Quotessence
Home / Authors / Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday

Michael Faraday Quotes

Scientist

Filter quotes by topic

AllScienceMenThinkingIfsMindMayChemistryKnowsNaturalShould

Famous Michael Faraday Quotes

“Non saprei meglio terminare le nostre conversazioni che esprimendo il desiderio che possiate nella vostra esistenza meritare d'essere comparati ad una candela; che possiate com'essa brillare qual fiamma per coloro che vi circondano, che possiate in tutte le vostre azioni emulare la bellezza del lucignolo, adempiendo con onore ed efficacia i vostri doveri verso i vostri simili.”

PeopleLifeWisdomScienceDuty And Attitude
Book:The Chemical History of a Candle: Enriched edition. Unlocking the Mysteries of Chemical Reactions in a Candle's Flame
Create image

“I hope that in due time the chemists will justify their proceedings by some large generalisations deduced from the infinity of results which they have collected. For me I am left hopelessly behind and I will acknowledge to you that through my bad memory organic chemistry is to me a sealed book. Some of those here, Hofmann for instance, consider all this however as scaffolding, which will disappear when the structure is built. I hope the structure will be worthy of the labour. I should expect a better and a quicker result from the study of the powers of matter, but then I have a predilection that way and am probably prejudiced in judgment.”

ScienceMemoryDisappearJudgementHopelessChemistryInfinityOrganic ChemistryGeneralizationsHoffmanAugust HoffmanAugust Wilhelm Von Hofmann
Author:Michael Faraday
Create image

“Studiando, noi diventiamo tutti filosofi; dovrete dunque avvezzarvi, ogni volta che un risultato vi sorprende, specialmente quando questo risultato vi par nuovo, dovrete avvezzarvi, dico, a chiedere a voi stessi o ad altri: «Quale è la causa di ciò? Perché le cose succedono a questo modo?» E presto o tardi finirete sempre col trovare la risposta.”

ScienceStudyResearchScientistsResearch MethodologyStudying Science
Book:The Chemical History of a Candle: Enriched edition. Unlocking the Mysteries of Chemical Reactions in a Candle's Flame
Create image

“No wonder that my remembrance fails me, for I shall complete my 70 years next Sunday (the 22); - and during these 70 years I have had a happy life; which still remains happy because of hope and content.”

YearsStillsNextWonderFailingRemainsSundayHappy LifeRemembrance
Book:The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein 1836-1862: With notes, comments and references to contemporary letters
Create image

“As when on some secluded branch in forest far and wide sits perched an owl, who, full of self-conceit and self-created wisdom, explains, comments, condemns, ordains and order things not understood, yet full of importance still holds forth to stocks and stones around - so sits and scribbles Mike.”

StillsSelfOrderUnderstoodStonesImportanceWideForestsBranchesCommentMikeConceitOwlScribblesSecluded
Book:The Life and Letters of Faraday
Create image

“Whereas, according to the declaration of that true man of the world Talleyrand, the use of language is to conceal the thoughts; this is to declare in the present instance, when I say I am not able to bear much talking, it means really, and without any mistake, or equivocation, or oblique meaning, or implication, or subterfuge, or omission, that I am not able; being at present rather weak in the head, and able to work no more.”

MenWorldMeanUseAbleLanguageMistakeTalkingBearsWeakInstanceDeclarationImplicationsOmissionTrue ManUse Of LanguageSubterfuge
Author:Michael Faraday
Create image

“It is the great beauty of our science, chemistry, that advancement in it, whether in a degree great or small, instead of exhausting the subjects of research, opens the doors to further and more abundant knowledge, overflowing with beauty and utility.”

DoorsSubjectsDegreesResearchChemistryAdvancementUtilityExhausting
Book:Experimental Researches in Electricity: Series 1-14 [Phil. trans., 1831-38] 1839
Create image

“What a weak, credulous, incredulous, unbelieving, superstitious, bold, frightened, what a ridiculous world ours is, as far as concerns the mind of man. How full of inconsistencies, contradictions and absurdities it is. I declare that taking the average of many minds that have recently come before me ... I should prefer the obedience, affections and instinct of a dog before it.”

