--- title: "12 Royal Society Quotes by 12 authors" description: "Browse 12 Royal Society quotes by 12 authors. Discover the best Royal Society sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/john-e-walker-53937_fellow_in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-ro_2339918.png" --- > [In 1995, I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-walker/in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-royal-society/) [John E. Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-walker/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/john-e-walker-53937_fellow_in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-ro_2339918.png) > [My older brother is a distinguished theoretical physicist, a fellow of the Royal Society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/my-older-brother-is-a-distinguished-theoretical-physicist-a-fellow-of/) [Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/roger-penrose-10729_brother_my-older-brother-is-a-distinguished-theo_649380.jpg) > [The Council of the Royal Society is a collection of men who elect each other to office and then dine together at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/the-council-of-the-royal-society-is-a-collection-of-men-who-elect/) [Charles Babbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-babbage/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/charles-babbage-8461_collections_the-council-of-the-royal-society-is-a-co_1715794.jpg) > [Perhaps the most important contribution to science that the Royal Society has made in its three centuries of existence is its early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schwinger/perhaps-the-most-important-contribution-to-science-that-the-royal/) [Julian Schwinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schwinger/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/julian-schwinger-85246_accounts_perhaps-the-most-important-contribution_2036859.png) > [Charles II once invited the members of the Royal Society to explain to him why a dead fish weighs more than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-macintyre/charles-ii-once-invited-the-members-of-the-royal-society-to-explain/) [Alasdair MacIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-macintyre/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/alasdair-macintyre-14695_alive_charles-ii-once-invited-the-members-of-t_830847.jpg) > [Instead of having to be a member of the Royal Society to do science, the way you had to be in England…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/instead-of-having-to-be-a-member-of-the-royal-society-to-do-science/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/seth-lloyd-13748_18th-century_instead-of-having-to-be-a-member-of-the_929742.jpg) > [The business and design of the Royal Society is: To improve the knowledge of naturall things, and all useful Arts, Manufactures, Mechanic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hooke/the-business-and-design-of-the-royal-society-is-to-improve-the/) [Robert Hooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hooke/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/robert-hooke-33958_art_the-business-and-design-of-the-royal-soc_2799556.jpg) > [ \[The Royal Society\] is quite simply the voice of science in Britain. It is intellectually rigorous, not afraid to be outspoken on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-royal-society-is-quite-simply-the-voice-of-science-in-britain-it/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/bill-bryson-340_britain_the-royal-society-is-quite-simply-the-vo_2849792.jpg) > [“It's better to read first rate science fiction than second rate science -- it's a lot more fun, and no more likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-rees/it-s-better-to-read-first-rate-science-fiction-than-second-rate-2/) [Lord Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-rees/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/lord-rees-94521_science_it-s-better-to-read-first-rate-science-f_1843754.jpg) > [“One night she got into an argument with one of the scientists about the recent discovery of a new planet called Uranus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/one-night-she-got-into-an-argument-with-one-of-the-scientists-about/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/eloisa-james-1659_astronomy_one-night-she-got-into-an-argument-with_112734.jpg) > [“Liliana Claremont entered the cottage through the kitchen, muffling the click of the latch with her wool scarf. She had no wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-snow/liliana-claremont-entered-the-cottage-through-the-kitchen-muffling/) [Heather Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-snow/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/heather-snow-65649_plant-life_liliana-claremont-entered-the-cottage-th_1120398.jpg) > [In an echo of earlier times, the climate change prophets have in recent years tried to silence counter views and suppress dissent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-robinson/in-an-echo-of-earlier-times-the-climate-change-prophets-have-in/) [Colin Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-robinson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/054/colin-robinson-66433_action_in-an-echo-of-earlier-times-the-climate_2935728.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-society/#itemlist", "name": "Royal Society Quotes", "numberOfItems": 12, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In 1995, I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John E. Walker" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-walker/in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-royal-society/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/john-e-walker-53937_fellow_in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-ro_2339918.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/john-e-walker-53937_fellow_in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-ro_2339918.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/john-e-walker-53937_fellow_in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-ro_2339918.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In 1995, I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.” — John E. Walker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My older brother is a distinguished theoretical physicist, a fellow of the Royal Society.