“We are nature's unique experiment to make the rational intelligence prove itself sounder than the reflex.”

— Jacob Bronowski, The Ascent of Man, 1973, Episode 13: The Long Childhood

About Jacob Bronowski

1908 – 1974

Polish-British mathematician and science writer, creator of the television series "The Ascent of Man".

“What makes each human, what makes them universal, is the stamp of the creative mind.”

“Progress is the exploration of our own error.”

“Science is not a special sense. It is as wide as the literal meaning of its name: knowledge.”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”