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Quotes from Pierre-Simon Laplace

Napoleon , when hearing about Laplace 's latest book, said, ' M. Laplace , they tell me you have written this large book on the system of the universe, and have never even mentioned its creator .' Laplace responds, 'Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là. ( I had no need of that hypothesis .)
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Read Euler , read Euler , he is the master of us all.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
L'homme ne poursuit que des chimères. ( Man follows only phantoms .) { His true last words, according to Augustus De Morgan .}
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Science] dissipates errors born of ignorance about our true relations with nature, errors the more damaging in that the social order should rest only on those relations. TRUTH! JUSTICE! Those are the immutable laws. Let us banish the dangerous maxim that it is sometimes useful to depart from them and to deceive or enslave mankind to assure its happiness.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
statistical thinking is merely an artifact of human ignorance. we need to use statistics nature does not.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
by shortening the labours doubled the life of the astronomer. { On the benefit of John Napier 's logarithms .}
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Sire,] je n'ai pas eu besoin de cette hypothèse." En répondant Napoléon qui lui demanda pourquoi sa théorie de l'univers ne indique pas Dieux.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
What we know is not much. What we do not know is immense.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
The most important questions of life are indeed, for the most part, really only problems of probability.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Man follows only phantoms.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
All the effects of Nature are only the mathematical consequences of a small number of immutable laws.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Nature laughs at the difficulties of integration.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
To Napoleon on why his works on celestial mechanics make no mention of God: Your Highness, I have no need of this hypothesis.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Your Excellency, I have no need of this hypothesis.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
What we know is not much. What we do not know is immense.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
The telescope sweeps the sky without finding God.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
The most important questions of life are indeed, for the most part, really only problems of probability.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Said about Napier's logarithms: . . . by shortening the labors doubled the life of the astronomer.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
Truth and justice are the immutable laws of social order.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace
What we know is not much. What we don't know is enormous.
~ Pierre-Simon Laplace