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Roger Penrose" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/my-older-brother-is-a-distinguished-theoretical-physicist-a-fellow-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/roger-penrose-10729_brother_my-older-brother-is-a-distinguished-theo_649380.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/roger-penrose-10729_brother_my-older-brother-is-a-distinguished-theo_649380.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e17/roger-penrose-10729_brother_my-older-brother-is-a-distinguished-theo_649380.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My older brother is a distinguished theoretical physicist, a fellow of the Royal Society.” — Roger Penrose", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Council of the Royal Society is a collection of men who elect each other to office and then dine together at the expense of this society to praise each other over wine and give each other medals.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Babbage" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-babbage/the-council-of-the-royal-society-is-a-collection-of-men-who-elect/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/charles-babbage-8461_collections_the-council-of-the-royal-society-is-a-co_1715794.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/charles-babbage-8461_collections_the-council-of-the-royal-society-is-a-co_1715794.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/charles-babbage-8461_collections_the-council-of-the-royal-society-is-a-co_1715794.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Council of the Royal Society is a collection of men who elect each other to office and then dine…” — Charles Babbage", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perhaps the most important contribution to science that the Royal Society has made in its three centuries of existence is its early role in publishing Newton's masterful account of his discoveries.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julian Schwinger" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schwinger/perhaps-the-most-important-contribution-to-science-that-the-royal/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/julian-schwinger-85246_accounts_perhaps-the-most-important-contribution_2036859.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/julian-schwinger-85246_accounts_perhaps-the-most-important-contribution_2036859.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db5/julian-schwinger-85246_accounts_perhaps-the-most-important-contribution_2036859.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps the most important contribution to science that the Royal Society has made in its three centuries of…” — Julian Schwinger", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 5, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Charles II once invited the members of the Royal Society to explain to him why a dead fish weighs more than the same fish alive; a number of subtle explanations were offered to him. He then pointed out that it does not.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alasdair MacIntyre" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-macintyre/charles-ii-once-invited-the-members-of-the-royal-society-to-explain/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/alasdair-macintyre-14695_alive_charles-ii-once-invited-the-members-of-t_830847.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/alasdair-macintyre-14695_alive_charles-ii-once-invited-the-members-of-t_830847.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/alasdair-macintyre-14695_alive_charles-ii-once-invited-the-members-of-t_830847.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Charles II once invited the members of the Royal Society to explain to him why a dead fish weighs more than…” — Alasdair MacIntyre", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 6, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Instead of having to be a member of the Royal Society to do science, the way you had to be in England in the 17th, 18th, centuries today pretty much anybody who wants to do it can, and the information that they need to do it is there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Seth Lloyd" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/instead-of-having-to-be-a-member-of-the-royal-society-to-do-science/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/seth-lloyd-13748_18th-century_instead-of-having-to-be-a-member-of-the_929742.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/seth-lloyd-13748_18th-century_instead-of-having-to-be-a-member-of-the_929742.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/288/seth-lloyd-13748_18th-century_instead-of-having-to-be-a-member-of-the_929742.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instead of having to be a member of the Royal Society to do science, the way you had to be in England in the…” — Seth Lloyd", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The business and design of the Royal Society is: To improve the knowledge of naturall things, and all useful Arts, Manufactures, Mechanic practices, Engines and Inventions by Experiments-(not meddling with Divinity, Metaphysics, Moralls, Politicks, Grammar, Rhetoric or Logick).", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Hooke" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hooke/the-business-and-design-of-the-royal-society-is-to-improve-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/robert-hooke-33958_art_the-business-and-design-of-the-royal-soc_2799556.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/robert-hooke-33958_art_the-business-and-design-of-the-royal-soc_2799556.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8f/robert-hooke-33958_art_the-business-and-design-of-the-royal-soc_2799556.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The business and design of the Royal Society is: To improve the knowledge of naturall things, and all useful…” — Robert Hooke", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[The Royal Society] is quite simply the voice of science in Britain. It is intellectually rigorous, not afraid to be outspoken on controversial issues such as climate change, but it is not aggressively secular either, insisting on a single view of the world. In fact, there are plenty of eminent scientists - Robert Winston, for instance - who are also men of faith.