It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.
Thomas HuxleyRead
Books are the money of Literature, but only the counters of Science.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Books are valuable for literature but serve a more functional role in science.
In this quote, Thomas Huxley suggests that while books hold significant literary value and cultural worth in the realm of literature, in science they act more like tools or measures—essential for practical understanding but not the ultimate goal. This highlights the different roles that literature and science play in knowledge and human experience, emphasizing the idea that literature enriches our lives while science provides us with systematic knowledge and utility.
Themes
BooksLiteratureScienceKnowledgeValue
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of reading, this quote can be used to illustrate the different values of literature and science.
More from Thomas Huxley
All quotes →The child who has been taught to make an accurate elevation, plan, and section of a pint pot has had an admirable training in accuracy of eye and hand.
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Let us have "sweet girl graduates" by all means. They will be none the less sweet for a little wisdom; and the "golden hair" will not curl less gracefully outside the head by reason of there being brains within.
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The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of childhood into maturity.
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It is the first duty of a hypothesis to be intelligible.
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Of the few innocent pleasures left to men past middle life, the jamming of common sense down the throats of fools is perhaps the keenest.
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