Science Proceeds More By What It Has

I Would Beg The Wise And Learned Fathers (of The Church) To Consider With All Diligence The Difference Which Exists Between Matters Of Mere Opinion And Matters Of Demonstration. ... [i]t Is Not In The Power Of Professors Of The Demonstrative Sciences To Alter Their Opinions At Will, So As To Be Now Of One Way Of Thinking And Now Of Another. ... [d]emonstrated Conclusions About Things In Nature Of The Heavens, Do Not Admit Of Being Altered With The Same Ease As Opinions To What Is Permissible Or Not, Under A Contract, Mortgage, Or Bill Of Exchange.

To Command Their Professors Of Astronomy To Refute Their Own Observations Is To Command Them Not To See What They Do See And Not To Understand What They Do Understand.

I Think That In The Discussion Of Natural Problems We Ought To Begin Not With The Scriptures, But With Experiments, And Demonstrations.

In Regard To The Philosophers, If They Be True Philosophers, I.e., Lovers Of Truth, They Should Not Be Irritated That The Earth Moves. Rather, If They Realize That They Have Held A False Belief, They Should Thank Those Have Shown Them The Truth; And If Their Opinion Stands Firm That The Earth Doesn't Move, They Will Have Reason To Boast Than Be Angered.

If There Were As Great A Scarcity Of Soil As Of Jewels Or Precious Metals, There Would Not Be A Prince Who Would Not Spend A Bushel Of Diamonds And Rubies And A Cartload Of Gold Just To Have Enough Earth To Plant A Jasmine In A Little Pot, Or To Sow An Orange Seed And Watch It Sprout, Grow, And Produce Its Handsome Leaves, Its Fragrant Flowers, And Fine Fruit.