306 Quotes by Thomas Huxley

Agnosticism, in fact, is not a creed, but a method, the essence of which lies in the rigorous application of a single principle. ... Positively the principle may be expressed: In matters of the intellect, follow your reason as far as it will take you, without regard to any other consideration. And negatively: In matters of the intellect, do not pretend that conclusions are certain which are not demonstrated or demonstrable.

Ecclesiasticism in science is only unfaithfulness to truth.

I take it that the good of mankind means the attainment, by every man, of all the happiness which he can enjoy without diminishing the happiness of his fellow men.

The only freedom I care about is the freedom to do right; the freedom to do wrong I am ready to part with on the cheapest terms to anyone who will take it of me.

We live in a world which is full of misery and ignorance, and the plain duty of each of us is to try to make the little corner he can influence somewhat less miserable and somewhat less ignorant than it was before he entered it.

It is not to be forgotten that what we can rational grounds for our benefits are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts.

Truly it has been said, that to a clear eye the smallest fact is a window through which the infinite may be seen.

Science is organized common sense where many beautiful theory was killed by an ugly fact.

The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the Universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature, the player on the other sideis hidden from us.