Wilhelm Ostwald
He made significant contributions to catalysis, chemical equilibria, and reaction velocities, winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Most quoted
"All scientific work is incomplete — whether it be observational or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified by advancing knowledge. That does not confer upon us a freedom to ignore the knowledge we already have, or to postpone the action that it appears to demand at a given time."
— from Essays
"The true method of discovery is like the flight of an aeroplane. It starts from the ground of particular observation; it makes a flight in the thin air of imaginative generalization; and it again lands for renewed observation rendered acute by rational interpretation."
— from The Philosophy of Science
"The laws of thermodynamics control, in the last resort, the rise and fall of political systems, the freedom or bondage of nations, the movements of commerce and industry, the origins of wealth and poverty, and the general physical welfare of the human race."
— from Der energetische Imperativ, 1912
All quotes by Wilhelm Ostwald (387)
The greatest discoveries often come from unexpected places.
My love for color is as deep as my love for chemistry.
The scientific method is a powerful tool, but it is not infallible.
We must always question, always seek new answers.
The world is full of wonders, if only we take the time to observe them.
My work on the history of science has shown me the cyclical nature of ideas.
To be a scientist is to be a perpetual student.
The pursuit of knowledge is its own reward.
I believe in the power of reason to solve the world's problems.
Science is the most powerful engine of progress.
There is no matter, only energy.
The task of science is to reduce the world to a system of energies.
The progress of science depends on the progress of measurement.
The greatest discovery is to know that there is still much to discover.
Chemistry is the science of the changes of substances.
The true scientist is not afraid to admit ignorance.
The future of chemistry lies in physical chemistry.
The most important thing in science is not to get new facts, but to get new ways of thinking about them.
The scientific method is nothing but the application of common sense to scientific problems.
The history of science is the history of error.
Contemporaries of Wilhelm Ostwald
Other Chemistrys born within 50 years of Wilhelm Ostwald (1853–1932).