Personal Life
Newton never married, and no evidence has been uncovered that he had any romantic relationship. Although it is impossible to verify, it is commonly believed that he died a virgin, as has been commented on by such figures as mathematician Charles Hutton, economist John Maynard Keynes, and physicist Carl Sagan.
French writer and philosopher Voltaire, who was in London at the time of Newton's funeral, claimed to have verified the fact, writing that "I have had that confirmed by the doctor and the surgeon who were with him when he died" (allegedly he stated on his deathbed that he was a virgin). In 1733, Voltaire publicly stated that Newton "had neither passion nor weakness; he never went near any woman".
Newton did have a close friendship with the Swiss mathematician Nicolas Fatio de Duillier, whom he met in London around 1690. Their friendship came to an unexplained end in 1693. Some of their correspondence has survived.
Read more about this topic: Isaac Newton
Famous quotes containing the words personal and/or life:
“Nothing strengthens the judgment and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility. Nothing adds such dignity to character as the recognition of one’s self-sovereignty; the right to an equal place, everywhere conceded—a place earned by personal merit, not an artificial attainment by inheritance, wealth, family and position.”
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)
“I love, cherish, and respect women in my mind, in my heart, and in my soul. This love of women is the soil in which my life is rooted. It is the soil of our common life together. My life grows out of this soil. In any other soil, I would die. In whatever ways I am strong, I am strong because of the power and passion of this nurturant love.”
—Andrea Dworkin (b. 1946)