Full Idea
The facts of geometry order themselves into a geometry, the facts of arithmetic into a theory of numbers, the facts of statics, electrodynamics into a theory of statics, electrodynamics, or the facts of the physics of gases into a theory of gases.
Gist of Idea
The facts of geometry, arithmetic or statics order themselves into theories
Source
David Hilbert (Axiomatic Thought [1918], [03])
Book Reference
'From Kant to Hilbert: sourcebook Vol. 2', ed/tr. Ewald,William [OUP 1996], p.1108
A Reaction
This is the confident (I would say 'essentialist') view of axioms, which received a bit of a setback with Gödel's Theorems. I certainly agree that the world proposes an order to us - we don't just randomly invent one that suits us.