Nicolaus Copernicus — "I am aware that I have made myself liable to be laughed at by those who consider…"
I am aware that I have made myself liable to be laughed at by those who consider it an absurdity to suppose that the earth moves.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Nicolaus Copernicus
"So, since there are many places in the Sacred Scriptures where the sun is mentioned as moving, and the earth as standing still, these people will hold that I have contradicted the Holy Scriptures."
"And if the earth were not to move, such a great diversity of phenomena could not be observed."
"There are three kinds of motion of the earth, as I shall demonstrate below."
"Perhaps there will be babblers who, although completely ignorant of mathematics, nevertheless dare to pass judgment on these things, and because of some passage in Holy Scripture, want to distort my b…"
"For it is the duty of an astronomer to compose the history of the celestial motions from a careful and skillful study of the observations."
Details
Preface to De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (sentiment, not direct quote)
Date: 1543
Nature & WorldVerification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: grok
1 source checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
The speaker acknowledges that claiming the Earth moves will invite ridicule and mockery from contemporaries. He understands this idea defies common sense and established belief, yet he stands by it regardless. It captures the lonely courage required to assert an uncomfortable truth — accepting that you will be seen as absurd by most people, while remaining convinced by evidence and reason over social acceptance.
Relevance to Nicolaus Copernicus
Copernicus spent decades developing his heliocentric model, finally publishing De Revolutionibus in 1543, the year he died — reportedly receiving his printed copy on his deathbed. He deliberately delayed publication for years, fearing exactly this ridicule. His caution was professional and real: he was a Catholic canon whose theory contradicted Church cosmology and Aristotelian physics that had dominated for nearly two millennia.
The era
In early 16th-century Europe, Ptolemaic geocentrism was not merely scientific consensus but theological orthodoxy — Earth at the center reflected humanity's divine importance. Challenging this risked ridicule from scholars, clergy, and educated laypeople alike. The Reformation was fracturing Christendom, making authorities on all sides defensive of established doctrine. Copernicus's hesitation reflected genuine danger: Bruno would later be burned partly for cosmological heterodoxy.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].