Johannes Kepler Quotes

German mathematician and astronomer (1571–1630)

Johannes Kepler (December 27 1571 – November 15 1630) was a German Lutheran mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and a key figure in the 17th century astronomical revolution. He is best known for his laws of planetary motion, which provided one of the foundations of Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation.

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Alternative Names: John Kepler • John Keppler • Johanes Kepler • Kepler • Keppler • Johannes Keppler • Johann Kepler

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We do not ask for what useful purpose the birds do sing, for song is their pleasure since they were created for singing. Similarly, we ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of the heavens… The diversity of the phenomena of Nature is so great, and the treasures hidden in the heavens so rich, precisely in order that the human mind shall never be lacking in fresh nourishment.

Nu ne întrebăm în ce scop util cântă păsările, cântecul este bucuria lor de când au fost zămislite pentru cântat. La fel, n-ar trebui să ne întrebăm de ce spiritul omului se străduieşte să pătrundă secretele cerurilor. Diversitatea fenomenelor naturii e atât de mare, iar comorile ascunse în ceruri atât de bogate, tocmai pentru ca spiritul omului să nu fie nicicând lipsit de hrană proaspătă.

The sphere of the attractive virtue which is in the moon extends as far as the earth, and entices up the waters; but as the moon flies rapidly across the zenith, and the waters cannot follow so quickly, a flow of the ocean is occasioned in the torrid zone towards the westward.

There are, in fact, as I began to say above, not a few principles which are the special property of mathematics, such principles as are discovered by the common light of nature, require no demonstration, and which concern quantities primarily; then they are applied to other things, so far as the latter have something in common with quantities. Now there are more of these principles in mathematics than in the other theoretical sciences because of that very characteristic of the human understanding which seems to be such from the law of creation, that nothing can be known completely except quantities or by quantities. And so it happens that the conclusions of mathematics are most certain and indubitable.

I used to measure the heavens
Now the Earth's shadows I measure
My mind was in the heavens,
Now the shadow of my body rests here

[Quantity is the fundamental feature of things,] the 'primarium accidens substantiae,' ...prior to the other categories.

When ships to sail the void between the stars have been built, there will step forth men to sail these ships.

Every corporeal substance, so far forth as it is corporeal, has a natural fitness for resting in every place where it may be situated by itself beyond the sphere of influence of a body cognate with it.