It is right that we should stand by and act on our principles; but not right to hold them in obstinate blindness, or retain them when proved to be erroneous.
Interpretation
We should adhere to our principles, but we must also be open to change when we find them to be wrong.
In this quote, Michael Faraday emphasizes the importance of standing firm on one's beliefs and principles while simultaneously advocating for the necessity of adaptability. It suggests that being principled does not mean stubbornness; rather, it encourages the practice of critical thinking and the willingness to revise one's views in the light of new evidence or understanding.
In practice
In a speech about ethical leadership, one could use this quote to highlight the need for leaders to adapt their principles based on new information.
I think chemistry is being frittered away by the hairsplitting of the organic chemists; we have new compounds discovered, which scarcely differ from the known ones and when discovered are valueless-very illustrations perhaps of their refinements in analysis, but very little aiding the progress of true science.
I am no poet, but if you think for yourselves, as I proceed, the facts will form a poem in your minds.
It is on record that when a young aspirant asked Faraday the secret of his success as a scientific investigator, he replied, 'The secret is comprised in three words- Work, Finish, Publish.'
When I consider the multitude of associated forces which are diffused through nature - when I think of that calm balancing of their energies which enables those most powerful in themselves, most destructive to the world's creatures and economy, to dwell associated together and be made subservient to the wants of creation, I rise from the contemplation more than ever impressed with the wisdom, the beneficence, and grandeur, beyond our language to express, of the Great Disposer of us all.
Water is to me, I confess, a phenomenon which continually awakens new feelings of wonder as often as I view it.
Chemistry is necessarily an experimental science: its conclusions are drawn from data, and its principles supported by evidence from facts.
Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere.
If you love money and you want to be creative, you cannot become creative. The very ambition for money is going to destroy your creativity. If you want fame, then forget about creativity. Fame comes easier if you are destructive.
I feel that it is healthier to look out at the world through a window than through a mirror. Otherwise, all you see is yourself and whatever is behind you.
You're betraying your whole life if you don't say what you think - and you don't say it honestly and bluntly.
I call intuition cosmic fishing. You feel a nibble, then you've got to hook the fish.
Donβt get caught up in hopes of what youβll achieve and how good your situation will be some day in the future. What you do right now is what matters.
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