Isaac Newton - Collected Quotes

"Blind metaphysical necessity, which is certainly the same always and everywhere, could produce no variety of things. All that diversity of natural things which we find suited to different times and places could arise from nothing but the ideas and will of a Being, necessarily existing." (Isaac Newton, "The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", 1687)

"I do not define time, space, place, and motion, as being well known to all. Only I must observe, that the common people conceive those quantities under no other notions but from the relation they bear to sensible objects. And thence arise certain prejudices, for the removing of which it will be convenient to distinguish them into absolute and relative, true and apparent, mathematical and common." (Isaac Newton, "The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", 1687)

"In experimental philosophy, propositions gathered from phenomena by induction should be considered either exactly or very nearly true notwithstanding any contrary hypotheses, until yet other phenomena make such propositions either more exact or liable to exceptions." (Isaac Newton, "The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", 1687)

"To 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. Therefore to the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes." (Sir Isaac Newton, "The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy", Voll. II, 1687)

"As in Mathematics, so in Natural Philosophy, the Investigation of difficult Things by the Method of Analysis, ought ever to precede the Method of Composition. This Analysis consists in making Experiments and Observations, and in drawing general Conclusions from them by

Induction, and admitting of no Objections against the Conclusions but such as are taken from Experiments, or other certain Truths." (Sir Isaac Newton, "Opticks", 1704)

"But it is just that the Roots of Equations should be often impossible (complex), lest they should exhibit the cases of Problems that are impossible as if they were possible." (Isaac Newton, "Universal Mathematic" 2nd Ed., 1728)

"Natural Philosophy consists in discovering the frame and operations of Nature, and reducing them, as far as may be, to general Rules or Laws - establishing these rules by observations and experiments, and thence deducing the causes and effects of things." (Isaac Newton, "A Scheme for Establishing the Royal Society")

"Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things." (Isaac Newton)

"When a quantity is greatest or least, at that moment its flow neither increases nor decreases. For if it increases, that proves that it was less and will at once be greater than it now is, and conversely so if it decreases." (Isaac Newton)

"Whence is it that nature does nothing in vain; and whence arises all that order and beauty which we see in the world?" (Sir Isaac Newton)