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A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.

— Leonardo da Vinci

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Nature

More quotes by Leonardo da Vinci

Things that are separate shall be united and acquire such virtue that they will restore to man his lost memory.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883)

Of the horse I will say nothing because I know the times.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883)

Science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past; prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass, though but slowly.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883)

Drawing is based upon perspective, which is nothing else than a thorough knowledge of the function of the eye.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883)

Animals will be seen on the earth who will always be fighting against each other with the greatest loss and frequent deaths on each side.

The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883)

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Utu, shepherd of the land, father of the black-headed, when you go to sleep, the people go to sleep with you; youth Utu, when you rise, the people rise with you.

Lugalbanda

The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.

Edward Gibbon The History of the Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776)

Matter gave birth to a passion that has no equal, which proceeded from something contrary to nature. Then there arises a disturbance in its whole body.

Jesus

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Attribution

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