The best that can be said of my life so far is that it has been industrious, and the best that can be said of me is that I have not pretended to what I was not.
Maria MitchellRead
I have just gone over my comet computations again, and it is humiliating to perceive how very little more I know than I did seven years ago when I first did this kind of work.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the humble realization of the limits of one's knowledge despite years of effort.
Maria Mitchell expresses a sense of humility and frustration regarding her progress in understanding comets over the past seven years. Her observation indicates that despite her hard work and dedication to the study, she recognizes that the vastness of knowledge is such that her personal growth feels minimal in comparison. This sentiment underscores the ongoing journey of learning and the challenge of truly mastering a subject.
Themes
KnowledgeHumilityLearningScienceComets
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture about the limits of scientific knowledge.
More from Maria Mitchell
All quotes →To read a book, to think it over, and to write out notes is a useful exercise; a book which will not repay some hard thought is not worth publishing.
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There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.
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Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow.
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I am just learning to notice the different colors of the stars, and already begin to have a new enjoyment.
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We travel to learn; and I have never been in any country where they did not do something better than we do it, think some thoughts better than we think, catch some inspiration from heights above our own.
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