Could we have avoided the tragedy of Hiroshima? Could we have started the atomic age with clean hands? No one knows. No one can find out. Edward Teller More Quotes by Edward Teller More Quotes From Edward Teller When you come to the end of all the light you know, and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on or you will be taught to fly. Edward Teller motivational inspirational life The science of today is the technology of tomorrow. Edward Teller technology teacher science There's no system foolproof enough to defeat a sufficiently great fool. Edward Teller fool-proof defeat science I believe in evil. It is the property of all those who are certain of truth. Despair and fanaticism are only differing manifestations of evil. Edward Teller despair evil believe Science attempts to find logic and simplicity in nature. Mathematics attempts to establish order and simplicity in human thought. Edward Teller nature order science On May 7, a few weeks after the accident at Three-Mile Island, I was in Washington. I was there to refute some of that propaganda that Ralph Nader, Jane Fonda and their kind are spewing to the news media in their attempt to frighten people away from nuclear power. I am 71 years old, and I was working 20 hours a day. The strain was too much. The next day, I suffered a heart attack. You might say that I was the only one whose health was affected by that reactor near Harrisburg. No, that would be wrong. It was not the reactor. It was Jane Fonda. Reactors are not dangerous. Edward Teller next-day islands heart The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy; the best weapon of a democracy is openness. Edward Teller democracy freedom weapons The extinction of the human race will come from its inability to EMOTIONALLY comprehend the exponential function. Edward Teller extinction inability race I hate doubt, yet I am certain that doubt is the only way to approach anything worth believing in. Edward Teller hate doubt believe We must learn to live with contradictions, because they lead to deeper and more effective understanding. Edward Teller contradiction deeper understanding No endeavor that is worthwhile is simple in prospect; if it is right, it will be simple in retrospect. Edward Teller retrospect perspective simple I believe in excellence. It is a basic need of every human soul. All of us can be excellent, because, fortunately, we are exceedingly diverse in our ambitions and talents. Edward Teller ambition soul believe Had we not pursued the hydrogen bomb, there is a very real threat that we would now all be speaking Russian. I have no regrets. Edward Teller hydrogen-bomb regret real There is a time for scientists and movie stars and those who have flown the atlantic to restrain their opinions lest they be taken more seriously than they should be. Edward Teller stars taken science A fact is a simple statement that everyone believes. It is innocent, unless found guilty. A hypothesis is a novel suggestion that no one wants to believe. It is guilty, until found effective. Edward Teller simple science believe Today, nothing is unusual about a scientific discovery's being followed soon after by a technical application: The discovery of electrons led to electronics; fission led to nuclear energy. But before the 1880's, science played almost no role in the advances of technology. For example, James Watt developed the first efficient steam engine long before science established the equivalence between mechanical heat and energy. Edward Teller technology discovery science I think that intellectuals who end up in hell will have to read page proofs and check indexes there. Edward Teller pages education thinking If there ever was a misnomer, it is "exact science." Science has always been full of mistakes. The present day is no exception. And our mistakes are good mistakes; they require a genius to correct. Of course, we do not see our own mistakes. Edward Teller genius mistake science When Columbus took off, the purpose was to improve trade relations with China. That problem has not been solved to this very day, but just look at the by-products. Edward Teller columbus purpose looks In the theater you create a moment, but in that moment, there is a touch, a twinkle of eternity. And not just eternity, but community. . . . That connection is a sense of life for me. Edward Teller atheism community atheist
