It is unity that doth enchant me. By her power I am free though thrall, happy in sorrow, rich in poverty, and quick even in death.
In space there are countless constellations, suns and planets; we see only the suns because they give light; the planets remain invisible, for they are small and dark. There are also numberless earths circling around their suns.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes how much is hidden from our view, suggesting that there are many significant things in the universe that we cannot see.
Giordano Bruno's quote reflects on the vastness of the universe, highlighting that while we can observe the bright suns, symbolizing noteworthy achievements or knowledge, many other important elements, like planets and potential life, remain unseen due to their obscurity or insignificance in light. This invites us to consider the hidden complexities in our world and encourages curiosity beyond what is immediately visible.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of scientific exploration, one might say, 'As Giordano Bruno reminds us, in space there are countless constellations.'
More from Giordano Bruno
All quotes βI who am in the night will move into the day.
There is in the universe neither center nor circumference.
Desire urges me on, while fear bridals me.
Since I have spread my wings to purpose high,_x000D_ The more beneath my feet the clouds I see,_x000D_ The more I give the winds my pinions free,_x000D_ Spurning the earth and soaring to the sky.
The universe is then one, infinite, immobile. ... It is not capable of comprehension and therefore is endless and limitless, and to that extent infinite and indeterminable, and consequently immobile.
Similar quotes
Science is history arranged according to the superstition and taste of the moment. The vocabulary of scholars has no wit, no salt. These heavy tomes have no soul, they are filled with distress.
So in regard to mental qualities, their transmission is manifest in our dogs, horses and other domestic animals. Besides special tastes and habits, general intelligence, courage, bad and good tempers. etc., are certainly transmitted.
The important thing is that we now have the tools to sequence all kinds of animals and plants and microbes - as well as humans. It is not important that we didn't actually finish the human sequence yet.
I had a feeling once about Mathematics - that I saw it all. Depth beyond depth was revealed to me - the Byss and Abyss. I saw - as one might see the transit of Venus or even the Lord Mayor's Show - a quantity passing through infinity and changing its sign from plus to minus. I saw exactly why it happened and why the tergiversation was inevitable but it was after dinner and I let it go.
All exact science is dominated by the idea of approximation.
Science does not know its debt to imagination.