To advance science, we must be willing to challenge established ideas.

The pursuit of truth is the highest goal of any scientist.

The science of operations, as derived from mathematics more especially, is a science of itself, and has its own abstract truth and value.

Science is independent of opinion based on custom and authority.

The beauty of science lies in its ability to reveal the unknown.

A system is only as good as its design.

A young man passes from our public schools to the universities, ignorant almost of the elements of every branch of useful knowledge.

Comparison is the key to all understanding. Everything in our world, both animate and inanimate, can be classified and understood by comparing it to other things.

There is no cause without an effect.

Logic is the foundation of all scientific reasoning.

The mind of man is capable of anything.

The principles of precision and accuracy are fundamental to effective machine design.

To those who have chosen the profession of medicine, a knowledge of chemistry, and of some branches of natural history, and, indeed, of several other departments of science, affords useful assistance.

Thinking is what the brain does – pushing information around and modeling possible outcomes.

The nature of legislation and the pronunciation of laws are matters of the greatest weight and importance to the community. On these is generally considered to rest the well-being or suffering of nations.

A machine’s design should always consider both its intended use and potential limitations.

The advancement of technology relies on the continuous refinement of mechanical designs and concepts.

A well-engineered machine can simplify even the most complex calculations and tasks.

Another mode of accumulating power arises from lifting a weight and then allowing it to fall.

Of Cooking. This is an art of various forms, the object of which is to give ordinary observations the appearance and character of those of the highest degree of accuracy. One of its numerous processes is to make multitudes of observations, and out of these to select only those which agree, or very nearly agree. If a hundred observations are made, the cook must be very unhappy if he cannot pick out fifteen or twenty which will do for serving up.

Numbers govern the universe.

The effectiveness of mechanical devices is determined by their precision and ability to perform consistently.

Designing a machine involves both understanding its theoretical principles and applying practical solutions.

The potential of mechanical computation lies in its ability to handle large volumes of data with precision.

Surely, if knowledge is valuable, it can never be good policy in a country far wealthier than Tuscany, to allow a genius like Mr. Dalton’s, to be employed in the drudgery of elementary instruction.

In mathematical science, more than in all others, it happens that truths which are at one period the most abstract, and apparently the most remote from all useful application, become in the next age the bases of profound physical inquiries, and in the succeeding one, perhaps, by proper simplification and reduction to tables, furnish their ready and daily aid to the artist and the sailor.

The grand and unchangeable certainty of all cause and effect is the unalterable fact that there is no such thing as chance.

Innovation in engineering requires both a deep understanding of existing technologies and a vision for new possibilities.

The accuracy of a machine’s operations is essential to its success and effectiveness.

I am inclined to attach some importance to the new system of manufacturing; and venture to throw it out with the hope of its receiving a full discussion among those who are most interestedin the subject.

Time, which is the author of authors, be not deprived of his due, which is, further and further to discover truth.

The development of new machines is a process of continual improvement and refinement.

Truth is beyond opinion; only in truth is there peace.

Engineering innovation often stems from a combination of creativity, technical knowledge, and practical experience.

The success of a machine is often measured by its ability to solve problems with precision and efficiency.

The possessors of wealth can scarcely be indifferent to processes which, nearly or remotely have been the fertile source of their possessions.

The Analytical Engine, when constructed, will be able to carry out anything that comes within the scope of mathematical analysis.

That science has long been neglected and declining in England, is not an opinion originating with me, but is shared by many, and has been expressed by higher authority than mine.

A machine’s performance is a testament to the quality of its design and the skill of its engineers.

The role of mechanical devices in scientific research is to provide accurate tools for understanding and exploration.

The advancement of technology is driven by the pursuit of greater accuracy and efficiency in mechanical design.

Knowledge is the most powerful tool we have for changing the world.

Technology is best when it brings people together.

The fundamental principle of design is simplicity.

An engineer is someone who makes useful things from materials of little or no value.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.

It will be readily admitted, that a degree conferred by an university, ought to be a pledge to the public that he who holds it possesses a certain quantity of knowledge.

The golden age of mathematical literature is undoubtedly past.

Perhaps it would be better for science, that all criticism should be avowed.

In mathematics, mistakes aren’t fatal – just annoying.

Whenever the work is itself light, it becomes necessary, in order to economize time, to increase the velocity.

To achieve something, we must first dream of it.

The complexity of human thought is reflected in the complexity of the machines we build.

The economy of human time is the next advantage of machinery in manufactures.

Mathematics is the only science that can be regarded as absolutely certain.

The public character of every public servant is legitimate subject of discussion, and his fitness or unfitness for office may be fairly canvassed by any person.

You will be able to appreciate the influence of such an Engine on the future progress of science. I live in a country which is incapable of estimating it.

It is easier to invent the future than to predict it.

The use of machines is, in its essence, the same as that of mathematics: to simplify the process of problem-solving.

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.

The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it.

For one person who is blessed with the power of invention, many will always be found who have the capacity of applying principles.

At each increase of knowledge, as well as on the contrivance of every new tool, human labour becomes abridged.

The accumulation of skill and science which has been directed to diminish the difficulty of producing manufactured goods, has not been beneficial to that country alone in which it is concentrated distant kingdoms have participated in its advantages.

The first steps in the path of discovery, and the first approximate measures, are those which add most to the existing knowledge of mankind.

As soon as an Analytical Engine exists, it will necessarily guide the future course of science.

A person who is never wrong is someone who has never had to make a decision.

The more I study, the more I know. The more I know, the more I realize how much I don’t know.

Errors using inadequate data are much less than those using no data at all.

The whole of organic chemistry, including a variety of its more complex products, can be imitated in a manner at once cheap and easy, without the need of apprehending the dark and mysterious powers of vitality.

Telegraphs are machines for conveying information over extensive lines with great rapidity.

What is there in a name? It is merely an empty basket, until you put something into it.

On two occasions I have been asked, ‘Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?’ I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.