William of Ockham Quotes

“3 is a prime, 5 is a prime, and 7 is a prime. Why bother with non-prime numbers when the primes can do everything?”

“All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one.”

“Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity.”

“First it must be known that only a spoken word or a conventional sign is an equivocal or univocal term; therefore a mental contentor concept is, strictly speaking, neither equivocal nor univocal.”

“For nothing ought to be posited without a reason given, unless it is self-evident (literally, known through itself) or known by experience or proved by the authority of Sacred Scripture.”

“God's existence cannot be deduced by reason alone.”

“It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer.”

“It is vain to do with more what can be done with less.”

“Keep things simple.”

“My God is the green tide in the spring leaves the redness of cherries high in the air the excitement of shooting stars the song of birds in summer branches the sunrise on a winter's morning the name of everything we don't understand.”

“Never increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.”

“No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary.”

“Of two equivalent theories or explanations, all other things being equal, the simpler one is to be preferred.”

“Plurality should not be assumed without necessity.”

“The explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is most likely to be correct.”

“With all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one.”

“And yet there is nothing knowing or resting unless it is actually knowing or resting.”

“Intuitive cognition of a thing is cognition that enables us to know whether the thing exists or does not exist, in such a way that, if the thing exists, then the intellect immediately judges that it exists and evidently knows that it exists, unless the judgment happens to be impeded through the imperfection of this cognition.”