James Clerk Maxwell

"The greatest obstacle to scientific progress is the unwillingness to abandon old theories."

"Nature never stops working, and we must not stop observing."

"The true mark of an educated man is the width of his interests and the depth of his knowledge."

"The most fruitful basis for the discovery of scientific truth is the recognition of the fundamental interconnectedness of all phenomena."

"The true science of natural philosophy is to deduce the phenomena of nature from the fewest possible principles."

"A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicity of its premises."

"I have also a paper afloat, with an electromagnetic theory of light, which, till I am convinced to the contrary, I hold to be great guns."

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

"Before I began my study of natural philosophy, I believed that I was made for something better. Now I know I am made for this."

"Nowhere have the political opinions of a man and his scientific conclusions been more at variance than in the matter of electrical effects."

"The mind of man can only apprehend those qualities of nature which are susceptible to mathematical treatment."

"I would rather have a physical picture of the phenomenon to work with."

"Do not imagine that mathematics is harsh and crabbed, and repulsive to common sense. It is quite the opposite."

"Electromagnetism is a language spoken by all charged particles."

"The task of science is not to provide all the answers but to reveal the depths of our ignorance."

"When a mathematician engages in a physical discussion, he must be on his guard."

"Every part of the field containing the dielectric carries stress and is the seat of energy."

"I have confidence that I shall ultimately be able to account for all this."

"The one thing which seems to me to be more clearly required is that we should have a physical understanding of the relation between the different phenomena."

"The difficulties which have hitherto resisted the skill of mathematicians belong to the nature of the subject itself."

"I am trying to show the connection between magnetism and electricity."

"My aim is to overturn the prejudices of physicists and to show them that electricity and magnetism are one."

"The practical application of our discoveries is often far beyond what we originally conceived."

"What is physical insight but the power to see beyond the equations to the phenomena?"

"A philosopher must be capable of imagining the impossible."

"Nature speaks in the language of mathematics, and we must learn to listen."

"There is nothing in the whole range of human achievement which I esteem so highly as a great discovery."

"The perfection of mathematical beauty is when the truth shineth by its own light."

"One very important effect of climbing mountains is that all the world's prizes and distinctions fade into insignificance."

"I am not one of those who are willing to accept any theory in natural philosophy which does not carry conviction to the understanding."