Galileo Galilei Quotes
Galileo's books and letters are the sources for the quotes below. His most famous line, “And yet it moves”, was first written down more than a century after his trial.
4 real Galileo Galilei quotes, with sources
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with senses, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.”Galileo Galilei — Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, 1615
“Philosophy is written in this grand book, the universe, which stands continually open to our gaze… It is written in the language of mathematics.”Galileo Galilei — The Assayer (Il Saggiatore), 1623
“The intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.”Galileo Galilei — Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, 1615 (repeating a saying of Cardinal Baronius)
“See now the power of truth; the same experiment which at first glance seemed to show one thing, when more carefully examined, assures us of the contrary.”Galileo Galilei — Two New Sciences (1638), Third Day
Famous quotes Galileo Galilei never said
“And yet it moves.”First recorded by Giuseppe Baretti in 1757, over a century after Galileo's trial. Historians consider it a legend.
“I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him.”Traced back only as far as Will Durant's history The Age of Reason Begins (1935), with no source in Galileo's writings.
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”Found only in modern books, with no reference to any of Galileo's works.
Who was Galileo Galilei?
Galileo turned an improved telescope to the sky and saw the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus and mountains on the Moon. His support for a Sun-centred universe brought him before the Inquisition in 1633, and he spent his final years under house arrest. Read more on Wikipedia.
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What is Galileo Galilei's most famous quote?
One of the best known is “Philosophy is written in this grand book, the universe, which stands continually open to our gaze… It is written in the language of mathematics.” (The Assayer (Il Saggiatore), 1623)
Did Galileo Galilei really say “And yet it moves.”?
No. First recorded by Giuseppe Baretti in 1757, over a century after Galileo's trial. Historians consider it a legend.
Did Galileo Galilei really say “I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him.”?
No. Traced back only as far as Will Durant's history The Age of Reason Begins (1935), with no source in Galileo's writings.
Did Galileo Galilei really say “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”?
No. Found only in modern books, with no reference to any of Galileo's works.
Where do these Galileo Galilei quotes come from?
Galileo's books and letters are the sources for the quotes below. His most famous line, “And yet it moves”, was first written down more than a century after his trial.
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