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)
I have always been more interested in the why than the how.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.
I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.
The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.
The important thing is to know how to take a hint, and to profit by it.
I am no poet, but if you think for yourselves, as I hope you do, you will not find it difficult to understand that there are many more lines of force than you have ever imagined.
The highest exercise of the human mind is to understand the works of God, and to adore Him.
There is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy than by considering the phenomena of electricity and magnetism.
I have been accustomed to stand before the world as a discoverer, and not as a commentator.
The beauty of the world has been created by God, and it is for us to discover it.
The human mind is a wonderful thing, and it is capable of understanding the most complex things.
The more I examine the works of nature, the more I adore the Architect.
The greatest joy of a man is to find out the truth.
The world is full of wonders, and it is for us to discover them.
Contemporaries of Michael Faraday
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Michael Faraday (1791–1867).