I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned. Richard P. Feynman More Quotes by Richard P. Feynman More Quotes From Richard P. Feynman Light is something like raindrops each little lump of light is called a photon and if the light is all one color, all the "raindrops" are the same. Richard P. Feynman raindropscolorlight Every instrument that has been designed to be sensitive enough to detect weak light has always ended up discovering that the same thing: light is made of particles. Richard P. Feynman sensitivelightenough My friends and I had taken dancing lessons, although none of us would ever admit it. In those depression days, a friend of my mother was trying to make a living by teaching dancing in the evening, in an upstairs dance studio. There was a back door to the place, and she arranged it so the young men could come up through the back way without being seen. Richard P. Feynman danceteachingmother The beauty that is there is also available for me, too. But I see a deeper beauty that isn't so readily available to others.... I don't see how studying a flower ever detracts from its beauty. It only adds Richard P. Feynman studyfloweradd The most important thing I found out from my father is that if you asked any question and pursued it deeply enough, then at the end there was a glorious discovery of a general and beautiful kind. Richard P. Feynman discoverybeautifulfather The only way to have real success in science, the field I'm familiar with, is to describe the evidence very carefully without regard to the way you feel it should be. If you have a theory , you must try to explain what's good and what's bad about it equally. In science, you learn a kind of standard integrity and honesty . Richard P. Feynman honestyrealintegrity Progress in science comes when experiments contradict theory. Richard P. Feynman progresstheoryscience I am going to tell you what nature behaves like. If you will simply admit that maybe she does behave like this, you will find her a delightful, entrancing thing. Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, 'But how can it be like that?' ...Nobody knows how it can be like that. Richard P. Feynman physicsdoescience I don't think that the laws can be considered to be like God because they have been figured out. Richard P. Feynman atheismlawthinking As you know, a theory in physics is not useful unless it is able to predict underlined effects which we would otherwise expect. Richard P. Feynman atheismphysicsable In those days, in Far Rockaway, there was a youth center for Jewish kids at the temple.... Somebody nominated me for president of the youth center. The elders began getting nervous, because I was an avowed atheist by that time.... I thought nature itself was so interesting that I didn't want it distorted like that. And so I gradually came to disbelieve the whole religion. Richard P. Feynman atheistkidsinteresting The game I play is a very interesting one. It's imagination in a straightjacket, which is this: that it has to agree with the known laws of physics. ... It requires imagination to think of what's possible, and then it requires an analysis back, checking to see whether it fits, whether its allowed, according to what's known, okay? Richard P. Feynman lawsciencethinking This is not very important what I'm doing. I'm just proving something. Richard P. Feynman mathematicsimportantscience You should not fool the laymen when you're talking as a scientist... . I'm talking about a specific, extra type of integrity that is not lying, but bending over backwards to show how you're maybe wrong, [an integrity] that you ought to have when acting as a scientist. And this is our responsibility as scientists, certainly to other scientists, and I think to laymen. Richard P. Feynman responsibilityintegritylying I'm trying to find out NOT how Nature could be, but how Nature IS. Richard P. Feynman trying It does not matter who you are, or how smart you are, or what title you have, or how many of you there are, and certainly not how many papers your side has published, if your prediction is wrong then your hypothesis is wrong. Period. Richard P. Feynman your-sidesmartmatter Science is a way for us to not fool ourselves. Richard P. Feynman foolway Science is uncertain. Richard P. Feynman uncertain 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 ignorancedoubtorder If you thought you were trying to find out more about it because you're gonna get an answer to some deep philosophical question...you may be wrong! It may be that you can't get an answer to that particular question by finding out more about the character of nature. But my interest in science is to simply find out about the world. Richard P. Feynman philosophicaltryingcharacter
