Richard Feynman (1918-1988) was an American physicist, whose contributions to the field of quantum electrodynamics include laying the foundations of space-time quantum field theories, the Feynman diagrams, the mathematical description of quantum electrodynamics, and the theory of quantum gravity. He is best known for his work on quantum electrodynamics (QED), the theory that describes the interactions of subatomic particles, especially light.
Richard Feynman was one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century. Feynman had an excellent work ethic and did not want to waste time on things he deemed unimportant. To demonstrate his point, Feynman would give inspirational quotes about school dropouts, scientists, and working on the weekends. Feynman had the ability to understand complicated concepts in science, and human nature, and apply these to everyday life. Feynman had an incredible ability to see things in the simplest way possible. Feynman had an ability to “get” the whole picture before it unfolded in front of him, and he used this ability to solve incredibly tough problems.
“No law that I know of says that things have to happen in a nice, orderly fashion.”
“It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.”
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”
“I learned to live with uncertainty long ago. I don’t mind not knowing. I just don’t like to be wrong.”
“If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.”
The universe is a pretty big place – it’s bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before
The only way to make sense of the universe is to think
You can look at science from two different points of view, neither one is right but one is more useful
The most important thing is not to stop questioning
Richard Feynman quotes about the beauty of science
“We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.”
“Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.”
“The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.”
“Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.”
“Physics isn’t the most important thing. Love is.”
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”
“I’m smart enough to know that I’m dumb.”
“I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.”
“We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.”
“If you thought that science was certain – well, that is just an error on your part.”
“For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.”
“I don’t know what’s the matter with people: they don’t learn by understanding, they learn by some other way — by rote or something. Their knowledge is so fragile!”
“I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.”
“Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.”
Conclusion
Feynman’s way with words, his ability to explain complex ideas in simple, easy-to-understand terms, made him one of the most beloved contemporary scientists. As the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg once put it, “Feynman was the only physicist I ever knew who was hair-raising brilliant as well as hair-raising funny… His lectures, which he would deliver without any advance preparation, were marvels of clarity, and beauty.
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