The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Observation
In the field of observations, chance favors only the prepared mind.
Louis Pasteur Lecture, University of Lille · 1854

Quotes

“The belief in an external world independent of the perceiving subject is the basis of all natural science.”

Albert Einstein · Ideas and Opinions , 1954 · Primary source

“Wisdom is the daughter of experience.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“The imagination of nature is far, far greater than the imagination of man.”

Richard Feynman · The Meaning of It All, 1998 · Primary source

“It is interesting that human relationships, if there is an independent way of judging truth, can become unargumentative.”

Richard Feynman · The Meaning of It All, 1998 · Primary source

“Observe all men; thyself most.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“When you speak to a man, look on his eyes; when he speaks to thee, look on his mouth.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Go out into the sunlight and be happy with what you see.”

Winston Churchill · Painting as a Pastime, 1948 · Primary source

“Life is our dictionary.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · The American Scholar, 1837 · Primary source

“If you see smoke, there must be fire.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Compensation, 1841 · Primary source

“We are by nature observers, and thereby learners. This is our permanent state.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Love, 1841 · Primary source

“All our knowledge has its origin in our perceptions.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“Experience never errs; it is only your judgments that err by promising themselves effects such as are not caused by your experiments.”

Leonardo da Vinci · The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, 1888 · Primary source

“I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.”

Richard Feynman · What Do You Care What Other People Think?, 1986 · Primary source

“Every scientific law, every scientific principle, every statement of the results of an observation is some kind of a summary which leaves out details.”

Richard Feynman · The Meaning of It All, 1998 · Primary source

“Observation is the ultimate and final judge of the truth of an idea.”

Richard Feynman · The Meaning of It All, 1998 · Primary source

Works

Leonardo da Vinci (translated by Jean Paul Richter) · 1888
The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci

A thematic collection of Leonardo’s notes on painting, sculpture, architecture, anatomy, mechanics, natural phenomena and practical observation.

Read summary·Explore 24 quotes

Related Tags

Self-reliance 49 Judgement 31 Experience 30 Character 20 Nature 20 Perception 20 Evidence 19 Learning 19 Curiosity 19 Knowledge 18 Truth 16 Understanding 15 Preparation 13 Consequences 12 Attention 11 Self-awareness 10 Reflection 10 Experimentation 9 Contentment 7 Wisdom 7 Self-examination 6 Painting 5 Objectivity 4 Practical knowledge 4 Causation 4 Scientific discovery 4 Intellectual humility 4 Abstraction 4 Scholarship 3 Models 3 Simplification 3 Assumptions 2 Listening 2 Social conduct 2 Cause and effect 2 Inference 2 Human nature 2 Empiricism 2 Prepared mind 2 Renaissance 2 Anatomy 2 Mechanics 2 Realism 1 Natural science 1 Conversation 1 Sunlight 1 Terminology 1 Conceptual knowledge 1 Human imagination 1 Objective standards 1 Disagreement 1 Scientific consensus 1 Scientific laws 1 Empirical evidence 1 Scientific testing 1 Theory evaluation 1 Serendipity 1 Painting theory 1