60 Isaac Newton Quotes That Inspire More Than Just Science Lovers

Get inspired by one of the most influential scientists ever known with the help of these Isaac Newton quotes.

Isaac Newton was an English scientist, mathematician, and astronomer who is widely recognized as one of the most influential scientists of all time, alongside greats such as Albert Einstein, Galileo, and Aristotle.

Newton made many scientific discoveries and inventions during his lifetime.

He formulated the laws of motion and universal gravitation, built the first practical reflecting telescope, developed the theory of colour.

As a mathematician, he is credited for his work on calculus, the power series, the binomial theorem and much more.

One of the great minds of the 17th century Scientific Revolution, Newton became the first scientist to be knighted when Queen Anne of England made him Sir Isaac Newton in 1705.

His ideas formed the foundation of modern physics and changed the way people saw the universe.

Although he was largely self-taught, Newton had a large impact on the way we understand and relate to the world around us.

In his honor, below is our collection of inspirational, wise, and insightful Isaac Newton quotes, collected from a variety of sources over the years.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

Our inspirational quotes category page has all of our motivational quotes for all the different areas of life.

Isaac Newton Quotes That Inspire More Than Just Science Lovers

1. “No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess.” ― Isaac Newton

2. “Plato is my friend, Aristotle is my friend, but my greatest friend is truth.” ― Isaac Newton

3. “A passion for calculus can unlock new worlds.” – Isaac Newton

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4. “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” ― Isaac Newton

5. “Genius is patience.” – Isaac Newton

6. “Inherent force of matter is the power of resisting by which everybody, so far as it is able, perseveres in its state either of resting or of moving uniformly straight forward.” – Isaac Newton

7. “Live your life as an Exclamation rather than an Explanation.”  ― Isaac Newton

8. “If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been due more to patient attention, than to any other talent.” ― Isaac Newton

9. “If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.” –  Isaac Newton

10. “Tis much better to do a little with certainty & leave the rest for others that come after than to explain all things by conjecture without making sure of any thing.” ― Issac Newton

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Isaac Newton quotes that will inspire you to reach your highest potential

11. “Nothing can be divided into more parts than it can possibly be constituted of. But matter (i.e. finite) cannot be constituted of infinite parts.” –  Isaac Newton

12. “As a blind man has no idea of colors, so we have no idea of the manner by which the all-wise God perceives and understands all things.” –  Isaac Newton

13. “Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.” – Isaac Newton

14. “Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.” ― Isaac Newton

15. “To me there has never been a higher source of earthly honor or distinction than that connected with advances in science.” – Isaac Newton

16. “You have to make the rules, not follow them.” – Isaac Newton

17. “Truth is the offspring of silence and meditation. I keep the subject constantly before me and wait ’til the first dawnings open slowly, by little and little, into a full and clear light.” ― Isaac Newton

18. “And to every action there is always an equal and opposite or contrary, reaction.”― Isaac Newton

19. “What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean.” ― Isaac Newton

20. “The proper method for inquiring after the properties of things is to deduce them from experiments.” – Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton quotes that will change the way you understand and relate to the world around you

21. “In the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God’s existence.” ― Isaac Newton

22. “To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.” ― Isaac Newton

23. “I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people.” ― Isaac Newton

24. “He who thinks half-heartedly will not believe in God; but he who really thinks has to believe in God.” – Isaac Newton

25. “The seed of a tree has the nature of a branch or twig or bud. It is a part of the tree, but if separated and set in the earth to be better nourished, the embryo or young tree contained in it takes root and grows into a new tree.”― Isaac Newton

26. “My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success.” – Isaac Newton

27. “Truth is ever to be found in the simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things.” ― Isaac Newton

28. “We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” ― Isaac Newton

29. “An object that is at rest will tend to remain at rest. An object that is in motion will tend to remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.” – Isaac Newton

30. “If others would think as hard as I did, then they would get similar results.” ― Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton quotes to inspire and teach

31. “We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances.” – Isaac Newton

32. “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion.” ― Isaac Newton

33. “All my discoveries have been made in answer to prayer.” – Isaac Newton

34. “The more time and devotion one spends in the worship of false gods, the less he is able to spend in that of the True One.” ― Isaac Newton

35. “I know not how I seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with while the vast ocean of undiscovered truth lay before me.” – Isaac Newton

36. “Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.” ― Isaac Newton

37. “I believe the more I study science, the more I believe in God.” – Isaac Newton

38. “A man may imagine things that are false, but he can only understand things that are true, for if the things be false, the apprehension of them is not understanding.” ― Isaac Newton

39. “If I have done the public any service, it is due to my patient thought.”- Isaac Newton

40. “Sir Isaac Newton was asked how he discovered the law of gravity. He replied, “By thinking about it all the time.” ― Sir Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton quotes to inspire and motivate you

41. “Don’t doubt the Creator because it is inconceivable that accidents alone could be the controller of this universe.” – Isaac Newton

42. “No sciences are better attested than the religion of the Bible.” – Isaac Newton

43. “Trials are medicines which our gracious and wise Physician prescribes because we need them; and he proportions the frequency and weight of them to what the case requires. Let us trust his skill and thank him for his prescription.” ― Isaac Newton

44. “It is the weight, not numbers of experiments that is to be regarded.” – Isaac Newton

45. “The wonderful arrangement and harmony of the cosmos would only originate in the plan of an almighty omniscient being. This is and remains my greatest comprehension.” –  Isaac Newton

46. “Errors are not in the art but in the artificers.” – Isaac Newton

47. “If you are affronted it is better to pass it by in silence, or with a jest, though with some dishonor, than to endeavor revenge. If you can keep reason above passion, that and watchfulness will be your best defenders.” – Isaac Newton

48. “There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.” ― Isaac Newton

49. “What goes up must come down.” –Isaac Newton

50. “I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” –Isaac Newton

More Isaac Newton quotes and sayings

51. “To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man or even for any one age.” – Sir Isaac Newton

52. “Yet one thing secures us whatever betide, the scriptures assures us that the Lord will provide.” – Isaac Newton

53. “If I have done great things it’s because I was standing in the closet of smart men taking notes and then publishing their ideas as my own.” – Isaac Newton

54. “The best way to understanding is a few good examples.” – Isaac Newton

55. “I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily. Opposition to godliness is atheism in profession and idolatry in practice. Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors.” – Isaac Newton

56. “If I am anything, which I highly doubt, I have made myself so by hard work.” – Isaac Newton

57. “When two forces unite, their efficiency double.” – Isaac Newton

58. “To arrive at the simplest truth requires years of contemplation.” – Isaac Newton

59. “All knowledge and understanding of the Universe was no more than playing with stones and shells on the seashore of the vast imponderable ocean of truth.” – Isaac Newton

60. “The changing of Bodies into Light, and Light into Bodies, is very conformable to the Course of Nature, which seems delighted with Transmutations.” – Isaac Newton

Did you enjoy these Isaac Newton quotes?

Isaac Newton is considered one of the most important scientists in history.

Although he is best known for his work on gravity, he worked on and discovered many other scientific wonders throughout his career.

Newton was born premature and tiny.

But despite his humble beginnings, his ideas became the foundation of modern physics and helped to shape our rational world view.

Hopefully, his words have inspired you to rise to your highest potential.

Which of these Isaac Newton quotes was your favorite?

Do you have any other inspirational quotes to add?

Feel free to share with us in the comment section below.