Louis de Broglie

Physics French 1892 – 1987 397 quotes

Proposed the wave nature of electrons and suggested that all matter has wave-like properties.

Most quoted

"The fundamental idea of my thesis was the following: The experiment of Young, the diffraction of X-rays, the photoelectric effect, the Compton effect, all these phenomena show that light has a dual nature, sometimes wave, sometimes corpuscle. Why should not matter also have a dual nature?"

— from Nobel Lecture, 1929

"The idea of wave-particle duality, which is at the heart of quantum mechanics, was born from the realization that light, previously considered a wave, also exhibits particle-like properties, and conversely, matter, previously considered particles, also exhibits wave-like properties."

— from General writings/lectures

"In space-time, everything which for each of us constitutes the past, the present, and the future is given in block... Each observer, as his time passes, discovers, so to speak, new slices of space-time which appear to him as successive aspects of the material world."

— from The Revolution in Physics

All quotes by Louis de Broglie (397)

Waves and particles are two aspects of the same reality.

Thesis 1924

The de Broglie wavelength is the key to understanding matter waves.

Thesis 1924

Quantum mechanics must be interpreted in a causal way.

Book: Physique et Microphysique 1956

The pilot wave theory offers a deterministic view of quantum phenomena.

Book: Physique et Microphysique 1956

Life is a perpetual discovery of the unexpected.

Letter to a colleague 1970

In science, humility is the greatest virtue.

Speech at Academy of Sciences 1955

The atom's secrets reveal the universe's poetry.

Article 1935

Matter is not what it seems; it dances to wave rhythms.

Lecture notes 1925

True knowledge comes from questioning assumptions.

Personal journal 1940

The quantum revolution challenges our classical intuitions.

Solvay Conference discussion 1927

Peace in science comes from shared discovery.

Post-war speech 1946

Electrons whisper their wave secrets to those who listen.

Letter to Einstein 1926

The universe is a symphony of waves and particles.

Interview 1950

Curiosity is the engine of scientific progress.

Memoirs 1965

Hidden variables may resolve quantum paradoxes.

Paper on hidden variables 1950

Science without philosophy is blind.

Essay 1930

The wave function guides destiny in the microcosm.

Book 1928

In the dance of particles, waves lead the way.

Thesis 1924

Life's meaning lies in the pursuit of truth.

Late interview 1970

Quantum theory is a ladder to deeper realities.

Nobel acceptance 1929