---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who understands Archimedes and…"
description: "\"He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius will admire less the achievements of the foremost men of later times.\" — Gottfried Leibniz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/gottfried-leibniz-3585_achievement_he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollo_2055239.png"
---

#  He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius will admire…

![“He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius will admire less the achievements of the foremost men of later times.” quote by Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/gottfried-leibniz-3585_achievement_he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollo_2055239.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/gottfried-leibniz-3585_achievement_he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollo_2055239.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/gottfried-leibniz-3585_achievement_he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollo_2055239.png)

> “He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius will admire less the achievements of the foremost men of later times.”

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Understanding ancient scholars can humble us, reminding that later achievements stand on earlier foundations.

**In simple terms:** Respect past scholars' contributions.

Key Takeaway

Study history to appreciate progress.

Themes

humility history science

Mood

analytical historical

Type

educational philosophical

When to use this quote

- academic research
- education
- innovation

Key Concepts

intellectual lineage knowledge building

Questions to Reflect On

- How does past knowledge shape current work?
- What can we learn from forgotten scholars?

A Different Perspective

May undervalue modern breakthroughs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Admiration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admiration/) [Admire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire/) [Apollonius Admire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apollonius-admire-3892661/) [Archimedes Apollonius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archimedes-apollonius-1245001/) [Later Times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-times-2357743/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Mathematical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematical/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-later-3207440/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Understands Archimedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understands-archimedes-3892662/)

## Related quotes

> [Leaders of men are later remembered less for the usefulness of what they have achieved than for the sweep of their endeavors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-gaulle/leaders-of-men-are-later-remembered-less-for-the-usefulness-of-what/)

[Charles de Gaulle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-gaulle/)

> [In old times men used their powers of painting to show the objects of faith, in later times they use the objects of faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/in-old-times-men-used-their-powers-of-painting-to-show-the-objects-of/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Several classical sayings that one likes to repeat had quite a different meaning from the ones later times attributed to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/several-classical-sayings-that-one-likes-to-repeat-had-quite-a/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [It is India that gave us the ingenious method of expressing all numbers by means of ten symbols, each symbol receiving a value of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-simon-laplace/it-is-india-that-gave-us-the-ingenious-method-of-expressing-all/)

[Pierre-Simon Laplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-simon-laplace/)

> [“The ingenious method of expressing every possible number using a set of ten symbols (each symbol having a place value and an absolute value)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-simon-de-laplace/the-ingenious-method-of-expressing-every-possible-number-using-a-set/)

[Pierre Simon De Laplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-simon-de-laplace/)

> [It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-may-be-important-to-great-thinkers-to-examine-the-world-to-explain/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [... we need to interrogate "reverence," for idolization can be another way one is objectified and not really taken seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-need-to-interrogate-reverence-for-idolization-can-be-another-way/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [The book it reminded me of most is Henry Miller’s The Books in My Life. Like Miller, Shields manages to convey his affection for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-alexis/the-book-it-reminded-me-of-most-is-henry-miller-s-the-books-in-my/)

[Andre Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-alexis/)

> [“A warm, trustworthy person who is also strong elicits admiration, but only after you’ve established trust does your strength become a gift rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-cuddy/a-warm-trustworthy-person-who-is-also-strong-elicits-admiration-but/)

[Amy Cuddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-cuddy/)

> [Humor is the opposite of all self-admiration and self-praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barth/humor-is-the-opposite-of-all-self-admiration-and-self-praise/)

[Karl Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barth/)

> [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [“There have been those among us who have been so dazzled by the might and technological wizardy of Europe that they have been rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahdaf-soueif/there-have-been-those-among-us-who-have-been-so-dazzled-by-the-might/)

[Ahdaf Soueif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahdaf-soueif/)

> [I still don't feel I know Hitchcock at all. I find that the more one looks, the more elusive he becomes. But my admiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-jones/i-still-don-t-feel-i-know-hitchcock-at-all-i-find-that-the-more-one/)

[Toby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-jones/)

