Konrad Lorenz

“Philosophers are people who know less and less about more and more, until they know nothing about everything. Scientists are people who know more and more about less and less, until they know everything about nothing.”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“There is no faith which has never yet been broken, except that of a truly faithful dog”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“I have found the missing link between the higher ape and civilized man: It is we.”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“Barking dogs occasionally bite, but laughing men hardly ever shoot.”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“The human soul is very much older than the human mind.”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“The missing link between animals and the real human being is most likely ourselves.”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“Every scientist should, after all, regard it as his duty to tell the public, in a generally intelligible way, about what he is doing”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“Every danger loses some of its terror once its causes are understood.”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

“Scientific truth is universal, because it is only discovered by the human brain and not made by it, as art is.”

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift demanding no less binding moral responsibilities than the friendship of a human being."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"Most people have forgotten how to live with living creatures, with living systems and that, in turn, is the reason why man, whenever he comes into contact with nature, threatens to kill the natural system in which and from which he live."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"The competition between human beings destroys with cold and diabolic brutality... Under the pressure of this competitive fury we have not only forgotten what is useful to humanity as a whole, but even that which is good and advantageous to the individual. [...] One asks, which is more damaging to modern humanity: the thirst for money or consuming haste... in either case, fear plays a very important role: the fear of being overtaken by one's competitors, the fear of becoming poor, the fear of making wrong decisions or the fear of not being up to snuff..."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"All the advantages that man has gained from his ever-deepening understanding of the natural world that surrounds him, his technological, chemical and medical progress, all of which should seem to alleviate human suffering... tends instead to favor humanity's destruction."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"Humor and knowledge are the two great hopes of our culture."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the way to the next better one."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"The human mind, in taking us down the path of technocracy, has become the adversary of life itself and collaterally the adversary of the human soul."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)

"It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It keeps him young."

—Konrad Lorenz (1889-1964)