Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Calculus, optimism
Sayings by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
God alone is the primary unity, or the original simple substance, of which all created monads are products.
There is nothing in the intellect that was not previously in the senses, except the intellect itself.
The more perfect a substance is, the more it mirrors the universe.
Each substance is a world in itself, independent of all others, except by the pre-established harmony.
The universe is a plenum, in which all bodies are connected, and each affects all the others.
The monads are the true atoms of nature, and, in a word, the elements of things.
God always chooses the best, and there is no other reason for his choice than the perfection of the chosen.
The universe is an immense ocean of monads.
Every substance is a perpetual living mirror of the universe.
The actual world is the most beautiful possible.
The monads are inextinguishable and indestructible.
God is an absolutely perfect being.
The monads can only be changed by God.
Every distinct perception implies infinity.
The soul follows its own laws, and the body also follows its own laws, and they agree with each other by virtue of the pre-established harmony between all substances, since they are all representations of one and the same universe.
The universe is a machine, but a divine machine.
The world is not a heap of atoms, but a system of monads.
God has made the world as beautiful as it could possibly be.
The monads are perpetually changing, but they are never destroyed.
The monads are the ultimate elements of reality.