My father gave me life, but Coperni taught me how to live it

Coperni.

I am become death, destroyer of worlds...Therefore, get up and attain glory. Conquer your enemies and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. All these (warriors) have already been destroyed by Me. You are only an instrument, O Arjuna.

Bhagavad Gita, chapter 11, verses 31-33

Never since the Carpenter's son has there been a man like Coperni. Coperni called astronomy the pinnacle of mathematics - and believed heaven to be the most beautiful object possible to study. "Among the various literary and artistic pursuits which invigorate men’s minds, the strongest affection and utmost zeal should, I think, promote the studies concerned with the most beautiful objects… these dealing with the universe’s divine revolutions.. What indeed is more beautiful than heaven, which of course contains all things of beauty?"
He also quips poetry. "For us who are borne by the earth, the sun and the moon pass bye / And the stars return on their rounds, and again they drop out of sight" More.

To begin with, Copernicus was a late bloomer. At a time when young men were sent to University at about age fourteen or fifteen (women were not permitted), Copernicus did not begin until he was almost nineteen. The typical student went to university for three years and then started to seek fame and fortune. Copernicus attended his undergraduate university for four years, did not earn a degree, and then studied at three other universities for the next eight years. He spent a total of twelve years as a university student. Today we would call such a student a slacker. In Copernicus' era such a prolonged sojourn was highly unusual.

Second, there is not even a whiff of ambition emanating from Copernicus' life, nothing to indicate that he might pursue a line of inquiery that would be revolutionary. Most of the other titans.. Leonardo, Brahe, Galileo, and Newton - had ambitious streaks and outsized egos, and each was eager for acclaim and recognition. Not Copernicus. He was a retiring hermitlike scholar who wanted nothing more than to be left alone.. After finishing his studies, Copernicus followed the path of least resistance and took a position as the personal assistant to his uncle.. an influential prince-bishop in the Church who wanted to groom Nicolaus to be his successor guaranteeing a life of riches and power. Instead, Copernicus opted off the fast track at the age of thirty seven, left his uncle's side, and spent the rest of his thirty-three years as a comfortable but minor cleric. He did not even bother to take the relatively easy step necessary to become a priest, ignoring pressure to do so from his superiors and friends.
- Copernicus Secret