"I have suffered a great deal from writers who have quoted this or that sentence of mine either out of its context or in juxtaposition to some incongruous matter which quite distorted my meaning, or destroyed it altogether."
"Inventive genius requires pleasurable mental activity as a condition for its vigorous exercise. "Necessity is the mother of invention" is a silly proverb. "Necessity is the mother of futile dodges" is much closer to the truth. The basis of growth of modern invention is science, and science is almost wholly the outgrowth of pleasurable intellectual curiosity."
16 likes
Source: Alfred North Whitehead (1967). “Aims of Education”, p.1, Simon and Schuster
About the author
Same author
More quotes by Alfred North Whitehead
"The misconception which has haunted philosophic literature throughout the centuries is the notion of 'independent existence.' There is no such mode of existence; every entity is to be understood in terms of the way it is interwoven with the rest of the universe."
"No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude."
"The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order."
"If a dog jumps into your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer."
"There are no whole truths: All truths are half-truths."