Al-Kindi Quotes
Abu Yusuf al-Kindi was an Arab philosopher, mathematician, and polymath, often called the father of Arab philosophy. Working at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad under the Abbasid caliphs, he supervised the translation of Greek philosophical and scientific works into Arabic and composed more than two hundred treatises of his own. The quotes below are attributed to Al-Kindi, organized by topic.
Al-Kindi on Knowledge
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“Philosophy is the knowledge of things in their realities, insofar as is possible for man.”
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“Knowledge of the cause is more excellent than knowledge of the effect.”
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“There is nothing more excellent for the soul than the acquisition of knowledge.”
Al-Kindi on Truth
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“We ought not to be ashamed of acknowledging truth from whatever source it comes to us, even if it is brought to us by former generations and foreign peoples.”
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Attributed to Al-Kindi:
“It is fitting for us not to be ashamed to admire and to acquire truth from wherever it comes.”