1001Philosophers

Ibn Tufayl Quotes on Knowledge

Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Tufayl was an Andalusian philosopher, physician, and statesman, court physician to the Almohad caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf and a patron of the young Averroes. This page collects quotes attributed to Ibn Tufayl on the topic of knowledge, drawn from across the philosopher's works.

Quotes

  • Attributed to Ibn Tufayl:

    “True religion arises from reason, and revelation confirms what reason discovers.”

  • Attributed to Ibn Tufayl:

    “The book of nature is open to anyone who would read it.”

  • Attributed to Ibn Tufayl:

    “The senses give us the materials, the intellect builds the structure.”

  • Attributed to Ibn Tufayl:

    “The wise man, alone on his island, can yet contemplate the divine.”