The classical example of a successful research programme is Newton's gravitational theory: possibly the most successful research programme ever.

The positive heuristic of the programme saves the scientist from becoming confused by the ocean of anomalies.

Man's respect for knowledge is one of his most peculiar characteristics. Knowledge in Latin is scientia, and science came to be the name of the most respectable kind of knowledge.

It is not that we propose a theory and Nature may shout NO; rather, we propose a maze of theories, and Nature may shout INCONSISTENT.

It would be wrong to assume that one must stay with a research programme until it has exhausted all its heuristic power, that one must not introduce a rival programme before everybody agrees that the point of degeneration has probably been reached.

Philosophy of science without history of science is empty; history of science without philosophy of science is blind.

Research programmes, besides their negative heuristic, are also characterized by their positive heuristic.