The Terrain Is Everything; The Germ Is

Mediocre Men Often Have The Most Acquired Knowledge. It Is In The Darker. It Is In The Darker Regions Of Science That Great Men Are Recognized; They Are Marked By Ideas Which Light Up Phenomena Hitherto Obscure And Carry Science Forward.

The Terrain Is Everything; The Germ Is Nothing.

Even Mistaken Hypotheses And Theories Are Of Use In Leading To Discoveries. This Remark Is True In All The Sciences. The Alchemists Founded Chemistry By Pursuing Chimerical Problems And Theories Which Are False. In Physical Science, Which Is More Advanced Than Biology, We Might Still Cite Men Of Science Who Make Great Discoveries By Relying On False Theories.

True Science Teaches Us To Doubt And, In Ignorance, To Refrain.

Our Ideas Are Only Intellectual Instruments Which We Use To Break Into Phenomena; We Must Change Them When They Have Served Their Purpose, As We Change A Blunt Lancet That We Have Used Long Enough.