Numberless germs of intellectual life fill the universe, but it is only in a few rare minds that these germs find a soil in which they can be developed. In these chosen minds the idea, whose origin is unknown, shows its vitality in creative acts; in them, the mysterious laws of nature assume a form, efficient, active, and recognisable by all.

Familiar Letters on Chemistry, Letter IV (p. 63), Walton & Maberly. 1859