Quotes by Georg C. Lichtenberg

About Georg C. Lichtenberg:

Georg Christoph Lichtenberg is remembered for his posthumously published notebooks, which he himself called Sudelbücher, a description modelled on the English bookkeeping term "scrapbooks", and for his discovery of the strange tree-like patterns now called Lichtenberg figures.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

The most perfect ape cannot draw an ape; only man can do that; but, likewise, only man regards the ability to do this as a sign of superiority.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

The most dangerous untruths are truths slightly distorted.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

Delight at having understood a very abstract and obscure system leads most people to believe in the truth of what it demonstrates.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

Here take back the stuff that I am, nature, knead it back into the dough of being, make of me a bush, a cloud, whatever you will, even a man, only no longer make me me.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

The noble simplicity in the works of nature only too often originates in the noble shortsightedness of him who observes it.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinion at all.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

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

Georg C. Lichtenberg

Men still have to be governed by deception.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

One must judge men not by their opinions, but by what their opinions have made of them.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

Prejudices are so to speak the mechanical instincts of men: through their prejudices they do without any effort many things they would find too difficult to think through to the point of resolving to do them.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

There exists a species of transcendental ventriloquism by means of which men can be made to believe that something said on earth comes from Heaven.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

We have no words for speaking of wisdom to the stupid. He who understands the wise is wise already.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

It is almost everywhere the case that soon after it is begotten the greater part of human wisdom is laid to rest in repositories.

Georg C. Lichtenberg

Author Bio

  • NameGeorg C. Lichtenberg
  • DescriptionGerman scientist, satirist
  • BornJuly 1, 1742
  • DiedFebruary 24, 1799
  • CountryGermany
  • ProfessionPhysicist; Astronomer; Writer; Scientist
  • AwardsFellow Of The Royal Society