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)
However far the phenomena transcend the scope of classical physical explanation, the account of all evidence must be expressed in classical terms.
The very definition of the word 'phenomenon' refers exclusively to the observations obtained under specified circumstances, including an account of the whole experimental arrangement.
The ultimate truth is not a simple statement, but a profound paradox.
The more we learn about the atom, the more we realize that it is not a miniature solar system, but something entirely new.
The great lesson of quantum theory is that we must be prepared to accept new and unexpected forms of description.
It is not possible to define the state of an atomic system independently of the means of observation.
The problem of atomic physics is not to find out what the electron is, but what we can say about it.
The very nature of the quantum theory forces us to regard the description of atomic phenomena as a complementary mode of expression, each of which is partial but together they exhaust the possibilities of description.
The concept of observation is not a simple one in quantum mechanics.
The aim of science is not to open the door to infinite wisdom, but to set a limit to infinite error.
The quantum theory has taught us that we must be prepared to accept new forms of rationality.
The concept of causality is not applicable in the same way to atomic phenomena as it is to macroscopic phenomena.
The world is not as we would like it to be, but as it is.
The ultimate truth is always a paradox.
The very act of observation influences the phenomenon being observed.
The electron is not a particle in the classical sense, nor is it a wave. It is something else entirely.
The quantum theory is a rational generalization of classical physics.
The problem of quantum mechanics is not to find a picture of the atom, but to find a consistent description of its behavior.
The concept of 'reality' itself is problematic at the atomic level.
The quantum world is not a world of objects, but a world of possibilities.
Contemporaries of Niels Bohr
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Niels Bohr (1885–1962).