I have recently been reading up a bit on the life and work of British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking. In my reading, I have run across a number of his famous quotes that are both funny and insightful. He is widely considered to be among the most intelligent people living today. Here is what he has to say…
1. "Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end."
2. "The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be pinely inspired."
3. "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."
4. "To show this diagram properly, I would really need a four dimensional screen. However, because of government cuts, we could manage to provide only a two dimensional screen."
5. "My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus."
6. "Someone told me that each equation I included in the book would halve the sales. In the end, however, I did put in one equation, Einstein's famous equation, E = mc2. I hope that this will not scare off half of my potential readers."
7. "I find that American & Scandinavian accents work better with women." In response to a question about the American accent of his synthesiser.
8. "My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."
9. "I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."
10. "Einstein was wrong when he said "God does not play dice". Consideration of black holes suggests, not only that God does play dice, but that He sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen."
1. "Eternity is a very long time, especially towards the end."
2. "The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be pinely inspired."
3. "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."
4. "To show this diagram properly, I would really need a four dimensional screen. However, because of government cuts, we could manage to provide only a two dimensional screen."
5. "My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus."
6. "Someone told me that each equation I included in the book would halve the sales. In the end, however, I did put in one equation, Einstein's famous equation, E = mc2. I hope that this will not scare off half of my potential readers."
7. "I find that American & Scandinavian accents work better with women." In response to a question about the American accent of his synthesiser.
8. "My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."
9. "I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road."
10. "Einstein was wrong when he said "God does not play dice". Consideration of black holes suggests, not only that God does play dice, but that He sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen."