Hermann von Helmholtz on Heinrich Hertz

“Heinrich Hertz seemed to be predestined to open up to mankind many of the secrets which nature has hitherto concealed from us; but all these hopes were frustrated by the malignant disease which, creeping slowly but surely on, robbed us of this precious life and of the achievements which it promised.”

“As a boy he won the appreciation of his parents and teachers by his high moral character. Already his pursuits showed his natural inclinations. While still attending school he worked of his own accord at the bench and lathe, on Sundays he attended the Trade School to practise geometrical drawing, and with the simplest appliances he constructed serviceable optical and mechanical instruments. ...It is in young men of unusual capacity that one most frequently observes [his] sort of timid modesty. ...their strength must be tried by some practical test before they can secure the self-reliance requisite for their difficult task. And even in later years men of great ability are the less content with their own achievements the higher their capacity and ideals. The most gifted attain the highest and truest success because they are most keenly alive to the presence of imperfection and most unwearied in removing it. ...[A]s he grew in knowledge he grew in the conviction that only in scientific work could he find enduring satisfaction.”