Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) American art collector and experimental writer of novels, poetry and plays
What Are Masterpieces and Why Are There So Few of Them (1936), Afterword of a later edition
“Almost all the serious achievements are simple in principle… the ideas must be sufficiently simple.”
As quoted in [F. J. Duarte, Laser Physicist, Optics Journal, 2012, 978-0-9760383-1-3, 63]
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John Clive Ward5
British-Australian nuclear physicist 1924–2000Related quotes
Hans-Hermann Hoppe (1949) Austrian school economist and libertarian anarcho-capitalist philosopher
"The Rise and Fall of the City" (23 November 2005) at the Ludwig von Mises Institute http://www.mises.org/story/1959
“Love is almost never simple.”
Dejan Stojanovic (1959) poet, writer, and businessman
Being Late http://www.poetrysoup.com/famous/poem/21366/Being_Late <br class="br">From the poems written in English
“It is a simple fact that all of us use the techniques of acting to achieve whatever ends we seek.”
Marlon Brando (1924–2004) American screen and stage actor
Introduction to The Technique of Acting by Stella Adler (1988)
“Sometimes simple things are the most difficult things to achieve.”
Keanu Reeves (1964) Canadian actor, director, producer and musician
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) German mathematician and physical scientist
Theoria motus corporum coelestium in sectionibus conicis solem ambientum (1809) Tr. Charles Henry Davis as Theory of the Motion of the Heavenly Bodies moving about the Sun in Conic Sections http://books.google.com/books?id=cspWAAAAMAAJ& (1857) <br class="br">Context: The principle that the sum of the squares of the differences between the observed and computed quantities must be a minimum may, in the following manner, be considered independently of the calculus of probabilities. When the number of unknown quantities is equal to the number of the observed quantities depending on them, the former may be so determined as exactly to satisfy the latter. But when the number of the former is less than that of the latter, an absolutely exact agreement cannot be obtained, unless the observations possess absolute accuracy. In this case care must be taken to establish the best possible agreement, or to diminish as far as practicable the differences. This idea, however, from its nature, involves something vague. For, although a system of values for the unknown quantities which makes all the differences respectively less than another system, is without doubt to be preferred to the latter, still the choice between two systems, one of which presents a better agreement in some observations, the other in others, is left in a measure to our judgment, and innumerable different principles can be proposed by which the former condition is satisfied. Denoting the differences between observation and calculation by A, A&rsquo;, A&rsquo;&rsquo;, etc., the first condition will be satisfied not only if AA + A&rsquo; A&rsquo; + A&rsquo;&rsquo; A&rsquo;&rsquo; + etc., is a minimum (which is our principle) but also if A4 + A&rsquo;4 + A&rsquo;&rsquo;4 + etc., or A6 + A&rsquo;6 + A&rsquo;&rsquo;6 + etc., or in general, if the sum of any of the powers with an even exponent becomes a minimum. But of all these principles ours is the most simple; by the others we should be led into the most complicated calculations.
Catherine Doherty (1896–1985) Religious order founder; Servant of God
"For This I Have Laid Down My Life", p. 12
Unfinished Pilgrimage (1995)
“I believe that the most important principle is a very simple one”
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2016, Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative Town Hall (March 2016)
Context: And I think one of the things that's important for bringing about further progress is that we listen to each other and we understand our differences. I don't think it's necessary for us to all speak one language, or all have the same foods, or all have the same customs. But I do believe that there are some universal principles that are important. I believe that the most important principle is a very simple one that is at the heart of most of the world’s great religions, which is treat somebody the same way you’d want to be treated. And if you start with that basic premise, then we will continue to make progress. But I also think that in order for us to make progress, we have to have that fellow feeling and we have to combine that with the use of our brains and reason, and our intellect. […] That requires not just a strong heart, but also using our heads. And if we do those two things, then I feel confident that we'll make progress.
George Sarton (1884–1956) American historian of science
Preface.
A History of Science Vol.1 Ancient Science Through the Golden Age of Greece (1952)
Context: The ability of nonintelligent people to understand the most complicated mechanisms and to use them has always been to me a cause of astonishment: their inability to understand simple questions is even more astonishing. The general acceptance of simple ideas is difficult and rare, and yet it is only when simple, fundamental, ideas have been accepted that further progress becomes possible on a higher level.