"Nothing that results in human progress is achieved with unanimous consent. Those that are enlightened before the others are condemned to pursue that light in spite of the others."

"I prayed to the most merciful Lord about my heart's great desire, and He gave me the spirit and the intelligence for the task: seafaring, astronomy, geometry, arithmetic, skill in drafting spherical m…"

"Gold is most excellent; gold constitutes treasure; and he who has it may do what he will in the world."

"I have seen so many strange things that I do not know what to say."

"The people here are very timid."