> [The older you've gotten, the more respect and admiration you've received.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jupp-heynckes/the-older-you-ve-gotten-the-more-respect-and-admiration-you-ve/)

[Jupp Heynckes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jupp-heynckes/)

> [I have tremendous admiration for companies with the kind of pioneering spirit and innovation eBay has demonstrated from day one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/i-have-tremendous-admiration-for-companies-with-the-kind-of/)

[Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/)

## More by Gottfried Leibniz

> [There are two famous labyrinths where our reason very often goes astray. One concerns the great question of the free and the necessary, above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/there-are-two-famous-labyrinths-where-our-reason-very-often-goes/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [Either there are no corporeal substances, and bodies are merely phenomena which are true or consistent with each other, such as a rainbow or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/either-there-are-no-corporeal-substances-and-bodies-are-merely/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [The present is saturated with the past and pregnant with the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/the-present-is-saturated-with-the-past-and-pregnant-with-the-future/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [Make me the the master of education, and I will undertake to change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/make-me-the-the-master-of-education-and-i-will-undertake-to-change/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [All the different classes of beings which taken together make up the universe are, in the ideas of God who knows distinctly their essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/all-the-different-classes-of-beings-which-taken-together-make-up-the/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [I hold that the mark of a genuine idea is that its possibility can be proved, either a priori by conceiving its cause or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/i-hold-that-the-mark-of-a-genuine-idea-is-that-its-possibility-can-be/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [The monad, of which we shall speak here, is nothing but a simple substance which enters into compounds; simple, that is to say, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/the-monad-of-which-we-shall-speak-here-is-nothing-but-a-simple/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [There is no way in which a simple substance could begin in the course of nature, since it cannot be formed by means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/there-is-no-way-in-which-a-simple-substance-could-begin-in-the-course/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [In symbols one observes an advantage in discovery which is greatest when they express the exact nature of a thing briefly and, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/in-symbols-one-observes-an-advantage-in-discovery-which-is-greatest/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [There is nothing without reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/there-is-nothing-without-reason/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [God, possessing supreme and infinite wisdom, acts in the most perfect manner, not only metaphysically, but also morally speaking, and ... with respect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/god-possessing-supreme-and-infinite-wisdom-acts-in-the-most-perfect/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [It can have its effect only through the intervention of God, inasmuch as in the ideas of God a monad rightly demands that God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/it-can-have-its-effect-only-through-the-intervention-of-god-inasmuch/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [I do not conceive of any reality at all as without genuine unity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/i-do-not-conceive-of-any-reality-at-all-as-without-genuine-unity/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [The pleasure we obtain from music comes from counting, but counting unconsciously. Music is nothing but unconscious arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/the-pleasure-we-obtain-from-music-comes-from-counting-but-counting/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [If we were magically shrunk and put into someone's brain while she was thinking, we would see all the pumps, pistons, gears and levers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/if-we-were-magically-shrunk-and-put-into-someone-s-brain-while-she/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

[Explore all 127 Gottfried Leibniz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

## More Achievement quotes

> [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/)

[Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/)

> [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/)

[Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/)

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/)

[Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/)

> [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/)

[Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/)

> [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/)

[Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/)

> [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/)

[David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/)

> [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/)

[Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/)

> [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/)

[Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/)

> [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/)

[Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/)

> [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/)

[Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/)

> [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/)

[Nicholas Roerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-roerich/)

> [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/)

[Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/)

[Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius will admire less the achievements of the foremost men of later times.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gottfried Leibniz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollonius-will-admire-less-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Achievement"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollonius-will-admire-less-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/gottfried-leibniz-3585_achievement_he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollo_2055239.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/gottfried-leibniz-3585_achievement_he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollo_2055239.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17e/gottfried-leibniz-3585_achievement_he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollo_2055239.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius will admire less the achievements of the foremost men of later…” — Gottfried Leibniz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "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": "Gottfried Leibniz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He who understands Archimedes and Apollonius...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollonius-will-admire-less-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/he-who-understands-archimedes-and-apollonius-will-admire-less-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
