Paul Dirac
Predicted antimatter and formulated Dirac equation
Most quoted
"The underlying physical laws necessary for the mathematical theory of a large part of physics and the whole of chemistry are thus completely known, and the difficulty is only that the exact application of these laws leads to equations much too complicated to be soluble. It is the purpose of theoretical physics to show that it is possible to derive, from these equations, the properties of the actual world."
— from Proceedings of the Royal Society, 1929
"The methods of progress in theoretical physics have undergone a vast change during the present century. The classical tradition has been to consider the world to be an association of observable objects (particles, fluids, fields, etc.) moving about according to definite laws of force, so that one could form a mental picture in space and time of the whole scheme."
— from Quantised Singularities in the Electromagnetic Field, 1931
"The most powerful method of advance that can be suggested at present is to employ all the resources of pure mathematics in attempts to perfect and generalise the mathematical formalism that forms the existing basis of theoretical physics, and after each success in this direction, to try to interpret the new mathematical features in terms of physical entities."
— from Quantised Singularities in the Electromagnetic Field, 1931
All quotes by Paul Dirac (692)
The general theory of relativity is a masterpiece of human thought.
I am very content with my life. I have everything I need.
I do not like to be the center of attention.
I think that the pursuit of knowledge is the noblest human endeavor.
I am very precise in my language. I believe that clarity is essential.
The standard model of particle physics is a very successful theory.
I am very grateful for the support of my colleagues.
I do not understand why people are so emotional.
I have had a great deal of experience of this kind of thing, and I have found that the best way to proceed is to make a guess and then to try to prove it.
It seems to be one of the fundamental features of nature that fundamental physical laws are expressed in terms of a mathematical theory of great beauty and power, requiring quite a high standard of mathematics for one to understand it.
A physical theory must be mathematically beautiful.
The most powerful method of advance that can be used is to employ all the resources of pure mathematics in the elucidation of the fundamental laws of nature.
I was taught at school that one should not talk unless one has something to say.
The physicist's aim is to find the laws of nature, and the mathematician's aim is to find the laws of mathematics. But the two are very closely related.
God is a mathematician of a very high order, and He used very advanced mathematics in constructing the universe.
I do not see how a man can work on the frontiers of physics and not be religious.
The electron is a rather simple particle, and it is governed by a rather simple equation.
The question of the existence of magnetic monopoles is one of the most fundamental unsolved problems in physics.
One must keep an open mind and be prepared to accept new ideas, however strange they may seem at first.
The object of science is to make the world understandable.
Contemporaries of Paul Dirac
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Paul Dirac (1902–1984).