When I consider the multitude of associated forces which are diffused through nature - when I think of that calm balancing of their energies which enables those most powerful in themselves, most destructive to the world's creatures and economy, to dwell associated together and be made subservient to the wants of creation, I rise from the contemplation more than ever impressed with the wisdom, the beneficence, and grandeur, beyond our language to express, of the Great Disposer of us all.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the interconnectedness of natural forces and their grand design, evoking a sense of awe for the creator.
In this quote, Michael Faraday contemplates the complex interplay of forces in nature and how even the most powerful and destructive elements serve a greater purpose within the ecosystem. This reflection leads him to recognize a profound wisdom and benevolence in the overall order of the universe, suggesting that there is a transcendent intelligence behind the workings of creation that is beyond human comprehension.
In practice
In a speech about environmental protection, one could use this quote to emphasize the grandeur of nature and our role in preserving it.
I think chemistry is being frittered away by the hairsplitting of the organic chemists; we have new compounds discovered, which scarcely differ from the known ones and when discovered are valueless-very illustrations perhaps of their refinements in analysis, but very little aiding the progress of true science.
I am no poet, but if you think for yourselves, as I proceed, the facts will form a poem in your minds.
It is on record that when a young aspirant asked Faraday the secret of his success as a scientific investigator, he replied, 'The secret is comprised in three words- Work, Finish, Publish.'
Water is to me, I confess, a phenomenon which continually awakens new feelings of wonder as often as I view it.
It is right that we should stand by and act on our principles; but not right to hold them in obstinate blindness, or retain them when proved to be erroneous.
Chemistry is necessarily an experimental science: its conclusions are drawn from data, and its principles supported by evidence from facts.
There is such a thing as man being too proud to fight. There is such a thing as a nation being so right that it does not need to convince others by force that it is right.
All growth, progress, well - being, or degradation is but relative.
The meaning in life is not out there but inbetween our ears. In many ways this makes us the lords of creation.
Only the shallow know themselves.
We are a society that has been structured from top to bottom by race. You don't get beyond that by deciding not to talk about it anymore. It will always come back; it will always reassert itself over and over again.
Dying is not romantic, and death is not a game which will soon be over... Death is not anything... death is not... It's the absence of presence, nothing more... the endless time of never coming back... a gap you can't see, and when the wind blows through it, it makes not sound.
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