Inspirational Quotes From Famous Scientists
Stephen Jay Gould appeared as himself in The Simpsons’ [+]
1. I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. – Isaac Newton
The Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) quote above, from Memoirs of the Life, Writing, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton (1885) by Sir David Brewster speaks to the depth of what we have left to discover. This world is grand and there lies an ocean of undiscovered findings that are waiting for eager and curious minds.
2. Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein
This quote, first appearing in Ego, Hunger, and Aggression: a Revision of Freud’s Theory and Method by Frederick S. Perls. Einstein (1879 – 1955) is known to have clashed with popular thinking and the limited imagination of fellow scientists and the public.
Albert Einstein was one of the most inspirational scientists [+]
3. Life cannot have had a random beginning … The trouble is that there are about 2000 enzymes, and the chance of obtaining them all in a random trial is only one part in 10^40,000, an outrageously small probability that could not be faced even if the whole universe consisted of organic soup. - Fred Hoyle
Sir Fred Hoyle (1915 – 2001), an astronomer, was known for controversial stances on scientific matters and contribution to stellar nucleosynthesis. He often rejected the Big Bang Theory and instead favored a steady state university theory.
4. It is strange that only extraordinary men make the discoveries, which later appear so easy and simple. - Georg C. Lichtenberg
Georg Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799) was a German experimental physicist known for satire. Science is built upon previous knowledge, which is incredible that what is now common sense mathematics was once never before discovered or thought of.
5. There may be babblers, wholly ignorant of mathematics, who dare to condemn my hypothesis, upon the authority of some part of the Bible twisted to suit their purpose. I value them not, and scorn their unfounded judgment. – Nicolaus Copernicus
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543) was a Polish renaissance mathematician and astronomer known for proposing that the Sun, in fact, is the center of the universe. Nicolaus’ inspirational quote is ripe with anger and condemnation. This reminds us that religion and science have always lived in parallel, sometimes symbiotically, sometimes not.
6. There is no law except the law that there is no law. - John Archibald Wheeler
John Archibald Wheeler (1911 – 2008) was an American theoretical physicist largely credited for reviving dialogue in general relativity. Here, John Wheeler reminds us that in nature and human imagination, anything is possible.
7. We pass through this world but once. Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within.- Stephen Jay Gould
Stephen Jay Gould (1941 – 2002) was an American paleontologist and an expert in evolutionary biology. Dr. Gould developed the theory of punctuated equilibrium, whereby long periods of stability arepunctuated by rare occurrences of branching evolution.
8. Falsity in intellectual action is intellectual immorality. - Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin
Thomas Chamberlin’s inspirational quote above was given during the 1888 University of Michigan Annual Commencement. Thomas Chamberlin (1843 – 1928) was an influential geologist who founded the Journal of Geology.
9. The black holes of nature are the most perfect macroscopic objects there are in the universe: the only elements in their construction are our concepts of space and time. - Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
This quote from Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910 – 1995) appears in his book Mathematical Theory of Black Hole. Chandrasekhar was an Indian-American astrophysicist and awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983 for his mathematical theory on the structure and evolution of stars.
10. The saddest aspect of life right now is that gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. ― Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov (1920 – 1992) was an American biochemist and author. Asimov was a prolific science fiction and popular science writer. Here Asimov speaks to the limitations of wisdom in our society and our valuation of information over understanding. Asimov’s quote is as timely today as it ever was.
11. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind. ― Albert Einstein
Here, we have Einstein’s (1879 – 1955) iconic quote about the relationship between religion and science. Perfectly concise yet powerfully motivational. Much of science is not devoid of religion and the sense of purpose it imparts.
12. A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life. ― Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) was a naturalist and geologist who pioneered the field of evolutionary biology. Want to accomplish as much as Darwin did in his lifetime, adhere to his advice and don’t waste one single hour of your time.
13. The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it. ― Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s (1958 – present)quote from The Colbert Report distinguishes the difference between opinion and fact. Science, as a base, is always true, it is interpretation that imparts human error. Whether you believe in science or not is irrelevant.
14. Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.― Marie Curie
Marie Curie (1867 – 1934) was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize in 1903 for her contributions to physics. She was again awarded the 1911 Nobel Prize for her contributions to chemistry. Although we may fear the unknown, it should not limit our desire to understand the unknown.
15. You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself. - Galileo
Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642) was an Italian astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. Galileo’s quote is one echoed for generations that one must learn something for themselves. Your mom may have told you the burner was hot as a kid but you eventually tested it for yourself.
16. Imagination is more important than knowledge. - Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) appears again in his 1929 interview with The Saturday Evening Post. The full quote reads “I am enough of the artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
17. Shall I refuse my dinner because I do not fully understand the process of digestion? – Oliver Heaviside
Oliver Heaviside (1850 – 1925) was an English mathematician and physicist working primarily in the electrical engineering field. The quote above is in reference to Heaviside using mathematical operators that were not yet clearly defined by the mathematics community.
18. If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants. ― Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton (1642 – 1727) wrote the quote above in his letter to rival Robert Hooke in 1676. Nothing is done in a vacuum, we must all stand on our forefathers to better ourselves and the world around us. Tackling the challenges of the world today will require that more than ever.
19. Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science. - Edwin Powell Hubble
Edwin Hubble (1889 – 1953) was an American astronomer known for his significant contribution to astronomy including Hubble’s Law. Hubble is known and regarded as one of the most influential observational cosmologists within the 20th century. This inspirational quote delivers the sense of adventure that even scientist seeks, and adventure of the mind. Questions and curiosity become scientific pursuits of the mind.
20. One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don’t throw it away. ― Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking (1942 – present) gave this piece of advice to his children during a June 2010 interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC News. In many ways this quote by one of my heroes has sculpted my life. I’ll always remember to look at the stars, continue to fill my life with valuable work, and love my wife. Stephen Hawking has ALS, which has gradually left Hawking paralyzed through decades. He is bound to a wheel chair and communicates using speech device relying on Hawking’s cheek muscle.
