Leonardo da Vinci May Quotations

The acquisition of knowledge is always of use to the intellect, because it may thus drive out useless things and retain the good. For nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first known.

All our knowledge hast its origins in our perceptions … In nature there is no effect without a cause … Experience never errs; it is only your judgments that err by promising themselves effects such as are not caused by your experiments … Science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past; prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass.

If we make mistakes in our first compositions and do not know them, we may not amend them.

We may call painting the grandchild of nature.

Though I may not . . . be able to quote other authors, I shall rely on that which is much greater and more worthy - on experience.

Every part is disposed to unite with the whole, that it may thereby escape from its own incompleteness.

We, by our arts may be called the grandsons of God.

Science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past; prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass, though but slowly.

Those who become enamoured of the art, without having previously applied to the diligent study of the scientific part of it, may be compared to mariners who put to the sea in a ship without rudder or compass and therefore cannot be certain of arriving at the wished for port.

If you call painting dumb poetry, the painter may call poetry blind painting.