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Quote by Thomas de Quincey

Work

De Quincey's Writings: Essays on philosophical writers and other men of letters. 1854-60. [v. 14 stereotyped

This volume is part of a series that includes essays on a range of philosophical writers and other notable men of letters, showcasing De Quincey's insights into the intellectual and literary landscape of his time. more

Author

Thomas de Quincey
Thomas de Quincey

Thomas de Quincey was an English essayist and critic, renowned for his personal experiences and philosophical reflections on opium. His work 'On the Use and Abuse of Opium' is one of the most famous autobiographical essays of the 19th century and has had a profound impact on literature and psychology. more

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“Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmanship, which grinds you stuff of any degree of fineness; but, nevertheless, what you get out depends upon what you put in; and as the grandest mill in the world will not extract wheat-flour from peascods, so pages of formulae will not get a definite result out of loose data.”

“Men can construct a science with very few instruments, or with very plain instruments; but no one on earth could construct a science with unreliable instruments. A man might work out the whole of mathematics with a handful of pebbles, but not with a handful of clay which was always falling apart into new fragments, and falling together into new combinations. A man might measure heaven and earth with a reed, but not with a growing reed.”