“After meditating deeply on this topic, it occurred to me that light, upon passing from one medium to another, has to make a choice, whether to follow the path of shortest distance (the straight line) or the path of least time. But why should it prefer time over space? Light cannot travel both paths at once, yet how does it decide to take one path over another? Rather than taking either of these paths per se, light takes the path that offers a real advantage: light takes the path that minimizes its action.”

—  Pierre Louis Maupertuis

Accord de différentes loix de la nature qui avoient jusqu’ici paru incompatibles (1744)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "After meditating deeply on this topic, it occurred to me that light, upon passing from one medium to another, has to ma…" by Pierre Louis Maupertuis?
Pierre Louis Maupertuis photo
Pierre Louis Maupertuis 24
French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters 1698–1759

Related quotes

Prevale photo

“Always take care of the emotions. They are the ones who shed light on the arduous path of life.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Abbi sempre cura delle emozioni. Sono loro a far luce sull'arduo percorso della vita.
Source: prevale.net

Benson Taylor photo

“The path of progress is the path we take towards our future.”

Benson Taylor (1983) composer and music producer from the United Kingdom

Twitter Post 2016 https://twitter.com/_bensontaylor/status/808033605469564929

Joseph Campbell photo

“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your path.”

Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) American mythologist, writer and lecturer
Jiddu Krishnamurti photo

“Truth is not something in the distance; there is no path to it, there is neither your path nor my path; there is no devotional path, there is no path of knowledge or path of action, because truth has no path to it.”

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) Indian spiritual philosopher

"Fifth Talk in Bombay 1950 (12 March 1950) http://www.jkrishnamurti.com/krishnamurti-teachings/view-text.php?tid=352&chid=4672&w=%22Truth+is+not+something+in+the+distance%22, J.Krishnamurti Online, JKO Serial No. 500312, The Collected Works, Vol. VI, p. 134
Posthumous publications, The Collected Works
Context: Truth is not something in the distance; there is no path to it, there is neither your path nor my path; there is no devotional path, there is no path of knowledge or path of action, because truth has no path to it. The moment you have a path to truth, you divide it, because the path is exclusive; and what is exclusive at the very beginning will end in exclusiveness. The man who is following a path can never know truth because he is living in exclusiveness; his means are exclusive, and the means are the end, are not separate from the end. If the means are exclusive, the end is also exclusive. So there is no path to truth, and there are not two truths. Truth is not of the past or the present, it is timeless; the man who quotes the truth of the Buddha, of Shankara, of Christ, or who merely repeats what I am saying, will not find truth, because repetition is not truth. Repetition is a lie.

“May Starclan light your path.”

Erin Hunter

“There’s a reason we are drawn to the light. A reason why we fear darkness. It’s important to be terrified and unnerved about certain things. That way we will choose another path. The path that leads us to truth and love.”

Ted Dekker (1962) American writer
Karen Horney photo

“To find a mountain path all by oneself gives a greater feeling of strength than to take a path that is shown.”

Karen Horney (1885–1952) American-German psychoanalyst

Source: Self-Analysis

Steve Blank photo

“Light a path for the better angels. The world is counting on you.”

Steve Blank (1953) American businessman

Dalhousie University Commencement Speech (2017)

Imre Kertész photo

“If one takes the path of success, then one ends up either successful or unsuccessful, there is no third alternative.”

Imre Kertész book Kaddish for an Unborn Child

Kaddish for a Child Not Born (1990)

Paulo Coelho photo

“It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think yours is the only path.”

Paulo Coelho book By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Variant: It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that yours is the only path.
Source: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

Related topics