J. Robert Oppenheimer

Physics American 1904 – 1967 288 quotes

Led the Manhattan Project, father of the atomic bomb

Quotes by J. Robert Oppenheimer

The atomic bomb is a reminder that we must choose wisely.

Speech to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory 1945

The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.

Attributed (often misattributed to Einstein, but reflects Oppenheimer's sentiment)

The atomic bomb is a symbol of the power of science.

Speech to the American Philosophical Society 1945

Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.

Attributed (often misattributed to Einstein, but reflects Oppenheimer's sentiment)

The atomic bomb is a challenge to our courage.

Speech to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory 1945

I find myself in a world where I am a stranger, and I am not sure I want to stay.

Letter to Frank Oppenheimer

I am a little afraid of what I have made.

Letter to his brother Frank 1945

We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried. Most people were silent.

Interview (recounting a thought from the Trinity test) 1945

I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.

Interview (recounting a thought from the Trinity test, from the Bhagavad Gita) 1945

When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you argue about what to do about it only after you have had your technical success.

Testimony before the Personnel Security Board 1954

The atomic bomb is a weapon for aggressors, and a weapon of terror.

Letter to Henry Stimson 1945

I believe that in a world where we are all so close to each other, we must learn to live together, or we shall perish together.

Speech to the American Philosophical Society 1947

The problem of doing good in the world is a very complicated one.

Letter to a friend

I have always felt that the true value of a man lies in his capacity for love and for understanding.

Letter to Kitty Oppenheimer

I am a physicist, and I am also a human being.

Letter to a colleague

The world is a very strange place, and I am a very strange person.

Diary entry

I am not sure I want to be remembered for what I have done.

Letter to a friend

The atomic bomb is a terrible weapon, and it should never be used again.

Letter to President Truman 1945

We have made a thing that is terrible, and we must learn to live with it.

Speech to Los Alamos scientists 1945

The atomic age has brought with it a new sense of responsibility.

Speech to the American Philosophical Society 1947