Robert Boyle

The knowledge of the cause of things is a great part of philosophy.

Experiment, without reason, is blind; reason, without experiment, is lame.

I would rather be thought a good experimenter than a subtle reasoner.

He that makes experiments, must not be tied to any particular opinion.

I have often observed, that those who have a great esteem for their own opinions, are very apt to despise those of others.

The book of nature is a fine and large piece of tapestry, rolled up, which we are not able to see all at once, but must be content to unroll it by degrees.

I have always taken a delight in observing the various phenomena of nature, and in trying to find out their causes.

The more I study nature, the more I am amazed at the wisdom and power of God.

I have often thought that the world is like a great clock, made by a most skillful workman, and that all the parts of it are so exactly fitted to one another, that they all conspire to produce the same effect.

I have always been of the opinion, that the best way to understand the nature of things, is to examine them by experiments.

I have often wished that I had lived in an age when philosophy was more free and less tied to the authority of the ancients.

I have always looked upon the study of nature as a kind of religious duty.

I have often been surprised to find how little care men take to preserve their health, and how much they neglect their souls.

I have always endeavored to be a faithful interpreter of nature, and not a presumptuous dictator.

I have often thought that the greatest obstacle to the progress of knowledge is the obstinacy of men in adhering to their old opinions.

I have always been a lover of truth, and a hater of error.

I have often observed that those who are most forward to censure others, are generally the most faulty themselves.

I have always looked upon the study of philosophy as a means to a more excellent end, which is the knowledge of God.

I have often thought that the greatest happiness in this life is to be free from the power of passion.

I have always been of the opinion, that the best way to convince men of their errors, is to lay before them a clear and distinct view of the truth.