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Bryson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-royal-society-is-quite-simply-the-voice-of-science-in-britain-it/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/bill-bryson-340_britain_the-royal-society-is-quite-simply-the-vo_2849792.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/bill-bryson-340_britain_the-royal-society-is-quite-simply-the-vo_2849792.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/bill-bryson-340_britain_the-royal-society-is-quite-simply-the-vo_2849792.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[The Royal Society] is quite simply the voice of science in Britain. It is intellectually rigorous, not…” — Bill Bryson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's better to read first rate science fiction than second rate science -- it's a lot more fun, and no more likely to be wrong,\" joked Lord Rees, Astronomer Royal and the former president of the Royal Society, at Wired 2013.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lord Rees" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-rees/it-s-better-to-read-first-rate-science-fiction-than-second-rate-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/lord-rees-94521_science_it-s-better-to-read-first-rate-science-f_1843754.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/lord-rees-94521_science_it-s-better-to-read-first-rate-science-f_1843754.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/lord-rees-94521_science_it-s-better-to-read-first-rate-science-f_1843754.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's better to read first rate science fiction than second rate science -- it's a lot more fun, and no more…” — Lord Rees", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“One night she got into an argument with one of the scientists about the recent discovery of a new planet called Uranus [...] 'What did he really do? The man spends his time stargazing, that's all. And now he's elected a fellow of the Royal Society! For nothing. You know, Sir Giles [...] Sir Giles identified the genus of the Purple Swamphen. Now that's a good reason to become a Fellow. This man just looks at the sky and notices a star. Bah!' 'But we need to map the night sky,' Harriet said. 'We have to understand our world. And stars are no different than wings on a butterfly, to me.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eloisa James" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/one-night-she-got-into-an-argument-with-one-of-the-scientists-about/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/eloisa-james-1659_astronomy_one-night-she-got-into-an-argument-with_112734.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/eloisa-james-1659_astronomy_one-night-she-got-into-an-argument-with_112734.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/eloisa-james-1659_astronomy_one-night-she-got-into-an-argument-with_112734.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One night she got into an argument with one of the scientists about the recent discovery of a new planet…” — Eloisa James", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Liliana Claremont entered the cottage through the kitchen, muffling the click of the latch with her wool scarf. She had no wish to wake Carsons, her butler and all-around manservant. She’d given the rest of the staff holiday since she wasn’t expected back for a fortnight yet. But after the Royal Society rejected her paper on the possible isolation of chemicals from plant life, she couldn’t stomach staying in London another moment.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heather Snow" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-snow/liliana-claremont-entered-the-cottage-through-the-kitchen-muffling/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/heather-snow-65649_plant-life_liliana-claremont-entered-the-cottage-th_1120398.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/heather-snow-65649_plant-life_liliana-claremont-entered-the-cottage-th_1120398.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/heather-snow-65649_plant-life_liliana-claremont-entered-the-cottage-th_1120398.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Liliana Claremont entered the cottage through the kitchen, muffling the click of the latch with her wool…” — Heather Snow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In an echo of earlier times, the climate change prophets have in recent years tried to silence counter views and suppress dissent. August members of the Royal Society, a body once noted for its cultivation of debate in science, are now leaders of the 'science is settled' camp: the only debate they consider to be legitimate is about choice among the different forms of the centralized action they believe is required to deal with the problems they foresee.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colin Robinson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-robinson/in-an-echo-of-earlier-times-the-climate-change-prophets-have-in/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/054/colin-robinson-66433_action_in-an-echo-of-earlier-times-the-climate_2935728.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/054/colin-robinson-66433_action_in-an-echo-of-earlier-times-the-climate_2935728.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/054/colin-robinson-66433_action_in-an-echo-of-earlier-times-the-climate_2935728.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In an echo of earlier times, the climate change prophets have in recent years tried to silence counter views…” — Colin Robinson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-society/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-society/", "name": "Royal Society Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-society/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e2/john-e-walker-53937_fellow_in-1995-i-was-elected-a-fellow-of-the-ro_2339918.png" }, "description": "Browse 12 Royal Society quotes by 12 authors. Discover the best Royal Society sayings and thoughts.", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-society/#breadcrumb" } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-society/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Topics", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Royal Society Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/royal-society/" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```