Now I have to define what I mean by "action". When a material body is transported from one point to another, it involves an action that depends on th… - Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis

The quantity of action is the product of the mass of the bodies times their speed and the distance they travel. When a body is transported from one place to another, the action is proportional to the mass of the body, to its speed and to the distance over which it is transported.

When a change occurs in Nature, the quantity of action necessary for that change is as small as possible.

A true philosopher does not engage in vain disputes about the nature of motion; rather, he wishes to know the laws by which it is distributed, conserved or destroyed, knowing that such laws is the basis for all natural philosophy.

Despite the disorder observed in Nature, one finds enough traces of the wisdom and power of its Author that one cannot fail to recognize Him.