As geology is essentially a historical science, the working method of the geologist resembles that of the historian. This makes the personality of th…

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

[In geology,] As in history, the material in hand remains silent if no questions are asked. The nature of these questions depends on the "school" to …

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

Geology is part of that remarkable dynamic process of the human mind which is generally called science and to which man is driven by an inquisitive u…

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

The subjective element in geological studies accounts for two characteristic types that can be distinguished among geologists. One considering geolog…

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

In our lives we have known hell and heaven; the final balance, however, is that we helped pave the way to dynamic harmony in this earthly house. That…

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

There is, however, no universal recipe for scientific advance. It is a matter of groping forward into terra incognita of the outer world by means of …

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

We will be able to depart this life with the quiet peace-giving notion, that we were permitted to contribute to the happiness of many who will live a…

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

Geology differs from physics, chemistry, and biology in that the possibilities for experiment are limited.

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen

Experiments in geology are far more difficult than in physics and chemistry because of the greater size of the objects, commonly outside our laborato…

- Reinout Willem Van Bemmelen