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Richard P. Feynman Quotes

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I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.

I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.

Richard P. Feynman
Answers

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.

Richard P. Feynman
Clever, Love Life, Science
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.345, Princeton University Press

If you can't explain something to a first year student, then you haven't really understood .

Richard P. Feynman
Years, Firsts, Students

Fall in love with some activity, and do it! 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. Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best. Don't think about what you want to be, but what you want to do. Keep up some kind of a minimum with other things so that society doesn't stop you from doing anything at all.

Richard P. Feynman
Falling In Love, Thinking, Interesting

Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts.

Richard P. Feynman
Ignorance, Science, Thinking
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.291, Princeton University Press

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.

Richard P. Feynman
Beautiful, Smart, Science

We never are definitely right, we can only be sure we are wrong.

Richard P. Feynman

Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.

Richard P. Feynman
Philosophy, Science, Technology

Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.

Richard P. Feynman
Inspirational, Encouraging, Education
Richard P. Feynman (2008). “Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman”, p.256, Hachette UK

You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity.

Richard P. Feynman
Simplicity

We need to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed. It's OK to say, "I don't know."

Richard P. Feynman
Learning, Doubt, Needs

Don't pay attention to "authorities," think for yourself.

Richard P. Feynman
Thinking, Attention, Pay
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.320, Princeton University Press

If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics.

Richard P. Feynman
Thinking, Mechanic, Quantum

Looking back at the worst times, it always seems that they were times in which there were people who believed with absolute faith and absolute dogmatism in something. And they were so serious in this matter that they insisted that the rest of the world agree with them. And then they would do things that were directly inconsistent with their own beliefs in order to maintain that what they said was true.

Richard P. Feynman
Order, People, Worst Times
Richard P. Feynman (2009). “The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist”, p.19, Hachette UK

I wonder why. I wonder why. I wonder why I wonder.

Richard P. Feynman
Wonder
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.167, Princeton University Press

We have this terrible struggle to try to explain things to people who have no reason to want to know.

Richard P. Feynman
Struggle, Communication, People
Richard P. Feynman (2005). “The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman”, p.61, Hachette UK

When things are going well, something will go wrong. / When things just can't get any worse, they will. / Anytime things appear to be going better, you have overlooked something.

Richard P. Feynman
Difficulty, Wells, Overlooked

I'm smart enough to know that I'm dumb.

Richard P. Feynman
Smart, Grace, Dumb

I, a universe of atoms, an atom in the universe.

Richard P. Feynman
Atoms, Cosmology, Universe
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.65, Princeton University Press

You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing.

Richard P. Feynman
Life, Confidence, Powerful
Richard P. Feynman (2010). “"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character: Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.172, W. W. Norton & Company

I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.

Richard P. Feynman
Inspirational, Motivational, Education
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.6, Princeton University Press

The truth always turns out to be simpler than you thought.

Richard P. Feynman
Truth, Science, Simplicity
"Sympathetic Vibrations: Reflections on Physics as a Way of Life". Book by K. C. Cole, 1985.

The thing that doesn't fit is the thing that is most interesting.

Richard P. Feynman
Interesting, Fit, Most Interesting

Have no respect whatsoever for authority; forget who said it and instead look what he starts with, where he ends up, and ask yourself, "Is it reasonable?"

Richard P. Feynman
Looks, Physics, Forget
Richard P. Feynman (2011). “"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.29, W. W. Norton & Company

To develop working ideas efficiently, I try to fail as fast as I can.

Richard P. Feynman
Failure, Ideas, Trying

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