William Gilbert

“The earth's force is the force of a whole, and the force of a lodestone is the force of a part.”

“To you alone, true philosophers, ingenuous minds, who not only in books but in things themselves look for knowledge, have I dedicated these foundations of magnetic science.”

“For it is not only in the north that the iron is drawn by the magnet, but in every part of the world.”

“In the discovery of secret things and in the investigation of hidden causes, stronger reasons are obtained from sure experiments and demonstrated arguments than from probable conjectures and the opinions of philosophical speculators of the common sort.”

“The magnetic force is animate, or imitates a soul; in many respects it surpasses the human soul while it is united to an organic body.”