Dmitri Mendeleev

Science is a part of culture, and its history is the history of men and of human knowledge and errors.

The elements, arranged according to their atomic weights, show a periodic change of properties.

I have never been able to accept the idea that the atom is the ultimate limit of the divisibility of matter.

Without the concept of the atom, there can be no theoretical chemistry.

The study of nature is an infinite field; the further we advance in it, the more we become convinced of our ignorance.

The law of periodicity enables us to foresee the properties of elements not yet discovered.

In the combustion of a match, we see a transformation of matter accompanied by the phenomena of heat and light.

The aim of science is to seek the simplest explanation of complex facts.

The development of science is a continuous process of overcoming errors.

I consider it a duty to be a useful member of society.

Theories are nets: only he who casts will catch.

The chemist who does not know mathematics is like a painter who has only one color.

The properties of elements are a periodic function of their atomic weights.

To know is to compare.

There is no sharp line of demarcation between the different states of matter.

The discovery of the periodic law was the result of many years of meditation on the relationships between the elements.

The true spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than Man, which is the touchstone of the highest excellence, is to be found in mathematics as surely as in poetry.

The most important thing is to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.

Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.