"The credit of advancing science has always been due to individuals and never to the age"

This quote by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe speaks with the concept that it is people, not the age, that are responsible for advancing science. Goethe is suggesting that it is not the cumulative efforts of a generation that results in scientific progress, but rather the work of specific scientists and thinkers. He is emphasizing the importance of individual contributions to the improvement of science, instead of the collective efforts of a generation. This quote talks to the idea that it is the person who is responsible for pressing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding, and that it is their work that causes advance. Goethe is recommending that it is the individual who is accountable for the advancement of science, not the age. He is emphasizing the value of private contributions to the improvement of science, rather than the cumulative efforts of a generation.