I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also to those which I have intentionally omitted so as to leave to others the pleasure of discovery.

Truths are more likely to be discovered by one man than by a nation

At last I will devote myself sincerely and without reservation to the general demolition of my opinions.

I was convinced that our beliefs are based much more on custom and example than on any certain knowledge.

Give me extension and motion and I will construct the universe.

I concluded that I might take as a general rule the principle that all things which we very clearly and obviously conceive are true: only observing, however, that there is some difficulty in rightly determining the objects which we distinctly conceive.

The chief cause of human errors is to be found in the prejudices picked up in childhood.