Sheldon Glashow

Physics American 1932 393 quotes

Shared the Nobel Prize for his contributions to the electroweak unification theory.

Most quoted

"The Standard Model is a theory of almost everything, but not quite everything. It's a theory of the strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions, but it doesn't include gravity. And it doesn't explain why there are three generations of quarks and leptons, or why the Higgs boson has the mass it does."

— from Various interviews and lectures

"We do not ask for what end the birds do sing, for song is their pleasure since they were created for song. Similarly, we ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of the heavens."

— from Nobel Lecture, 1991

"Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) are beautiful, but they're not necessarily true. They're a step in the right direction, but they're not the final answer."

— from Various interviews and lectures

All quotes by Sheldon Glashow (393)

The anthropic principle is a cop-out. It's a way of avoiding the difficult questions about why the universe is the way it is.

Various interviews and lectures

The search for dark matter and dark energy is one of the most important quests in physics today.

Various interviews and lectures

The most beautiful theories are often the simplest ones.

Various interviews and lectures

Science is a process of discovery, not a process of proving what we already believe.

Various interviews and lectures

The role of a scientist is to be skeptical, to question everything.

Various interviews and lectures

We should not be afraid to admit when we don't know something.

Various interviews and lectures

The history of physics is full of examples of theories that were once thought to be correct, but were later proven wrong.

Various interviews and lectures

The most important thing in science is to have an open mind.

Various interviews and lectures

The universe is a mystery, and we're just beginning to unravel it.

Various interviews and lectures

The pursuit of knowledge is an endless journey.

Various interviews and lectures

The greatest discoveries in science are often made by accident.

Various interviews and lectures

The future of physics depends on the next generation of scientists.

Various interviews and lectures

We need to encourage young people to pursue careers in science.

Various interviews and lectures

Science is a global endeavor. We need to collaborate with scientists from all over the world.

Various interviews and lectures

The public needs to understand the importance of science.

Various interviews and lectures

The universe is a laboratory, and we're all experimenters.

Various interviews and lectures

The Standard Model is a triumph of human intellect, but it's not the end of the story.

Various interviews and lectures

The universe is full of surprises. We should expect the unexpected.

Various interviews and lectures

The universe is a beautiful and complex place. We should never stop exploring it.

Various interviews and lectures

The idea of a 'theory of everything' is a bit of a misnomer. We're always learning new things.

Various interviews and lectures