Leonardo da Vinci

All knowledge which ends in words will die as quickly as it came to life, with the exception of the written word: which is its mechanical part.

It seems that it had been destined before that I should occupy myself so thoroughly with the vulture, for it comes to my mind as a very early memory, when I was still in the cradle, a vulture came down to me, he opened my mouth with his tail and struck me a few times with his tail against my lips.

The spirit desires to remain with its body, because, without the organic instruments of that body, it can neither act, nor feel anything.

Weight, force and casual impulse, together with resistance, are the four external powers in which all the visible actions of mortals have their being and their end.

Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are most active.

It is better to imitate ancient than modern work.

Common Sense is that which judges the things given to it by other senses.

The senses are of the earth, the reason stands apart from them in contemplation.

Man and animals are in reality vehicles and conduits of food, tombs of animals, hostels of Death, coverings that consume, deriving life by the death of others.

To such an extent does nature delight and abound in variety that among her trees there is not one plant to be found which is exactly like another; and not only among the plants, but among the boughs, the leaves and the fruits, you will not find one which is exactly similar to another.

Our life is made by the death of others.

Experience does not err. Only your judgments err by expecting from her what is not in her power.

You can have no dominion greater or less than that over yourself.

Many are they who have a taste and love for drawing, but no talent; and this will be discernible in boys who are not diligent and never finish their drawings with shading.

The natural desire of good men is knowledge.

There is no object so large but that at a great distance from the eye it does not appear smaller than a smaller object near.

The length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height.

Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory.

For, verily, great love springs from great knowledge of the beloved object, and if you little know it, you will be able to love it only little or not at all.

Although nature commences with reason and ends in experience it is necessary for us to do the opposite, that is to commence with experience and from this to proceed to investigate the reason.