Skip to content

Pierre-Simon Laplace Quotes

1749–1827 France

Pierre-Simon Laplace (23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French mathematician and astronomer, discoverer of the Laplace transform and Laplace's equation.

France
Academics
Astronomers
Mathematicians
Physicists

Also known as: Laplace, Laplace, Pierre-Simon, Pierre Simon Laplace

Random Pierre-Simon Laplace quote

27 quotes

"One sees, from this Essay, that the theory of probabilities is basically just common sense reduced to calculus; it makes one appreciate with exactness that which accurate minds feel with a sort of instinct, often without being able to account for it."

"Ah! That is a beautiful assumption; it explains many things."

Disputed

"[Sire,] je n'ai pas eu besoin de cette hypothèse."

Disputed

Wikipedia recounts research about this much-cited episode.

Disputed

"How can this be! You made the system of the world, you explain the laws of all creation, but in all your book you speak not once of the existence of God!"

Disputed

"I did not need to make such an assumption."

Disputed

The exchange is reported by Victor Hugo (who in turn was citing François Arago) as

Disputed

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Pierre-Simon Laplace (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.