Wolfgang Pauli
Formulated the exclusion principle
Most quoted
"When I was young, I thought I was the best formalist of my time. I thought I was a revolutionary. When the big problems would come, I would be the one to solve them. But then the great revolution came, it was Heisenberg and Dirac who made it. I was only a classicist."
— from Self-reflection
"The layman always means, when he says 'reality,' that he is speaking of something self-evidently known; whereas to me it seems the most important and exceedingly difficult task of our time is to work on the construction of a new idea of reality."
— from Letter to Markus Fierz, 1954
"A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it."
— from Attributed to Max Planck, but often quoted by Pauli in discussions of scientific change
All quotes by Wolfgang Pauli (673)
The concept of causality needs to be re-evaluated in quantum mechanics.
The role of the unconscious in scientific discovery is often underestimated.
The search for truth is the highest calling of a scientist.
The beauty of physics lies in its simplicity and universality.
The most important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.
The problem of measurement in quantum mechanics is still not fully resolved.
The development of quantum mechanics has forced us to rethink our fundamental concepts of reality.
The true genius is one who can see the connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena.
The universe is a symphony of vibrations.
The most profound insights often come from unexpected places.
The role of symmetry in physics is fundamental.
The scientific method is a process of trial and error, of hypothesis and experiment.
The human mind is capable of understanding the deepest secrets of the universe.
The pursuit of knowledge is an endless journey.
I don't mind if you think slowly, but I do object when you publish faster than you think.
This isn't right. It's not even wrong.
One should not try to be original, but rather try to be right.
The only way to do good work is to love what you do.
I am a very bad mathematician, and I am very bad at calculating. But I am a good physicist.
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
Contemporaries of Wolfgang Pauli
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958).