Whoever, in the pursuit of science, seeks after immediate practical utility, may generally rest assured that he will seek in vain.
Hermann von HelmholtzMusic strikes the ear as a perfectly undisturbed uniform sound which remains unaltered as long as it exists.
Hermann von HelmholtzBlack is real sensation, even if it is produced by entire absence of light. The sensation of black is distinctly different from the lack of all sensations.
Hermann von HelmholtzI then endeavoured to show that it is more especially in the thorough conformity with law which natural phenomena and natural products exhibit, and in the comparative ease with which laws can be stated, that this difference exists.
Hermann von HelmholtzJust as a physicist has to examine the telescope and galvanometer with which he is working; has to get a clear conception of what he can attain with them, and how they may deceive him; so, too, it seemed to me necessary to investigate likewise the capabilities of our power of thought.
Hermann von Helmholtz