We decided that 'trivial' means 'proved'. So we joked with the mathematicians: We have a new theorem- that mathematicians can prove only trivial theorems, because every theorem that's proved is trivial. Richard P. Feynman More Quotes by Richard P. Feynman More Quotes From Richard P. Feynman You see, the chemists have a complicated way of counting: instead of saying "one, two, three, four, five protons", they say, "hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron." Richard P. Feynman threenumberstwo I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy. Richard P. Feynman guystupidbelieve I don't like honors. I'm appreciated for the work that I did, and for people who appreciate it, and I notice that other physicists use my work. I don't need anything else. I don't think there's any sense to anything else.... I've already got the prize. The prize is the pleasure of finding the thing out, the kick in the discovery, the observation that other people use it. Those are the real things. The honors are unreal to me. I don't believe in honors... I can't stand it, it hurts me. Richard P. Feynman realhurtbelieve You can’t say A is made of B or vice versa. All mass is interaction. Richard P. Feynman vice-versavicesmade A philosopher once said, 'It is necessary for the very existence of science that the same conditions always produce the same results.' Well, they don't! Richard P. Feynman quantumphilosopherresults I always do that, get into something and see how far I can go. Richard P. Feynman i-can It turns out that all life is interconnected with all other life. Richard P. Feynman turnsnaturelife-is People who wish to analyze nature without using mathematics must settle for a reduced understanding. Richard P. Feynman understandingwishpeople [When a young person loses faith in his religion because he begins to study science and its methodology] it isn't that [through the obtaining of real knowledge that] he knows it all, but he suddenly realizes that he doesn't know it all. Richard P. Feynman studyrealthinking There's plenty of room at the bottom. Richard P. Feynman bottomplentyrooms The Quantum Universe has a quotation from me in every chapter - but it's a damn good book anyway. Richard P. Feynman chaptersquantumbook Strange! I don't understand how it is that we can write mathematical expressions and calculate what the thing is going to do without being able to picture it. Richard P. Feynman ableexpressionwriting You do not know anything until you have practiced. Richard P. Feynman knows There are all kinds of interesting questions that come from a knowledge of science, which only adds to the excitement and mystery and awe of a flower. Richard P. Feynman floweraddinteresting To do any important work in physics a very good mathematical ability and aptitude are required. Some work in applications can be done without this, but it will not be very inspired. If you must satisfy your "personal curiosity concerning the mysteries of nature" what will happen if these mysteries turn out to be laws expressed in mathematical terms (as they do turn out to be)? You cannot understand the physical world in any deep or satisfying way without using mathematical reasoning with facility. Richard P. Feynman curiosityimportantlaw A very great deal more truth can become known than can be proven. Richard P. Feynman dealsknownknowledge We find that the statements of science are not of what is true and what is not true, but statements of what is known with different degrees of certainty: "It is very much more likely that so and so is true than that it is not true". Richard P. Feynman degreescuriosityhumility Words can be meaningless. If they are used in such a way that no sharp conclusions can be drawn. Richard P. Feynman conclusionusedway I couldn't claim that I was smarter than sixty-five other guys--but the average of sixty-five other guys, certainly! Richard P. Feynman guyclaimsaverage The test of all knowledge is experiment. Richard P. Feynman experimentstests
