A man who is all theory is like "a rudderless ship on a shoreless sea." ... Theories and speculations may be indulged in with safety only as long as they are based on facts that we can go back to at all times and know that we are on solid ground.
Elisha Gray (1899). “Nature's Miracles: Familiar Talks on Science”, W. Briggs ; Montreal : C.W. Coates ; Halifax : S.F. Huestis, [19--?]