MenWorldShouldMindDogConcernWeakInstinctAverageAffectionRidiculousObedienceContradictionFrightenedAbsurdityAutobiographySuperstitiousInconsistency
Book:The Correspondence of Michael Faraday, Volume 4: 1849-1855
Create image

“I have been so electrically occupied of late that I feel as if hungry for a little chemistry: but then the conviction crosses my mind that these things hang together under one law & that the more haste we make onwards each in his own path the sooner we shall arrive, and meet each other, at that state of knowledge of natural causes from which all varieties of effects may be understood & enjoyed.”

IfsFeelsMindMayLittlesHas BeensStatesTogetherLawCausesNaturalPathEffectsLateUnderstoodCrossesConvictionHungryVarietyEnjoyedChemistryHaste
Author:Michael Faraday
Create image

“I think chemistry is being frittered away by the hairsplitting of the organic chemists; we have new compounds discovered, which scarcely differ from the known ones and when discovered are valueless-very illustrations perhaps of their refinements in analysis, but very little aiding the progress of true science.”

ThinkingLittlesScienceDifferencesKnownKnowledgeProgressAccountsAnalysisChemistryCompoundsIllustrationRefinementChemistValueless
Book:The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein 1836-1862: With notes, comments and references to contemporary letters
Create image

“Who would not have been laughed at if he had said in 1800 that metals could be extracted from their ores by electricity or that portraits could be drawn by chemistry.”

IfsHas BeensSaidScienceChemistryLaughedMetalsPortraitsElectricity
Book:The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein 1836-1862: With notes, comments and references to contemporary letters
Create image

“Your remarks upon chemical notation with the variety of systems which have arisen, &c., &c., had almost stirred me up to regret publicly that such hindrances to the progress of science should exist. I cannot help thinking it a most unfortunate thing that men who as experimentalists & philosophers are the most fitted to advance the general cause of science & knowledge should by promulgation of their own theoretical views under the form of nomenclature, notation, or scale, actually retard its progress.”

ThinkingMenShouldHelpingFormScienceCausesViewsProgressRegretPhilosopherScalesVarietyChemistryChemicalsUnfortunateRemarksTheoreticalHindranceRetardNomenclatureUnfortunate Things
Author:Michael Faraday
Create image

“I have long held an opinion, almost amounting to conviction, in common I believe with many other lovers of natural knowledge, that the various forms under which the forces of matter are made manifest have one common origin; or, in other words, are so directly related and mutually dependent, that they are convertible, as it were, one into another, and possess equivalents of power in their action.”

BelieveLongMadeMatterActionFormScienceBeliefForceI BelieveNaturalCommonOpinionKnowledgeLoversVariousConvictionRelatedDependentManifest
Book:The Life and Letters of Faraday
Create image

“If the term education may be understood in so large a sense as to include all that belongs to the improvement of the mind, either by the acquisition of the knowledge of others or by increase of it through its own exertions, we learn by them what is the kind of education science offers to man. It teaches us to be neglectful of nothing - not to despise the small beginnings, for they precede of necessity all great things in the knowledge of science, either pure or applied.”

IfsMenMindKindMayScienceTermKnowledgeTeachOffersPureUnderstoodAccountsIncreaseImprovementGreat ThingsDespiseAcquisitionExertionSmall Beginnings
Author:Michael Faraday
Create image

“Now I must take you to a very interesting part of our subject-to the relation between the combustion of a candle and that living kind of combustion which goes on within us. In every one of us there is a living process of combustion going on very similar to that of a candle, and I must try to make that plain to you. For it is not merely true in a poetical sense-the relation of the life of man to a taper; and if you will follow, I think I can make this clear.”

