“Man is perhaps half mind and half matter in the same way as the polyp is half plant and half animal. The strangest creatures are always found on the border lines of species.” MenWayMindMatterFoundLinesAnimalHalfCreaturesPlantSpeciesBorders Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“Truly, men make too little use of their lives; and so it is no wonder that the world should still be in such a poor way.” MenWorldWayShouldLittlesStillsUsePoorWonder Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“There are two ways of extending life: firstly by moving the two points "born" and "died" farther away from one another. The other method is to go more slowly and leave the two points wherever God wills they should be, and this method is for the philosophers.” WayShouldTwoMovingBornDiedMethodPhilosopherGods WillTwo WaysExtending Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“Some people come by the name of genius in the same way that certain insects come by the name of centipede -- not because they have a hundred feet, but because most people can't count above 14.” PeopleWayInspirationalCertainNamesFeetGeniusHundredInsectsCentipedes Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“If there were only turnips and potatoes in the world, someone would complain that plants grow the wrong way.” IfsWorldWayGrowsFoodPlantComplainingCulinaryPotatoesWrong WayTurnips Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“One cannot demand of a scholar that he show himself a scholar everywhere in society, but the whole tenor of his behavior must none the less betray the thinker, he must always be instructive, his way of judging a thing must even in the smallest matters be such that people can see what it will amount to when, quietly and self-collected, he puts this power to scholarly use.” PeopleWaySelfMatterWholeUseShowsPowerJudgingAmountDemandBehaviorThinkerBetrayScholarSmallestTenorsScholarly Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“The great rule: If the little bit you have is nothing special in itself, at least find a way of saying it that is a little bit special.” IfsWayLittlesScienceBitsSpecialTalentLittle Bit Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“I have often noticed that when people come to understand a mathematical proposition in some other way than that of the ordinary demonstration, they promptly say, "Oh, I see. That's how it must be." This is a sign that they explain it to themselves from within their own system.” PeopleWayUnderstandingOrdinaryMathematicsMathMathematicalPropositionsDemonstration Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“Nothing puts a greater obstacle in the way of the progress of knowledge than thinking that one knows what one does not yet know.” ThinkingKnowsWayDoeGreaterProgressIgnoranceObstacles Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“He swallowed a lot of wisdom, but all of it seems to have gone down the wrong way.” WayWisdomSeemsGoneSillyWrong Way Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“Do not say hypothesis, and even less theory: say way of thinking.” ThinkingWayScienceTheoryHypothesisWay Of Thinking Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
“We often have need of a profound philosophy to restore to our feelings their original state of innocence, to find our way out of the rubble of things alien to us, to begin to feel for ourselves and to speak ourselves, and I might almost say to exist ourselves.” WayNeedsFeelsStatesPhilosophyFeelingsMightScienceSpeakOriginalsProfoundPhilosopherAliensInnocenceRubble Author:Georg C. Lichtenberg
