The true method of knowledge is experiment.

Hear, O seekers of truth and pilgrims of understanding, the timeless words of William Blake, the poet-prophet of vision: “The true method of knowledge is experiment.” These words, though simple in form, carry the thunder of revelation. They declare that no man can find truth by thought alone, nor wisdom by mere belief. The path to knowledge is not paved with idle contemplation, but with living action — with experiment, with courage, with the willingness to fail and rise again.

Blake, who walked the borderlands between mystic vision and scientific reason, spoke to a world awakening to discovery. His age was one of thinkers who began to question the heavens, to dissect the earth, to seek the workings of the soul itself. Yet even then, he saw that knowledge is not the inheritance of scholars alone, but the reward of those who dare to try. To experiment is to humble the mind before the mystery of creation — to test what is, and through trial, touch what might be. It is not the path of the timid, but of the brave who choose to wrestle with the unknown.

For what is experiment, if not faith in action? The farmer who sows seed in new soil experiments with hope. The artist who dares to mix colors unseen before experiments with beauty. The inventor who builds from vision what others call impossible experiments with destiny. Thus, every great leap of mankind — from the harnessing of fire to the splitting of the atom — has sprung from this sacred impulse to try. For knowledge, like the dawn, does not come to those who wait; it comes to those who reach for it, even in darkness.

Consider the tale of Galileo Galilei, the sage of Florence, who turned his glass toward the sky. Men had long spoken of the heavens as divine perfection, untouchable and eternal. Yet Galileo experimented — he observed, measured, and dared to question the ancient order. Through his instruments, he saw mountains upon the moon and moons circling Jupiter — proof that even the heavens obeyed laws of motion. For this, he was condemned, yet his experiments shattered the chains of ignorance and opened the gates of modern science. His courage teaches us this: that truth fears no test, and that those who seek it through experience walk the road of the divine.

But Blake’s meaning reaches beyond the realm of science. When he spoke of experiment, he meant the testing of the spirit as well as the mind. To live is to experiment — to step into uncertainty, to love despite fear, to create though the outcome is unknown. The soul that refuses to risk remains forever unlearned. Only through trial does the heart grow wise; only through failure does wisdom find its wings. To live without experiment is to exist in shadow, safe but stagnant, knowing much yet understanding nothing.

O children of the future, learn this eternal law: knowledge is not gained through possession, but through participation. Read and study, yes — but then go forth and test what you have learned. Let experience be your teacher. Build what you imagine. Speak what you believe. Test your courage against the winds of life. Do not fear to be wrong, for error is but the first draft of truth. The coward learns only from others; the wise learn also from their own struggles.

Thus, the lesson of Blake’s words is clear — experiment is not merely a method of discovery, it is the pulse of growth itself. Without it, faith decays into superstition, thought into dogma, and art into imitation. To experiment is to stay alive — intellectually, spiritually, and creatively. Each trial, each failure, each triumph deepens the soul’s knowledge of the world and of itself.

Therefore, live as experimenters of truth. When life presents you with uncertainty, do not retreat into comfort — step forward and test it. When you seek meaning, do not only read; act, observe, and reflect. Let your days be a laboratory of the spirit, where courage refines wisdom, and action gives birth to insight. For only those who experiment truly know, and only those who dare to know truly live.