Enrico Fermi
Created first nuclear reactor, contributed to quantum theory
Most quoted
"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
— from Attributed
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day."
— from Attributed
"Before we knew anything about the structure of the nucleus, we knew that it was very small. And we knew that it was very heavy. And we knew that it was very stable. And we knew that it was very energetic. And we knew that it was very mysterious."
— from Attributed
All quotes by Enrico Fermi (565)
The energy produced by the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.
I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
The element with atomic number 94, we propose to call plutonium.
In the play the scientists are presented as knowing practically nothing. This is not a distortion of the truth.
The theory of beta decay is still in a very unsatisfactory state.
It is a very beautiful and simple theory, and I hope it is right.
The results of the experiment are in good agreement with theory.
We turned the switch, saw the flashes, watched for ten minutes, then switched everything off and went home. That night I knew the world was headed for sorrow.
The total disappearance of the human race would be a negligible event in the history of the universe.
A great many things can be proved with a little logic and a few assumptions.
The only way to prove a theory is to assume it is true and see if the predictions work out.
I think it is not yet decided whether mesons are elementary or composite.
The importance of the discovery of fission is not in the release of energy, but in the possibility of a chain reaction.
The difference between theory and practice is smaller in theory than in practice.
Nature is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
The first requirement of a good experiment is that it should be reproducible.
In physics, you don't have to go around making trouble for yourself - nature does it for you.
The value of a new idea is often measured by the opposition it arouses.
A discovery is something you see that was always there, but now you see it for the first time.
We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question which divides us is whether it is crazy enough.
Contemporaries of Enrico Fermi
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Enrico Fermi (1901–1954).