Leonardo da Vinci Quotes

He who does not punish evil, commands it to be done.

Many have made a trade of delusions and false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitudes.

The mind that engages in subjects of too great variety becomes confused and weakened.

He is a poor pupil who does not go beyond his master.

While human ingenuity may devise various inventions to the same ends, it will never devise anything more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than nature does, because in her inventions nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous.

If you find from your own experience that something is a fact and it contradicts what some authority has written down, then you must abandon the authority and base your reasoning on your own findings.

Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind. So we must stretch ourselves to the very limits of human possibility. Anything less is a sin against both God and man.

Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds them. We live by the death of others. We are burial places.

The worst evil which can befall the artist is that his work should appear good in his own eyes.

Just as a well-filled day brings blessed sleep, so a well-employed life brings a blessed death.

A well-spent day brings happy sleep

He who truly knows has no occasion to shout.

Having wandered some distance among gloomy rocks, I came to the entrance of a great cavern ... Two contrary emotions arose in me: fear and desire — fear of the threatening dark cavern, desire to see whether there were any marvelous things in it.

Man has much power of discourse which for the most part is vain and false; animals have but little, but it is useful and true, and a small truth is better than a great lie.

He who can copy can do.