Who said “Ideas are invented only as correctives to the past. Through repeated rectification of…”?

Verified

Gaston Bachelard. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceFragments of a Poetics of Fire (1988)

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“Ideas are invented only as correctives to the past. Through repeated rectification of this kind one may hope to disengage an idea that is valid.”
— Gaston Bachelard
VerifiedFragments of a Poetics of Fire (1988) · evidenceIdeas

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Fragments of a Poetics of Fire (1988).

APA

Bachelard, G. (n.d.). Ideas are invented only as correctives to the past. Through repeated rectification of this kind one may hope to disengage an idea that is valid. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/2129-ideas-are-invented-only-as-correctives-to-the/

MLA

Bachelard, Gaston. “Ideas are invented only as correctives to the past. Through repeated rectification of this kind one may hope to disengage an idea that is valid.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/2129-ideas-are-invented-only-as-correctives-to-the/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Bachelard, Gaston. “Ideas are invented only as correctives to the past. Through repeated rectification of this kind one may hope to disengage an idea that is valid.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 25, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/2129-ideas-are-invented-only-as-correctives-to-the/.

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