John Locke Quotes About Science

Quotes about: Science

• Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.

  John Locke

  Inspirational, Motivational, Education

  John Locke (1824). “The Works of John Locke: Essay concerning human understanding (concluded) Defence of Mr. Locke's opinion concerning personal identity. Of the conduct of the understanding. Some thoughts concerning reading and study for a gentlemen. Elements of natural philosophy. New method of a common-place-book”, p.356

• New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common.

  John Locke

  Business, Philosophy, War

  An Essay Concerning Human Understanding "Dedicatory Epistle" (1690)

• No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience.

  John Locke

  Philosophical, Knowledge, Science

  'An Essay concerning Human Understanding' (1690) bk. 2, ch. 1, sect. 19

• It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.

  John Locke

  Education, Truth, Philosophical

  An Essay Concerning Human Understanding bk. 4, ch. 7, sec. 11 (1690)

• Nature never makes excellent things, for mean or no uses: and it is hardly to be conceived, that our infinitely wise Creator, should make so admirable a Faculty, as the power of Thinking, that Faculty which comes nearest the Excellency of his own incomprehensible Being, to be so idlely and uselesly employ'd, at least 1/4 part of its time here, as to think constantly, without remembering any of those Thoughts, without doing any good to it self or others, or being anyway useful to any other part of Creation.

  John Locke

  Wise, Nature, Mean

  John Locke (1815). “An essay concerning human understanding. Also extr. from the author's works, i. Analysis of mr. Locke's doctrine of ideas [&c.].”, p.96

• One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant.

  John Locke

  Love, Truth, Science

  As paraphrased in "Peter's Quotations : Ideas for our Time" by Laurence J. Peter, (p. 500), 1979.

• The Ideas of primary Qualities of Bodies, are Resemblances of them, and their Patterns do really exist in the Bodies themselves; but the Ideas, produced in us by these Secondary Qualities, have no resemblance of them at all. There is nothing like our Ideas, existing in the Bodies themselves. They are in Bodies, we denominate from them, only a Power to produce those Sensations in us: And what is Sweet, Blue or Warm in Idea, is but the certain Bulk, Figure, and Motion of the insensible parts in the Bodies themselves, which we call so.

  John Locke

  Sweet, Science, Blue

  John Locke (1836). “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”, p.76

• The Commonwealth of Learning is not at this time without Master-Builders, whose mighty Designs, in advancing the Sciences, will leave lasting Monuments to the Admiration of Posterity; But every one must not hope to be a Boyle, or a Sydenham; and in an Age that produces such Masters, as the Great-Huygenius, and the incomparable Mr. Newton, with some other of that Strain; 'tis Ambition enough to be employed as an Under-Labourer in clearing Ground a little, and removing some of the Rubbish, that lies in the way to Knowledge.

  John Locke

  Lying, Learning, Ambition

  John Locke (1854). “The Works of John Locke: Philosophical Works, with a Preliminary Essay and Notes by J. A. St. John”, p.121

• Every Man being conscious to himself, That he thinks, and that which his Mind is employ'd about whilst thinking, being the Ideas, that are there, 'tis past doubt, that Men have in their Minds several Ideas, such as are those expressed by the words, Whiteness, Hardness, Sweetness, Thinking, Motion, Man, Elephant, Army, Drunkenness, and others: It is in the first place then to be inquired, How he comes by them? I know it is a received Doctrine, That Men have native Ideas, and original Characters stamped upon their Minds, in their very first Being.

  John Locke

  Character, Army, Science

• The senses at first let in particular Ideas, and furnish the yet empty Cabinet: And the Mind by degrees growing familiar with some of them, they are lodged in the Memory, and Names got to them.

  John Locke

  Memories, Science, Names

  John Locke, John W. Yolton (1977). “The Locke Reader: Selections from the Works of John Locke with a General Introduction and Commentary”, p.126, CUP Archive

• Had you or I been born at the Bay of Soldania, possibly our Thoughts, and Notions, had not exceeded those brutish ones of the Hotentots that inhabit there: And had the Virginia King Apochancana, been educated in England, he had, perhaps been as knowing a Divine, and as good a Mathematician as any in it. The difference between him, and a more improved English-man, lying barely in this, That the exercise of his Facilities was bounded within the Ways, Modes, and Notions of his own Country, and never directed to any other or farther Enquiries.

  John Locke

  Country, Kings, Lying

• From whence it is obvious to conclude that, since our Faculties are not fitted to penetrate into the internal Fabrick and real Essences of Bodies; but yet plainly discover to us the Being of a GOD, and the Knowledge of our selves, enough to lead us into a full and clear discovery of our Duty, and great Concernment, it will become us, as rational Creatures, to imploy those Faculties we have about what they are most adapted to, and follow the direction of Nature, where it seems to point us out the way.

  John Locke

  God, Real, Knowledge

  John Locke (1721). “An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (Complete)”, p.714, Library of Alexandria

• Let us suppose the mind to be, as we say, white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas; how comes it to be furnished? Whence comes it by that vast store which the busy and boundless fancy of man has painted on it with an almost endless variety? Whence has it all the materials of reason and knowledge? To this I answer, in one word, from experience.

  John Locke

  Knowledge, Character, Science

  An Essay Concerning Human Understanding bk. 2, ch. 1, sec. 2 (1690)

• Crooked things may be as stiff and unflexible as streight: and Men may be as positive and peremptory in Error as in Truth.

  John Locke

  Truth, Science, Men

  John Locke (1706). “An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding: In Four Books”, p.591

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