Leibnitz Quotes

“Quoi qu’il en soit, Leibnitz ne sut jamais s’expliquer nettement sur les principes de son calcul, et c’est bien ce qui montre qu’il y avait là quelque chose qui le dépassait et qui s’imposait en quelque sorte à lui sans qu’il en eût conscience ; s’il s’en était rendu compte, il ne se serait assurément pas engagé à ce sujet dans une dispute de « priorité » avec Newton, et d’ailleurs ces sortes de disputes sont toujours parfaitement vaines, car les idées, en tant qu’elles sont vraies, ne sauraient être la propriété de personne, en dépit de l’« individualisme » moderne, et il n’y a que l’erreur qui puisse être attribuée proprement aux individus humains.”
― René Guénon, The Metaphysical Principles of the Infinitesimal Calculus

“Be that as it may, Leibnitz was never able to explain the principles of his calculus clearly, and this shows that there was something in it that was beyond him, something that was as it were imposed upon him without his being conscious of it; had he taken this into account, he most certainly would not have engaged in any dispute over ‘priority’ with Newton. Besides, these sorts of disputes are always completely vain, for ideas, insofar as they are true, are not the property of anyone, despite what modern ‘individualism’ might have to say; it is only error that can properly be attributed to human individuals.”
― René Guénon, The Metaphysical Principles of the Infinitesimal Calculus

“The letters between the two philosophers were cordial, although Spinoza at first distrusted Leibniz, who in turn referred to him privately as ‘a Jew expelled from the synagogue for his monstrous opinions’. Since the fundamental assumptions behind their two systems are profoundly similar, it is perhaps not surprising that the two philosophers – whose conclusions are wholly opposed – should have treated each other with a certain caution.”
― Roger Scruton, Spinoza: A Very Short Introduction