Authors:

Richard P. Feynman Quotes - Page 3

All Quotes Age Atheism Attitude Authority Biology Children Curiosity Desire Difficulty Doubt Education Effort Energy Feelings Flying Fun Funny Giving Hate Heart Honesty Humility Ignorance Imagination Inspirational Integrity Intelligence Judging Knowledge Language Learning Life Luck Lying Math Mathematics Nature Observation Opportunity Past Philosophy Physics Probability Progress Quantum Mechanics Reality Religion Responsibility School Science Simplicity Skepticism Struggle Students Study Teaching Technology Today Uncertainty Understanding Universe Values Wine Worry Writing Youth
The test of all knowledge is experiment.

The test of all knowledge is experiment.

Richard P. Feynman
Tests, Experiments
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, Matthew Sands (2013). “The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Desktop Edition Volume I”, Basic Books

Outside of their particular area of expertise scientists are just as dumb as the next person.

Richard P. Feynman
Dumb, Next, Scientist

Ordinary fools are all right; you can talk to them, and try to help them out. But pompous fools-guys who are fools and are covering it all over and impressing people as to how wonderful they are with all this hocus pocus-THAT, I CANNOT STAND! An ordinary fool isn't a faker; an honest fool is all right. But a dishonest fool is terrible!

Richard P. Feynman
People, Guy, Trying
Richard P. Feynman (2010). “"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character: Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.284, W. W. Norton & Company

Everything we know is only some kind of approximation, because we know that we do not know all the laws yet. Therefore, things must be learned only to be unlearned again or, more likely, to be corrected.

Richard P. Feynman
Law, Kind, Skepticism
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, Matthew Sands (2013). “The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Desktop Edition Volume I”, Basic Books

Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.

Richard P. Feynman
Uplifting, Wisdom, Nature
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.66, Princeton University Press

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.

Richard P. Feynman
Thinking, Looks
"Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track". Book by Richard P. Feynman, p. 230, letter to Ashok Arora (January 4, 1967), 2005.

Work hard to find something that fascinates you.

Richard P. Feynman
Hard Work, Hard
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.322, Princeton University Press

The real question of government versus private enterprise is argued on too philosophical and abstract a basis. Theoretically, planning may be good. But nobody has ever figured out the cause of government stupidity—and until they do (and find the cure), all ideal plans will fall into quicksand.

Richard P. Feynman
Real, Philosophical, Fall
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.279, Princeton University Press

In physics the truth is rarely perfectly clear, and that is certainly universally the case in human affairs. Hence, what is not surrounded by uncertainty cannot be the truth.

Richard P. Feynman
Physics, Affair, Truth Is
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.290, Princeton University Press

Einstein was a giant. His head was in the clouds, but his feet were on the ground. But those of us who are not that tall have to choose!

Richard P. Feynman
Clouds, Feet, Giants
"Collective Electrodynamics: Quantum Foundations of Electromagnetism". Book by Carver Mead, 2002.

Experiment is the sole judge of the validity of any idea.

Richard P. Feynman
Ideas, Judging, Sole

Physics is to mathematics what sex is to masturbation.

Richard P. Feynman
Sex, Math, Science
"Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed". Book by Lawrence M. Krauss (p. 27), 1993.

God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand.

Richard P. Feynman
Religious, Religion, Atheism
"Superstrings: A Theory of Everything?". Book edited by Paul C. W. Davies and Julian R. Brown, June 16, 1988.

There is no harm in doubt and skepticism, for it is through these that new discoveries are made.

Richard P. Feynman
Science, Discovery, Doubt
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.290, Princeton University Press

What Do You Care What Other People Think?

Richard P. Feynman
Thinking, People, Care
Richard P. Feynman, Richard Phillips Feynman (2006). “Ojalá lo supiera!: las cartas de Richard P. Feynman”, p.20, Grupo Planeta (GBS)

My rule is, when you are unhappy, think about it. But when you're happy, don't. Why spoil it? You're probably happy for some ridiculous reason and you'd just spoil it to know it.

Richard P. Feynman
Thinking, Unhappy, Ridiculous

Observation, reason, and experiment make up what we call the scientific method.

Richard P. Feynman
Scientific Method, Reason, Observation
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, Matthew Sands (2013). “The Feynman Lectures on Physics, vol. 1 for tablets”, Basic Books

Science is what we do to keep us from lying to ourselves

Richard P. Feynman
Lying

It is simple, therefore it is beautiful

Richard P. Feynman
Beautiful, Simple

There is no authority who decides what is a good idea.

Richard P. Feynman
Ideas, Physics, Authority
Richard P. Feynman (2009). “The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist”, p.14, Hachette UK

Doubt is clearly a value in science. It is important to doubt and that the doubt is not a fearful thing, but a thing of great value.

Richard P. Feynman
Doubt, Important, Fearful

We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.

Richard P. Feynman
Science, Progress, Trying
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.130, Princeton University Press

To those who do not know mathematics it is difficult to get across a real feeling as to the beauty, the deepest beauty, of nature ... If you want to learn about nature, to appreciate nature, it is necessary to understand the language that she speaks in.

Richard P. Feynman
Nature, Real, Learning
The Character of Physical Law ch. 2 (1965)

Our freedom to doubt was born out of a struggle against authority in the early days of science. It was a very deep and strong struggle: permit us to question - to doubt - to not be sure. I think that it is important that we do not forget this struggle and thus perhaps lose what we have gained.

Richard P. Feynman
Strong, Struggle, Science
Richard P. Feynman (2011). “"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.264, W. W. Norton & Company

If an apple was magnified to the size of the Earth, then the atoms in the apple would be approximately the size of the original apple.

Richard P. Feynman
Apples, Atoms, Would Be
"The Feynman Lectures on Physics". Book by Richard P. Feynman. Volume I; lecture 1, 'Atoms in Motion'; section 1-2, 'Matter is made of atoms'; p. 1-3, 1964.

You May Also Like: