Copernicus

Galileo Galilei Astronomer, Physicist

"[Copernicus] did not ignore the Bible, but he knew very well that if his doctrine were proved, then it could not contradict the Scriptures when they were rightly understood."

John Calvin Theologian, Reformer

"Who will venture to place the authority of Copernicus above that of the Holy Spirit?"

W. Somerset Maugham Novelist, Playwright

"There are men whose sense of humour is so ill developed that they still bear a grudge against Copernicus because he dethroned them from the central position in the universe. They feel it a personal affront that they can no longer consider themselves the pivot upon which turns the whole of created things."

Alfred North Whitehead Philosopher, Mathematician

"The physical doctrine of the atom has got into a state which is strongly suggestive of the epicycles of astronomy before Copernicus ."