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)
The more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn. A truly humbling experience.
I have found that the most profound truths are often the simplest, and therefore the most overlooked.
To argue with a theologian about the motion of the Earth is like arguing with a fish about the nature of air.
My patience is finite, but the universe's mysteries are not.
The greatest obstacle to progress is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.
It is a curious fact that those who preach humility often possess the least of it.
I would rather be wrong with reason than right with dogma.
The universe is a grand stage, and we are but fleeting actors, often forgetting our lines.
Some people are so busy looking down at their feet that they never see the stars.
The world is my country, all men are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.
I have always striven to see the truth, and to make it known to others.
Nature is a book written in the language of mathematics.
The universe is a machine, and all its parts are in motion.
The mind is a mirror, and the world is its reflection.
We are but specks of dust in the vastness of the cosmos, yet we are capable of understanding it.
The pursuit of knowledge is the noblest of all endeavors.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but truth is in the mind of the seeker.
Life is a journey, and death is the destination.
The greatest mystery of all is consciousness itself.
To understand the universe, one must first understand oneself.
Contemporaries of Christian Huygens
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Christian Huygens (1629–1695).