Lectures which really teach will never be popular; lectures which are popular will never really teach.
A centre of excellence is, by definition, a place where second class people may perform first class work.
Water is to me, I confess, a phenomenon which continually awakens new feelings of wonder as often as I view it.
There is no more open door by which you can enter into the study of natural philosophy than by considering the physical phenomena of a candle.
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.
The world little knows how many of the thoughts and theories which have passed through the mind of a scientific investigator, have been crushed in silence and secrecy by his own severe criticism and adverse examination!
I could trust a fact and always cross-question an assertion.
It may be a weed instead of a fish that, after all my labour, I at last pull up.
When I came to know Mrs. Marcet personally; how often I cast my thoughts backward, delighting to connect the past and the present; how often, when sending a paper to her as a thank you offering, I thought of my first instructress.
I propose to distinguish these bodies by calling those anions which go to the anode of the decomposing body; and those passing to the cathode, cations; and when I have occasion to speak of these together, I shall call them ions.
Nature is our kindest friend and best critic in experimental science if we only allow her intimations to fall unbiased on our minds.
The five essential entrepreneurial skills for success are concentration, discrimination, organization, innovation and communication.
Physicist is both to my mouth and ears so awkward that I think I shall never use it. The equivalent of three separate sounds of “I” in one word is too much.
I cannot conceive curved lines of force without the conditions of a physical existence in that intermediate space.
I am busy just now again on Electro-Magnetism and think I have got hold of a good thing but can’t say; it may be a weed instead of a fish that after all my labour I may at last pull up.
But I must confess I am jealous of the term atom; for though it is very easy to talk of atoms, it is very difficult to form a clear idea of their nature, especially when compounded bodies are under consideration.
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.
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.
No matter what you look at, if you look at it closely enough, you are involved in the entire universe.
Do not refer to your toy-books, and say you have seen that before. Answer me rather, if I ask you, have you understood it before?
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.