Quotes from Isaac Newton

If the ancient churches, in debating and deciding the greatest mysteries of religion, knew nothing of these two texts, I understand not why we should be so fond of them now the debate is over.

He that in ye mine of knowledge deepest diggeth, hath, like every other miner, ye least breathing time, and must sometimes at least come to terr. alt. for air.

Live your life as an Exclamation rather than an Explanation

It is the weight, not numbers of experiments that is to be regarded.

The description of right lines and circles, upon which geometry is founded, belongs to mechanics. Geometry does not teach us to draw these lines, but requires them to be drawn.

Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion.

What goes up must come down.

As a blind man has no idea of colors, so we have no idea of the manner by which the all-wise God perceives and understands all things.

There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.

The changing of Bodies into Light, and Light into Bodies, is very conformable to the Course of Nature, which seems delighted with Transmutations.

Nature does nothing in vain when less will serve; for Nature is pleased with simplicity and affects not the pomp of superfluous causes.

Impressed force is the action exerted on a body to change its state either of resting or of moving uniformly straight forward.

Is not Fire a Body heated so hot as to emit Light copiously? For what else is a red hot Iron than Fire? And what else is a burning Coal than red hot Wood?

The Synthesis consists in assuming the Causes discovered and established as Principles, and by them explaining the Phænomena proceeding from them, and proving the Explanations.

I see I have made my self a slave to Philosophy.

To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man or even for any one age

Therefore to the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes.

Hypotheses non fingo. I frame no hypotheses.

Therefore, the causes assigned to natural effects of the same kind must be, so far as possible, the same.

To any action there is always an opposite and equal reaction; in other words, the actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and always opposite in direction.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Fidelity and allegiance sworn to the King is only such a fidelity and obedience as is due to him by the law of the land; for were that faith and allegiance more than what the law requires, we would swear ourselves slaves and the King absolute; whereas, by the law, we are free men, notwithstanding those oaths.

Gravity must be caused by an Agent acting constantly according to certain laws, but whether this Agent be material or immaterial I have left to the consideration of my readers.

The same law takes place in a system, consisting of many bodies, as in one single body, with regard to their persevering in their state of motion or of rest. For the progressive motion, whether of one single body or of a whole system of bodies, is always to be estimated from the motion of the center of gravity.