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Who said: “Every body perseveres in its state of being at rest or of moving uniformly straight forward, except insofar as it is compelled to change its state by forces impressed.”
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Home > Dictionary of Science Quotations > Scientist Names Index L > William Law Quotes

William Law
(1686 - 9 Apr 1761)

English clergyman and writer whose classic works in English theology include themes of piety and practical morality, of which the best known is A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1728).

Science Quotes by William Law (1 quote)

What can you conceive more silly and extravagant than to suppose a man racking his brains, and studying night and day how to fly? ... wearying himself with climbing upon every ascent, ... bruising himself with continual falls, and at last breaking his neck? And all this, from an imagination that it would be glorious to have the eyes of people looking up at him, and mighty happy to eat, and drink, and sleep, at the top of the highest trees in the kingdom.
— William Law
In A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life (1732), 168. This was written before Montgolfier brothers, pioneer balloonists, were born.
Science quotes on:  |  Aeronautics (15)  |  Ascent (7)  |  Brain (281)  |  Break (109)  |  Bruise (2)  |  Climb (39)  |  Conceive (100)  |  Continual (44)  |  Day (43)  |  Drink (56)  |  Eat (108)  |  Eating (46)  |  Extravagant (10)  |  Eye (440)  |  Fall (243)  |  Flight (101)  |  Fly (153)  |  Glorious (49)  |  Glory (66)  |  Happy (108)  |  Highest (19)  |  Himself (461)  |  Imagination (349)  |  Kingdom (80)  |  Last (425)  |  Look (584)  |  Looking (191)  |  Man (2252)  |  More (2558)  |  Neck (15)  |  Night (133)  |  People (1031)  |  Silly (17)  |  Sleep (81)  |  Study (701)  |  Studying (70)  |  Suppose (158)  |  Top (100)  |  Tree (269)


Carl Sagan Thumbnail In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) -- Carl Sagan
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