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)
One might say that the Earth is a large clock, and we are but the tiny cogs, often unaware of the grand mechanism.
To argue with a man who has renounced reason is like administering medicine to the dead.
The more I study, the more I am convinced that ignorance is not bliss, but merely a comfortable delusion.
Some minds are like a well-oiled machine, others are like a rusty one, and some are simply broken.
I have found that the greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.
It is a curious thing that those who know the least often speak the most confidently.
One must be careful not to mistake the echo of one's own voice for the voice of truth.
The universe is full of wonders, but the greatest wonder of all is the human capacity for self-deception.
I often wonder if the stars laugh at our earthly squabbles.
To believe without evidence is not faith, but a convenient excuse for intellectual laziness.
The pursuit of knowledge is a noble endeavor, but the pursuit of certainty is a fool's errand.
It seems that some people prefer the comfort of their errors to the discomfort of truth.
My telescope reveals more than just stars; it reveals the vastness of our ignorance.
If only the world were as orderly as the heavens, our lives would be far less perplexing.
Some theories are like old shoes: comfortable, but no longer fit for the journey.
I have yet to meet a man who was made wiser by refusing to look through a telescope.
The greatest trick the devil ever played was convincing the world that he didn't exist, and the second greatest was convincing some that the Earth was flat.
One can learn more from a single experiment than from a thousand philosophical debates.
The human mind is a wonderful thing, but it is also remarkably adept at constructing elaborate fictions.
I find it amusing that those who claim to possess all the answers are often the ones who ask the fewest questions.
Contemporaries of Christian Huygens
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Christian Huygens (1629–1695).