Michael Faraday
Discovered electromagnetic induction and electrolysis laws
Most quoted
"The world little knows how many of the thoughts and theories which have passed through the mind of a scientific investigator have been crushed in silence and secrecy by his own severe criticism and negative examination; that in the most seemingly arrogant, the most regular and self-sustained investigator, the most patient and laborious inquirer, there is often a feeling of powerlessness and despair."
— from On the Various Forces of Nature, 1849
"I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal."
— from Personal prayer/meditation
"I will simply express my strong belief, that that point of self-education which consists in teaching the mind to resist its desires and inclinations, until they are proved to be right, is the most important of all, not only in things of natural philosophy, but in every department of daily life."
— from Lecture on Mental Education, 1854
All quotes by Michael Faraday (646)
The true test of science is its ability to predict.
I have long held an opinion that the electric forces are more intimately connected with the luminiferous forces than is generally supposed.
Perseverance is the mother of success.
The laboratory is the temple of science.
I find no quality so easy to counterfeit as this kind of religion.
The forces of matter are the forces of God.
Experiment is the sole interpreter of the phenomena of nature.
My Lord, I have worked hard all my life, but I have never known what it is to work for money.
The world is a laboratory for the soul.
In the pursuit of science, we must not neglect the poetry of the subject.
I am engaged in answering a letter from a gentleman who wishes to know if I believe in immortality.
The difference is that the poet's inspiration is immediate, while the scientist's is the result of long labor.
Nature is not to be conquered by force, but by understanding.
The electric current is a true electrolyte.
I have been driven to assume for convenience a molecular state of matter.
The mind of man is ever seeking for truth.
Science begins with observation and ends with wonder.
I purpose to devote my life to the study of nature.
The rotation of the plane of polarization is a fact.
Humility and simplicity are the two great virtues of the scientific mind.
Contemporaries of Michael Faraday
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Michael Faraday (1791–1867).