Isaac Newton
English mathematician and physicist (1642 to 1727), Lucasian professor at Cambridge and later Master of the Royal Mint; author of the Principia and the Opticks.
From their books Opticks8 korrents The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III5 korrents The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III4 korrents
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We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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Their wordsWe are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 5 from this book
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Our reading
The system of sun, planets and comets could only come from an intelligent and powerful Being
Their wordsThis most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 4 from this book
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Their wordsWe have ideas of his attributes, but what the real substance of any thing is we know not.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 4 from this book
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Their wordsTo this purpose the philosophers say that Nature does nothing in vain, and more is in vain when less will serve; for Nature is pleased with simplicity, and affects not the pomp of superfluous causes.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 5 from this book
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Their wordsBut hitherto I have not been able to discover the cause of those properties of gravity from phænomena, and I frame no hypotheses; for whatever is not deduced from the phænomena is to be called an hypothesis
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 4 from this book
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Their wordsTherefore to the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 5 from this book
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Their wordsAnd to us it is enough that gravity does really exist, and act according to the laws which we have explained, and abundantly serves to account for all the motions of the celestial bodies, and of our sea.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 4 from this book
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Their wordsWe are certainly not to relinquish the evidence of experiments for the sake of dreams and vain fictions of our own devising; nor are we to recede from the analogy of Nature, which uses to be simple, and always consonant to itself.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 5 from this book
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Their wordsIn experimental philosophy we are to look upon propositions collected by general induction from phænomena as accurately or very nearly true, notwithstanding any contrary hypotheses that may be imagined, till such time as other phænomena occur, by which they may either be made more accurate, or liable to exceptions.
↗The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, Book III (tr. Andrew Motte, 1729; 1846 edition)en.wikisource.org All 5 from this book
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Our reading
The properties of light should be proved by reason and experiments, not explained by hypotheses
Their wordsMy Design in this Book is not to explain the Properties of Light by Hypotheses, but to propose and prove them by Reason and Experiments
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsWhereas the main Business of natural Philosophy is to argue from Phænomena without feigning Hypotheses, and to deduce Causes from Effects, till we come to the very first Cause, which certainly is not mechanical
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsAnd thus Nature will be very conformable to her self and very simple, performing all the great Motions of the heavenly Bodies by the Attraction of Gravity which intercedes those Bodies, and almost all the small ones of their Particles by some other attractive and repelling Powers which intercede the Particles.
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsit seems probable to me, that God in the Beginning form'd Matter in solid, massy, hard, impenetrable, moveable Particles
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsTo tell us that every Species of Things is endow'd with an occult specifick Quality by which it acts and produces manifest Effects, is to tell us nothing
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsAs in Mathematicks, so in Natural Philosophy, the Investigation of difficult Things by the Method of Analysis, ought ever to precede the Method of Composition.
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsAnd although the arguing from Experiments and Observations by Induction be no Demonstration of general Conclusions; yet it is the best way of arguing which the Nature of Things admits of, and may be looked upon as so much the stronger, by how much the Induction is more general.
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsAnd if natural Philosophy in all its Parts, by pursuing this Method, shall at length be perfected, the Bounds of Moral Philosophy will be also enlarged.
↗Opticks (fourth edition, 1730)gutenberg.org All 8 from this book
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Their wordsWhen I wrote my treatise about our Systeme I had an eye upon such Principles as might work with considering men for the beleife of a Deity & nothing can rejoyce me more then to find it usefull for that purpose
↗Letter to Richard Bentley, 10 December 1692newtonproject.ox.ac.uk
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Their wordsBut if I have done the publick any service this way 'tis due to nothing but industry & a patient thought.
↗Letter to Richard Bentley, 10 December 1692newtonproject.ox.ac.uk
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Their wordsTo your second Query I answer that the motions which the Planets now have could not spring from any naturall cause alone but were imprest by an intelligent Agent.
↗Letter to Richard Bentley, 10 December 1692newtonproject.ox.ac.uk