To me it seems that those sciences are vain and full of error which are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, firsthand experience which i… - Leonardo da Vinci

We must doubt the certainty of everything which passes through the senses, but how much more ought we to doubt things contrary to the senses, such as the existence of God and the soul.

It was the opinion of Leonardo that the temporary nature of music caused its inferiority to painting. Although durability was in itself no absolute test, — else the work of coppersmiths would be the highest art, — yet in any final scale, permanence could not altogether be disregarded. Music perished in the very act of its creation, while painting preserved the beautiful from the hand of time.

A dark object seen against a bright background will appear smaller than it is. A light object will look larger when it is seen against a background darker than itself.

La semplicità è la sofisticazione finale.