Theoretical Physicist Quotes

“Except in mathematics, the shortest distance between point A and point B is seldom a straight line. I don't believe in mathematics.”

“Nothing that I can do or say will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice, I can help the greatest of all causes — good will among men and peace on earth.”

“I have no particular talent. I am merely inquisitive.”

“Check out not to become a man or woman of achievement, but instead seek to become a particular person of price.”

“Even the scholars in various lands have been acting as if their brains had been amputated.”

“A great thought begins by seeing something differently, with a shift of the mind's eye.”

“Not until the creation and maintenance of decent conditions of life for all men are recognized and accepted as a common obligation of all men and all countries — not until then shall we, with a certain degree of justification, be able to speak of mankind as civilized.”

“Things you can get access to, you should never memorize.”

“The formulation of the problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill.”

“Everything has changed except the way man thinks (when the hydrogen bomb was exploded)”

“It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.”

“Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas. ... [By seeking] logical beauty spiritual formulas are discovered necessary for the deeper penetration into the laws of nature.”

“Logic can take you from point A to point B. Imagination can take you wherever you want”

“I don't teach my students, I provide the circumstances in which they can learn.”

“The more one chases the quanta, the better they hide themselves.”

“You think you have troubles with mathematics . . . I assure you mine are still bigger.”

“Live with purpose. Don't let people or things around you get you down.”

“The most important tool of the theoretical physicist is his wastebasket.”

“There could be no fairer destiny for any physical theory than that it should point the way to a more comprehensive theory in which it lives on as a limiting case.”

“The greatest tragedy of human existence is the illusion of separateness.”

“It is nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of teaching have not yet entirely strangled that sacred spirit of curiosity and inquiry, for this delicate plant needs freedom no less than stimulation.”

“I have just got a new theory of eternity.”

“I was just more stubborn and more passionate than most about physics.”

“If I could remember the names of all these particles, I'd be a botanist.”

“The most important human endeavor is the striving for morality in our actions. Our inner balance and even our very existence depend on it. Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life. To make this a living force and bring it to clear consciousness is perhaps the foremost task of education. The foundation of morality should not be made dependent on myth nor tied to any authority lest doubt about the myth or about the legitimacy of the authority imperil the foundation of sound judgment and action.”