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Such is the privilege of genius; it perceives, it seizes relations where vulgar eyes see only isolated facts.

— François Arago Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men (1859)

Tel est le privilége du génie : il aperçoit, il saisit des rapports, là où des yeux vulgaires lie voient que des faits isolés.

Original text (French)

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Intelligence

More quotes by François Arago

On certain occasions, the eyes of the mind can supply the want of the most powerful telescopes, and lead to astronomical discoveries of the highest importance.

Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men (1859)

The calculus of probabilities, when confined within just limits, ought to interest, in an equal degree, the mathematician, the experimentalist, and the statesman.

Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men (1859)

I was often humiliated to see men disputing for a piece of bread, just as animals might have done.

Biographies of Distinguished Scientific Men (1859)

In the experimental sciences, the epochs of the most brilliant progress are almost always separated by long intervals of almost absolute repose.

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The lapse of ages has not rendered us wiser in this respect. In our own time the public delight in blending fable with history.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: François Arago (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.