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Those who have racked their brains to discover new proofs have perhaps been induced to do so by a compulsion they could not quite explain to themselves. Instead of giving us their new proofs they should have explained to us the motivation that constrained them to search for them.

— Georg Christoph Lichtenberg Aphorisms (1765)

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More quotes by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

It is almost impossible to bear the torch of truth through a crowd without singeing somebody’s beard.

Aphorisms (1765)

If you are going to build something in the air it is always better to build castles than houses of cards.

Aphorisms (1765)

The human tendency to regard little things as important has produced very many great things.

Aphorisms (1765)

Nothing can contribute more to peace of soul than the lack of any opinion whatever.

Aphorisms (1765)

Even truth needs to be clad in new garments if it is to appeal to a new age.

Aphorisms (1765)

All Georg Christoph Lichtenberg quotes →

Attribution

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