Science, my lad, has been built upon many errors; but they are errors which it was good to fall into, for they led to the truth.
[La science, mon garçon, est faite d’erreurs, mais d’erreurs qu’il est bon de commettre, car elles mènent peu à peu à la vérité.]
Jules Verne (1828–1905) French novelist, poet, playwright
Journey to the Center of the Earth, ch. 31 (1864) [tr. Malleson (1877)]
(Source)
Alt. trans.: "Science, my lad, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make, because they lead little by little to the truth."
Quotations about:
self-correcting
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I dont never hav enny trubble in regulating mi own kondukt, but tew keep other pholks straight iz what bothers me.
[I don’t never have any trouble in regulating my own conduct, but to keep other folks straight is what bothers me.]
Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Everybody’s Friend, Or; Josh Billing’s Encyclopedia and Proverbial Philosophy of Wit and Humor, ch. 165 “Affurisms: Shooting Stars” (1874)
(Source)
The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.
Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859) French writer, diplomat, politician
Democracy in America, Vol. 1, ch. 13 (1835)
