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)
It is not enough to be right; one must also be effective.
I have done a terrible thing. I have invented a particle that cannot be detected.
The great difficulty is to get rid of the old way of thinking.
If you want to understand the universe, you must understand the human mind.
I am not a genius; I am just a curious person.
The only thing that matters is the truth.
I am not interested in politics; I am interested in physics.
The most important thing is to ask questions.
I am a lonely man, but I am not alone.
The future of physics lies in the unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity.
I am not afraid of death; I am afraid of not living.
The most beautiful experiment is the one that proves you wrong.
I am a physicist, not a philosopher.
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.
I am a man of contradictions.
The most important thing is to be honest with yourself.
I am not interested in fame; I am interested in understanding.
The universe is a mystery, and we are here to unravel it.
I am a critical person, but I am also a constructive person.
The most important thing is to have fun.
Contemporaries of Wolfgang Pauli
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958).