Every indication of wisdom, taken from the effect, is equally an indication of power to execute what wisdom planned. – Thomas Reid
The rules of navigation never navigated a ship. The rules of architecture never built a house. – Thomas Reid
There is no greater impediment to the advancement of knowledge than the ambiguity of words. – Thomas Reid
And, if we have any evidence that the wisdom which formed the plan is in the man, we have the very same evidence, that the power which executed it is in him also. – Thomas Reid
An investigator starts research in a new field with faith, a foggy idea, and a few wild experiments. Eventually the interplay of negative and positive results guides the work. By the time the research is completed, he or she knows how it should have been started and conducted. – Donald Cram