Niels Bohr
Pioneer of quantum theory and atomic structure
Most quoted
"The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And complementarity, by the way, is not a new invention of mine. It is, in fact, as old as language itself. We have to be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing connections."
— from Interview with Aage Petersen
"The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And the fact that this reality is not accessible to us in the same way as material reality makes it no less real."
— from Attributed
"The very nature of the quantum theory thus forces us to regard the space-time co-ordination and the claim of causality, the union of which characterizes the classical theories, as complementary but exclusive features of the description, symbolizing the idealization of observation and definition respectively."
— from Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature, 1929
All quotes by Niels Bohr (768)
The quantization of energy levels is key to spectra.
The journey of life is as important as the destination.
Paradoxes in physics lead to new paradigms.
The bomb's shadow looms over humanity.
Persistence is the twin brother of excellence.
Wave function collapse is instantaneous.
In the end, we are all stardust.
The institute fosters free inquiry.
Complementarity resolves the wave-particle dilemma.
Humility is the foundation of all virtues.
Nuclear energy must serve peace.
The poet and the physicist seek the same truth.
A good joke is the shortest distance between two truths.
The angular momentum is quantized in units of h/2π.
Love of knowledge is the spark of genius.
The philosophy of quantum mechanics is profound.
Disarmament is the path to security.
Discovery is seeing what everybody else has seen, and thinking what nobody else has thought.
The uncertainty principle limits our knowledge.
The meaning of existence is in the questions we ask.
Contemporaries of Niels Bohr
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Niels Bohr (1885–1962).