpetually open before our eyes, though since it is written in characters different from those of our alphabet it cannot be read by everyone. Galileo Galilei philosophy believe book Nothing physical which sense-experience sets before our eyes, or which necessary demonstrations prove to us, ought to be called in question (much less condemned) upon the testimony of biblical passages... Galileo Galilei biblical eye thinking It was granted to me alone to discover all the new phenomena in the sky and nothing to anybody else. This is the truth which neither envy nor malice can supress. Galileo Galilei granted envy sky If experiments are performed thousands of times at all seasons and in every place without once producing the effects mentioned by your philosophers, poets, and historians, this will mean nothing and we must believe their words rather than our own eyes? Galileo Galilei eye mean believe I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use. Galileo Galilei You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him to find it within himself. Galileo Galilei Who am I? Galileo Galilei We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves. Galileo Galilei brainy help anything teach people Who would set a limit to the mind of man? Who would dare assert that we know all there is to be known? Galileo Galilei know man dare mind The nature of the human mind is such that unless it is stimulated by images of things acting upon it from without, all remembrance of them passes easily away. Galileo Galilei things acting nature mind I give infinite thanks to God, who has been pleased to make me the first observer of marvelous things. Galileo Galilei things me thanks god I notice that young men go to the universities in order to become doctors or philosophers or anything, so long as it is a title, and that many go in for those professions who are utterly unfit for them, while others who would be very competent are prevented by business or their daily cares, which keep them away from letters. Galileo Galilei daily business men long
