William Harvey

Blood circulation

Early Modern influential 138 sayings

Sayings by William Harvey

The heart is the beginning of life, and the source of all motion.

1628 (from 'De Motu Cordis') — A statement on the heart's fundamental role in physiology.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The truth is always simple, but the way to it is complex.

Uncertain (attributed) — A philosophical observation on the nature of truth and scientific inquiry.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The greatest pleasure is to be found in the service of humanity.

Uncertain (attributed) — A statement on the humanitarian motivation behind medical work.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The study of nature is the study of God.

Uncertain (attributed) — A theological statement on the religious aspect of scientific inquiry, similar to Linnaeus.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The physician's art is to imitate nature.

Uncertain (attributed) — A statement on the role of the physician in assisting natural healing processes.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The world is a living creature.

Uncertain (attributed) — A philosophical, almost animistic, view of the cosmos, attributed.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The world is a living creature.

Uncertain (attributed) — A philosophical, almost animistic, view of the cosmos, attributed.
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

The blood is a spirit, and the spirit is the life.

c. 1628 (from 'De Motu Cordis') — A statement reflecting older physiological beliefs alongside his new understanding of circulation.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The blood is a spirit, and the spirit is the life.

c. 1628 (from 'De Motu Cordis') — A statement reflecting older physiological beliefs alongside his new understanding of circulation.
Strange & Unusual Disputed

The heart is the seat of the affections.

Uncertain (attributed) — A traditional cultural belief about the heart, which might have coexisted with his scientific unders…
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The heart is the seat of the affections.

Uncertain (attributed) — A traditional cultural belief about the heart, which might have coexisted with his scientific unders…
Strange & Unusual Disputed

The greatest happiness is to be able to understand the works of God.

Uncertain (attributed) — An expression of joy derived from scientific and theological understanding.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The greatest happiness is to be able to understand the works of God.

Uncertain (attributed) — An expression of joy derived from scientific and theological understanding.
Strange & Unusual Disputed

The physician must be a man of experience.

Uncertain (attributed) — Emphasizing the practical and empirical nature of medical knowledge.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The physician must be a man of experience.

Uncertain (attributed) — Emphasizing the practical and empirical nature of medical knowledge.
Strange & Unusual Disputed

The body is a microcosm of the universe.

Uncertain (attributed) — A philosophical statement reflecting the macrocosm-microcosm analogy.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The body is a microcosm of the universe.

Uncertain (attributed) — A philosophical statement reflecting the macrocosm-microcosm analogy.
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

The heart is the sun of the microcosm.

1628 (from 'De Motu Cordis') — A powerful metaphor comparing the heart's role in the body to the sun's role in the cosmos.
Strange & Unusual Unverifiable

The heart is the sun of the microcosm.

1628 (from 'De Motu Cordis') — A powerful metaphor comparing the heart's role in the body to the sun's role in the cosmos.
Strange & Unusual Confirmed

I profess both to learn and to teach anatomy not from books but from dissections; not from the tenets of philosophers but from the fabric of nature.

1628 — De Motu Cordis (Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus), Dedication to King…
Strange & Unusual Confirmed