Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle Quotes
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A well-cultivated mind is, so to speak, made up of all the minds of preceding ages; it is only one single mind which has been educated during all this time.
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They will have the World to be in Large, what a Watch is in Small; which is very regular, and depends only upon the just disposing of the several Parts of the Movement.
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True philosophers are like elephants, who when walking never placetheir second footontheground untilthefirst is steady.
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A philosopher will not believe what he sees because he is too busy speculating about what he does not see.
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The Art of Flying is but newly invented, twill improve by degrees, and in time grow perfect; then we may fly as far as the Moon.
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A true philosopher is like an elephant; he never puts the second foot down until the first one is solidly in place.
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A philospher sees the Earth as a large planet, travelling through the heavens, covered with fools.
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Let us be well assured of the Matter of Fact, before we trouble our selves with enquiring into the Cause. It is true, that this Method is too slow for the greatest part of Mankind, who run naturally to the Cause, and pass over the Truth of the Matter of Fact.
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There are three things I have loved but never understood. Art, music and women.
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It takes time to ruin a world, but time is all it takes.
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I hate war, for it spoils conversation.
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As astronomy is the daughter of idleness, geometry is the daughter of property.
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Mathematicians are like lovers. Grant a mathematician the least principle, and he will draw from it a consequence which you must also grant him, and from this consequence another.
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It is a great obstacle to happiness to expect too much.
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It is beauty that begins to please, and tenderness that completes the cbarm.
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To be happy, one must have a good stomach and a bad heart.
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We must always skim over pleasures. They are like marshy lands that we must travel nimbly, hardly daring to put down our feet.
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I have come to esteem the universe more now that I know it resembles a watch; it is surprising that the order of nature, as admirable as it is, only runs on such simple things.
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If I had my hand full of truth, I would take good care how I opened it.
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People almost always do great things without knowing how to do them, and are quite surprised to have done them.
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Truth comes home to the mind so naturally, that when we learn it for the first time, it seems as though we did no more than recall it to our memory.
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It is high time for me to depart, for at my age I now begin to see things as they really are.
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Modesty in women has two special advantages,--it enhances beauty and veils uncomeliness.