“Words from empty words they sever—
Words of Truth from words of Pride.”

— James Clerk Maxwell

Part III Poems, "Reflection from Various Surfaces" (April 18, 1853)
The Life of James Clerk Maxwell (1882)
Context: By the hollow mauntain-side
Questions strange I shout for ever,
While echoes far and wide
Seem to mock my vain endeavour;
Still I shout, for though they never
Cast my borrowed voice aside,
Words from empty words they sever—
Words of Truth from words of Pride.

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James Clerk Maxwell 27

Scottish physicist 1831–1879

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