James Clerk Maxwell

"There is a general principle which may serve as a guide in the search for analogies."

"When a great scientific truth emerges, it is often surrounded by a good deal of obscurity."

"The true method of discovery is like the method of painting, which proceeds from the general to the particular."

"In the present state of knowledge, it is impossible to decide whether the seat of the electrical force is in the medium or in the bodies."

"The greatest thing a human soul ever does in this world is to see something and tell what it saw."

"Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry."

"If you wish at once to draw and to describe geometrical figures, you must come to an understanding with yourself in regard to the shape and the magnitude of your figures before you begin."

"The practical man on the street is not usually well acquainted with scientific principles."

"I believe that the future discovery of the theory underlying electromagnetic phenomena will be the most important scientific achievement of the nineteenth century."

"The great aim of the natural philosopher is to discover the laws of nature."

"There is a remarkable power in true eloquence; therein lies the force to move and to change the mind."

"The ultimate conviction of the truth of any proposition is to be obtained by the strictest scientific examination."

"What has been called the philosophy of science is but the application of the results of scientific investigation to the practical affairs of life."

"The universe is composed of matter and is governed by mechanical laws."

"I have done what I could to promote the progress of science, and I trust I may safely say that I have not been idle."

"The perfection of beauty is when it is such that you cannot express your joy nor your admiration in words."

"In its present state, the theory of magnetism is far from complete."

"What we think we know about the external world is merely a mental construction."

"The mutual relations of things constitute the essence of their existence."

"It is of the highest importance to cultivate an intense feeling for the beauty of the natural world."

"Science is not merely a collection of laws to be discovered and facts to be observed."

"Physical laws are preserved, but their expression undergoes continuous modification."

"The most important part of all scientific investigation is the careful observation of phenomena."

"We cannot create; we can only discover the laws which God has made."

"The laws of nature are the incarnation of the mind of God."

"Great men do not make mistakes for themselves; their greatness lies in never making the same mistake twice."

"The aim of science is the discovery of general principles which may then be applied to particular cases."

"The entire fabric of our knowledge of the physical world rests upon the foundation of experiment and observation."

"To understand the phenomena of electricity and magnetism, we must adopt a mechanical theory."

"Molecular science has yet to inform us about the great majority of the phenomena with which we have to deal."