Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.

Nature never breaks her own laws.

The body of the earth is of the nature of a fish, a grampus or sperm whale, because it draws water as its breath instead of air.

There is no result in nature without a cause; understand the cause and you will have no need of the experiment.

O mighty and once living instrument of formative nature. Incapable of availing thyself of thy vast strength thou hast to abandon a life of stillness and to obey the law which God and time gave to procreative nature.

Painting embraces and contains within itself all the things which nature produces or which results from the fortuitous actions of men... he is but a poor master who makes only a single figure well.