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 universe is a grand design, and we are privileged to glimpse its workings.

General writings/interviews

Science is the art of the soluble.

General writings/interviews

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

General writings/interviews

We are still children playing on the seashore, while the great ocean of truth lies all undiscovered before us.

General writings/interviews (often attributed to Newton, but Glashow has used similar sentiments)

The beauty of a theory is often a guide to its truth.

General writings/interviews

The electroweak theory was a step towards unification, but the journey is far from over.

General writings/interviews

Great ideas often come from unexpected places.

General writings/interviews

The universe is more subtle than we can imagine.

General writings/interviews

The search for fundamental laws is the most exciting adventure of all.

General writings/interviews

We must always be prepared to question our assumptions.

General writings/interviews

The greatest discoveries are yet to come.

General writings/interviews

The universe is a puzzle, and we are trying to put the pieces together.

General writings/interviews

The pursuit of knowledge is a never-ending quest.

General writings/interviews

The electroweak theory was a bold step, and it paid off handsomely.

General writings/interviews

Science is a human endeavor, with all its triumphs and failures.

General writings/interviews

The universe is a laboratory, and we are its curious observers.

General writings/interviews

The search for a unified theory is the holy grail of physics.

General writings/interviews

We are constantly learning, constantly evolving our understanding.

General writings/interviews

The universe is a symphony of forces and particles.

General writings/interviews

The Standard Model is a beautiful edifice, but it has cracks.

General writings/interviews