Famous Quotes & Sayings

Richard P. Feynman

I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong. If we will only allow that, as we progress, we remain unsure, we will leave opportunities for alternatives. We will not become enthusiastic for the fact, the knowledge, the absolute truth of the day, but remain always uncertain … In order to make progress, one must leave the door to the unknown ajar.

Richard P. Feynman

Unless a thing can be defined by measurement, it has no place in a theory. And since an accurate value of the momentum of a localized particle cannot be defined by measurement it therefore has no place in the theory.

Richard P. Feynman

Progress in science comes when experiments contradict theory.

Richard P. Feynman

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

You can know the name of a bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird... So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing -- that's what counts.

Richard P. Feynman

It is odd, but on the infrequent occasions when I have been called upon in a formal place to play the bongo drums, the introducer never seems to find it necessary to mention that I also do theoretical physics.

Richard P. Feynman

We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.

Richard P. Feynman

Science is a way to teach how something gets to be known, what is not known, to what extent things are known (for nothing is known absolutely), how to handle doubt and uncertainty, what the rules of evidence are, how to think about things so that judgments can be made, how to distinguish truth from fraud, and from show.

Richard P. Feynman

Scientists are explorers. Philosophers are tourists.

Stephen Hadley

I would say that is some real progress.

Peter Flynn

We made progress, we haven't made as much progress as we'd like to make,

Richelle Mead

Right. As opposed to your cradle-robbing mentor. I don't really see you making much progress with him.

William Lyon Mackenzie King

Far more has been accomplished for the welfare and progress of mankind by preventing bad actions than by doing good ones.

Samuel Johnson

There is a frightful interval between the seed and the timber.

Walt Disney

Progress is impossible without change

Samuel Johnson

To do nothing is in everyone's power.

Melanie Sloan

Particularly in the House, the progress is very slow and may end up with very little reform.

Robert Einhorn

In retrospect, we impeded a lot more of their progress than we knew.

Richard P. Feynman

Another thing I must point out is that you cannot prove a vague theory wrong.

Winston Churchill

We are stripped bare by the curse of plenty. [Referring to the theory that over-production caused the Depression]

John Brunner

If the evidence says you're wrong, you don't have the right theory. You change the theory, not the evidence.

Olga Kurylenko

I'm a bit of a romantic. In theory!

Kenneth R. Miller

We don't regard any scientific theory as the absolute truth

Herbert A. Simon

The classical theory of omniscient rationality is strikingly simple and beautiful.

Albert Einstein

The most practical solution is a good theory.

Albert Einstein

The economists will have to revise their theories of value.

Albert Einstein

A theory is the more impressive the greater the simplicty of its premises is.