What are some quotes on the theme of knowledge from Frankenstein?

Early in the novel,establishes that bothand
have dedicated themselves to their education and have become exceptionally ambitious. In his
early letters to his sister, Walton recalls,

I often
worked harder than the common sailors during the day, and devoted my nights to the study of
mathematics, the theory of medicine, and those branches of physical science from which a naval
adventurer might derive the greatest practical advantage.

Walton is diligent in his studies and hopes to set himself above his peers. His
ambition is "to accomplish some great purpose" and he feels entitled to that based on
his work. It's no wonder that he immediately bonds with Victor when Walton's crew pulls Victor
from the sea. Victor recounts his own childhood studies, saying,

We learned Latin and English, that we might read the writings in those languages; and
so far from study being made odious to us through punishment, we loved application, and our
amusements would have been the labours of other children.

Victor recalls his and his siblings' love of learning and the intellectual curiosity
their upbringing instilled in them. This leads, though, to Victor's obsession with the so-called
"elixir of life" and his ambition to become the most famous and groundbreaking
scientist in the world.

His experiences, though, have taught Victor to warn
against education and knowledge. He tells Walton,

Learn
from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of
knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than
he who aspires to become greater than his nature would allow.

This warning is based on Victor's misuse of knowledge to try to reign over the
processes of life and death. The novel clearly condemns Victor's actions, but the reader can
also see it's not necessarily knowledge itself, but rather Victor's extreme ambition and lack of
foresight that lead to his downfall.