IfsThinkingMenLifeTryingKindI CanScienceProcessInterestingClearSubjectsGoes OnRelationCandleVery InterestingCombustion
Book:Scientific Papers: Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology
Create image

“You will be astonished when I tell you what this curious play of carbon amounts to. A candle will burn some four, five, six, or seven hours. What, then, must be the daily amount of carbon going up into the air in the way of carbonic acid! ... Then what becomes of it? Wonderful is it to find that the change produced by respiration ... is the very life and support of plants and vegetables that grow upon the surface of the earth.”

WayLifePlayEarthScienceGrowsHoursWonderSupportGrowing UpFiveFourWonderfulAirAmountSixPlantSevenSurfaceCuriousAtmosphereVegetablesCandleCarbonAcidRespiration
Author:Michael Faraday
Create image

“I will simply express my strong belief, that that point of self-education which consists in teaching the mind to resist its desires and inclinations, until they are proved to be right, is the most important of all, not only in things of natural philosophy, but in every department of dally life.”

MindImportantSelfPhilosophyScienceDesireBeliefStrongNaturalTeachingTheoryCriticismDepartmentInclinationSelf EducationNatural Philosophy
Book:Experimental researches in Chemistry and Physics ... Reprinted from the Philosophical Transactions of 1821-1857; the Journal of the Royal Institution ... and other publications
Create image

“I happen to have discovered a direct relation between magnetism and light, also electricity and light, and the field it opens is so large and I think rich.”

ThinkingLightHappensScienceRichFieldsDiscoveryDirectRelationElectricityMagnetism
Book:The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein 1836-1862: With notes, comments and references to contemporary letters
Create image

“What a delight it is to think that you are quietly & philosophically at work in the pursuit of science... rather than fighting amongst the crowd of black passions & motives that seem now a days to urge men every where into action. What incredible scenes every where, what unworthy motives ruled for the moment, under high sounding phrases and at the last what disgusting revolutions.”

ThinkingMenMomentsSeemsActionLastsScienceFightingPassionBlackRevolutionSceneResearchIncrediblesCrowdsDelightPursuitPhrasesMotiveUrgesDisgustingUnworthy
Book:The letters of Faraday and Schoenbein 1836-1862: With notes, comments and references to contemporary letters
Create image

“When I consider the multitude of associated forces which are diffused through nature - when I think of that calm balancing of their energies which enables those most powerful in themselves, most destructive to the world's creatures and economy, to dwell associated together and be made subservient to the wants of creation, I rise from the contemplation more than ever impressed with the wisdom, the beneficence, and grandeur, beyond our language to express, of the Great Disposer of us all.”

ThinkingWorldWantMadeTogetherEnergyLanguageForceNaturePowerfulEconomyCreationCreaturesCalmContemplationDestructiveMost PowerfulImpressedMultitudesGrandeurSubservientBeneficence
Author:Michael Faraday
Create image

“A man in twenty-four hours converts as much as seven ounces of carbon into carbonic acid; a milch cow will convert seventy ounces, and a horse seventy-nine ounces, solely by the act of respiration. That is, the horse in twenty-four hours burns seventy-nine ounces of charcoal, or carbon, in his organs of respiration to supply his natural warmth in that time ..., not in a free state, but in a state of combination.”

MenStatesHoursNaturalFourHorseTwentiesSevenNineCombinationWarmthCowsOrgansCarbonSeventiesAcidCharcoalFree StateRespiration
Book:Scientific Papers: Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology
Create image

“In place of practising wholesome self-abnegation, we ever make the wish the father to the thought: we receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us; whereas the very reverse is required by every dictate of common sense.”

SelfFatherWishCommonAgreeCommon SenseFriendlyDislikeReverseAbnegation
Book:Experimental researches in Chemistry and Physics ... Reprinted from the Philosophical Transactions of 1821-1857; the Journal of the Royal Institution ... and other publications
Create image