The bad thing is that thinking about thought doesn't help at all; one has to have it from nature so that the good ideas appear before us like free children of God calling to us: Here we are.

In all our academies we attempt far too much. ... In earlier times lectures were delivered upon chemistry and botany as branches of medicine, and the medical student learned enough of them. Now, however, chemistry and botany are become sciences of themselves, incapable of comprehension by a hasty survey, and each demanding the study of a whole life, yet we expect the medical student to understand them. He who is prudent, accordingly declines all distracting claims upon his time, and limits himself to a single branch and becomes expert in one thing.

In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm... in the real world all rests on perseverance.

Normally, the sciences distance themselves from life and the return to it via a detour.

Make the most of time, it flies away so fast; yet method will teach you to win time.

Whatever Nature undertakes, she can only accomplish it in a sequence. She never makes a leap.

Because everyone uses language to talk, everyone thinks he can talk about language.