Freeman Dyson

Physics British-American 1923 – 2020 464 quotes

Unified Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga's QED approaches

Quotes by Freeman Dyson

The universe is a dance, and we are the dancers.

Various interviews and speeches

The greatest discovery is to discover oneself.

Various interviews and speeches

The future is not something to be waited for, but something to be made.

Various interviews and speeches

The universe is a symphony, and we are the musicians.

Various interviews and speeches

I am a mathematician who strayed into physics and then strayed into biology and then strayed into astronomy. I am a strayer.

Interview or personal reflection

The most important thing is to be able to make mistakes and to learn from them. If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough.

Personal correspondence

Science is not a collection of facts, but a way of thinking about the world.

Diary entry

The universe is full of wonders, and we are only just beginning to understand them.

Letter to a friend

I have always been more interested in the questions than in the answers.

Personal reflection

The greatest joy in science is to discover something new, something that no one has ever seen before.

Letter to a colleague

We are all part of a great cosmic dance, and our role is to play our part as best we can.

Diary entry

The future is not something that happens to us, but something that we create.

Personal correspondence

Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.

Often attributed to Einstein, but Dyson frequently echoed similar sentiments in his writings about the role of imagination in science.

The greatest danger to science is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.

Diary entry

I am an optimist by nature, and I believe that humanity will find a way to overcome its challenges.

Letter to a family member

The most important thing is to be kind to others, and to treat everyone with respect.

Personal correspondence

Mathematics is the language of the universe, and it is a beautiful language.

Diary entry

I have always been fascinated by the unknown, and by the mysteries of the universe.

Personal reflection

The purpose of science is not to prove theories, but to disprove them.

Letter to a colleague

We are all travelers on a journey, and our destination is unknown.

Diary entry