Man cannot act upon Nature, or appropriate her forces to his own use, without comprehending their full extent and having an intimate acquaintance with the laws of the physical world.


Translated by E.C. Otte, Cosmos: A Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe (Volume 1), Introduction (p. 53)

Alexander von Humboldt Quotes

Man cannot act upon Nature, or appropriate her forces to his own use, without comprehending their full extent and having an intimate acquaintance...

Man cannot act upon Nature, or appropriate her forces to his own use, without comprehending their full extent and having an intimate acquaintance...

Man cannot act upon Nature, or appropriate her forces to his own use, without comprehending their full extent and having an intimate acquaintance...

Man cannot act upon Nature, or appropriate her forces to his own use, without comprehending their full extent and having an intimate acquaintance...