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Richard P. Feynman Quotes - Page 7

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All mass is interaction.

All mass is interaction.

Richard P. Feynman
Mass, Interaction
"Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman". Book by James Gleick, 1992.

In fact, the science of thermodynamics began with an analysis, by the great engineer Sadi Carnot, of the problem of how to build the best and most efficient engine, and this constitutes one of the few famous cases in which engineering has contributed to fundamental physical theory. Another example that comes to mind is the more recent analysis of information theory by Claude Shannon. These two analyses, incidentally, turn out to be closely related.

Richard P. Feynman
Engineering, Two, Mind
"The Feynman Lectures on Physics". Physics textbook by Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, and Matthew Sands, volume I; lecture 44, "The Laws of Thermodynamics"; section 44-1, "Heat engines; the first law"; p. 44-2, 1964.

Science alone of all the subjects contains within itself the lesson of the danger of belief in the infallibility of the greatest teachers of the preceding generation.

Richard P. Feynman
Faith, Teacher, Generations
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.163, Princeton University Press

Know how to solve every problem that has been solved.

Richard P. Feynman
Problem, Solve, Know How
Note on the blackboard in Caltech at the time of death, February 15, 1988.

For those who want some proof that physicists are human, the proof is in the idiocy of all the different units which they use for measuring energy.

Richard P. Feynman
Science, Different, Use
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.94, Princeton University Press

I love to think. I once considered taking drugs as an attempt to better understand an altered state of mind; however, I decided not to. I didn't want to chance ruining the machine.

Richard P. Feynman
Thinking, Drug, Mind

But logic is not all, one needs one's heart to follow an idea.

Richard P. Feynman
Heart, Ideas, Needs
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.120, Princeton University Press

It is important to realize that in physics today, we have no knowledge of what energy is

Richard P. Feynman
Important, Energy, Today
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, Matthew Sands (2013). “The Feynman Lectures on Physics, vol. 1 for tablets”, Basic Books

When I found out that Santa Claus wasn't real, I wasn't upset; rather, I was relieved that there was a much simpler phenomenon to explain how so many children all over the world got presents on the same night! The story had been getting pretty complicated -- it was getting out of hand.

Richard P. Feynman
Children, Real, Night
Richard P. Feynman (2011). “"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.26, W. W. Norton & Company

Work as hard and as much as you want to on the things you like to do the best.

Richard P. Feynman
Work, Want, Things You Like

If I say [electrons] behave like particles I give the wrong impression; also if I say they behave like waves. They behave in their own inimitable way, which technically could be called a quantum mechanical way. They behave in a way that is like nothing that you have seen before.

Richard P. Feynman
Science, Giving, Way

One of the ways of stopping science would be only to do experiments in the region where you know the law. But experimenters search most diligently, and with the greatest effort, in exactly those places where it seems most likely that we can prove our theories wrong. In other words, we are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.

Richard P. Feynman
Discovery, Law, Effort

I have to disregard everybody else, and then I can do my own work.

Richard P. Feynman
Disregard, My Own, Can Do

It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress without the proofs, but we can't go on without the facts ... if the facts are right, then the proofs are a matter of playing around with the algebra correctly.

Richard P. Feynman
Science, Progress, Goes On

Words can be meaningless. If they are used in such a way that no sharp conclusions can be drawn.

Richard P. Feynman
Way, Used, Conclusion
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.34, Princeton University Press

We have found it of paramount importance that in order to progress, we must recognize our ignorance and leave room for doubt.

Richard P. Feynman
Ignorance, Order, Doubt
Richard P. Feynman (2011). “"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.263, W. W. Norton & Company

So my antagonist said, "Is it impossible that there are flying saucers? Can you prove that it's impossible?" "No," I said, "I can't prove it's impossible. It's just very unlikely." At that he said, "You are very unscientific. If you can't prove it impossible then how can you say that it's unlikely?" But that is the way that is scientific. It is scientific only to say what is more likely and what less likely, and not to be proving all the time the possible and impossible.

Richard P. Feynman
Possible And Impossible, Flying, Way
"The Character of Physical Law". Book by Richard P. Feynman, 1965.

The female mind is capable of understanding analytic geometry... The difficulty may just be that we have never yet discovered a way to communicate with the female mind. If it is done in the right way, you may be able to get something out of it.

Richard P. Feynman
Understanding, Mind, Female

Turbulence is the most important unsolved problem of classical physics.

Richard P. Feynman
Important, Problem, Physics

We are lucky to live in an age in which we are still making discoveries.

Richard P. Feynman
Discovery, Age, Lucky
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.349, Princeton University Press

Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not the reason we are doing it

Richard P. Feynman
Inspirational, Funny, Sex

It appears that there are enormous differences of opinion as to the probability of a failure with loss of vehicle and of human life. The estimates range from roughly 1 in 100 to 1 in 100,000. The higher figures come from the working engineers, and the very low figures from management.

Richard P. Feynman
Loss, Differences, Safety
Richard P. Feynman (2011). “"What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character”, p.238, W. W. Norton & Company

If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize.

Richard P. Feynman
Average, Nobel, Persons
Richard P. Feynman (2015). “The Quotable Feynman”, p.342, Princeton University Press

The exception tests the rule.

Richard P. Feynman
Exception To The Rule, Tests, Exception
Richard P. Feynman (2009). “The Meaning of It All: Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist”, p.12, Hachette UK

No problem is too small or too trivial if we can really do something about it.

Richard P. Feynman
Problem, No Problem, Ifs
Richard P. Feynman's letter to Koichi Mano (February 3, 1966), as quoted in "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman" edited by Michelle Feynman and Timothy Ferris (pp. 198, 201), April 5, 2005; also quoted in "Wise Man" by Freeman Dyson, www.nybooks.com. October 20, 2005.

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