Christian Huygens
Proposed the wave theory of light and made significant contributions to mechanics and horology.
Most quoted
"It is a pleasure to stand upon the shore, and to see ships tossed upon the sea; a pleasure to stand in the window of a castle, and to see a battle and the adventures thereof: but no pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage ground of truth..."
— from Attributed
"One finds in this subject a kind of demonstration which does not carry with it so high a degree of certainty as that of geometry; and which differs distinctly from the method employed by geometers."
— from Treatise on Light, 1690
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution."
— from Treatise on Light, 1690
All quotes by Christian Huygens (392)
It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.
The universe is not a machine that works perfectly, but a machine that works according to certain laws.
Nature makes no leaps.
The true method of science is to begin with experiments and observations, and then to deduce the causes from them.
Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.
I have often wondered how it is that the most important discoveries are often made by accident.
The more I study nature, the more I am amazed at the wisdom of its creator.
There is no more effective way to escape the world than through art, and no more certain way to unite with it than through art.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
I am convinced that the universe is not a chaos, but a cosmos, that is, an ordered system.
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.
The world is full of wonders, but we often fail to see them because we are too busy looking for something else.
It is better to know a few things well than to know many things superficially.
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
I have always been fascinated by the beauty and order of the universe.
The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.
Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.
Contemporaries of Christian Huygens
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Christian Huygens (1629–1695).