Dmitri Mendeleev

Periodic table of elements

Modern influential 93 sayings

Sayings by Dmitri Mendeleev

I saw in a dream a table where all the elements fell into place as required. Awakening, I immediately wrote it down on a piece of paper, only in one place did a correction later seem necessary.

1889 (recollection of 1869 event) — Recounting the discovery of the periodic table
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The chemical elements are the children of the sun.

Undated, often attributed in historical accounts — General philosophical statement on the origin of elements
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

No law of nature, however general, has been established without a multitude of experiments and observations.

Undated, from his writings on chemistry — On the scientific method
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

It is the function of the scientist to do 3 things: to observe, to generalize, and to predict.

Undated, from his teaching or philosophical writings — Defining the role of a scientist
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

There are no limits to the perfectibility of human knowledge, and it is in this spirit that the periodic system was conceived.

Undated, from his later reflections — Reflecting on the nature of scientific progress
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The time has evidently come for the development of the internal structure of atoms.

1903 — Anticipating atomic physics
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I love only science, and my children, and my wife, and my work, and the motherland.

Undated, often quoted as a personal creed — Personal statement
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Science begins where measurement begins.

Undated — Emphasizing empirical observation
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The greatest joy of the scientist is in discovering some new truth, some new regularity, some new law.

Undated — On the motivation of discovery
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The weight of the atom is not the only criterion; there are other considerations.

1869 — Explaining the deviations in his periodic table from simple atomic weight order
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I consider it my duty to warn against this tendency to make a science of alchemy.

Late 19th century — Criticizing pseudo-science, particularly in relation to spiritualism
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Blessed is the soil that produces such men.

Undated — Referring to great scientists
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The future of Russia is in its oil and its people.

Late 19th century — Advocating for the development of Russian industry and education
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

Knowledge is a holy thing, and it is a sacred duty to transmit it to others.

Undated, from his pedagogical writings — On the importance of education and sharing knowledge
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

When we see the order of the elements, we must admit that there is a higher reason.

Undated — Reflecting on the philosophical implications of the periodic table
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

There is no death, but only change.

Undated, often attributed — Philosophical statement on the conservation of matter/energy
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

My father was a director of the local gymnasium, and my mother was a woman of strong character and great intelligence.

Undated — Autobiographical remarks
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I think that scientific predictions, if they are to be truly scientific, must be capable of being disproven.

Undated — On the nature of scientific prediction and falsifiability
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The greatest value of a scientific discovery is not so much in the discovery itself as in the stimulus it provides for further investigation.

Undated — On the impact of scientific breakthroughs
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

I have spent twenty-five years in the study of petroleum and have come to the conclusion that it is a product of the earth's interior, formed at great depths.

Late 19th century — His controversial abiotic theory of petroleum origin
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable