Alfred North Whitehead
ignorance death knowledge
“Not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance is the death of knowledge.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
unusual mind analyse obvious
“It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
philosophy independent existence
“The misconception which has haunted philosophic literature throughout the centuries is the notion of 'independent existence.' There is no such mode of existence; every entity is to be understood in terms of the way it is interwoven with the rest of the universe.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
art pattern experience joy recognition
“Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
simplicity complexity trust
“...the only simplicity to be trusted is the simplicity to be found on the far side of complexity.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
think general live detail
“We think in generalities, but we live in details.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
education child discover joy
“From the very beginning of his education, the child should experience the joy of discovery.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
philosophy wonder
“Philosophy begins in wonder. And at the end when philosophic thought has done its best the wonder remains.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
progress order change preserve
“The art of progress is to preserve order amid change, and to preserve change amid order.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
idea new crazy
“Every really new idea looks crazy at first.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
everything important before discover
“Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
intelligence apprehend ability act wise
“Intelligence is quickness to apprehend as distinct from ability, which is capacity to act wisely on the thing apprehended.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
nature mathematics aesthetic indifferent
“Nature is probably quite indifferent to the aesthetic preferences of mathematicians.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
think act first afterwards birth action
“We cannot think first and act afterwards. From the moment of birth we are immersed in action and can only guide it by taking thought.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
life complex percipience desire emotion will feeling
“Life is complex in its expression, involving more than percipience, namely desire, emotion, will, and feeling.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
science thought general particular eternal transitory
“The aims of scientific thought are to see the general in the particular and the eternal in the transitory.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
dog cat lap fond warm
“If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
99 percent life emotion brain body experience intellect cloth
"Ninety percent of our lives is governed by emotion. Our brains merely register and act upon what is telegraphed to them by our bodily experience. Intellect is to emotion as our clothes are to our bodies; we could not very well have civilized life without clothes, but we would be in a poor way if we had only clothes without bodies."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
tragedy world imaginative experience imagination
"The tragedy of the world is that those who are imaginative have but slight experience, and those who are experienced have feeble imaginations."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
definition civilization truth beauty adventure art peace
"A general definition of civilization: a civilized society is exhibiting the fine qualities of truth, beauty, adventure, art, peace."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
pursuit mathematics divine madness human spirit
"The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
everything important said before discover
"Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
learning preserve error past wisdom
"Learning preserves the errors of the past as well as its wisdom."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
seek simplicity simple distrust
"Seek simplicity and distrust it.''
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
ideas keep done
“Ideas Won't Keep. Something Must Be Done About Them.”
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
error accurate mathematical calculation nature certain model
"There is no more common error than to assure that, because prolonged and accurate mathematical calculations have been made, the application of the result to some fact of nature is absolute certain."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
zero daily life cardinal cultivate mode thought
"The point about zero is that we do not need to use it
in the operations of daily life. No one goes out to buy
zero fish. It is in a way the most civilized of all the
cardinals, and its use is only forced on us by the needs
of cultivated modes of thought."
― Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)