Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar

The greatest lesson of science is humility.

The universe is an ocean, and we are exploring its depths.

The scientist must be a critical thinker, to evaluate evidence objectively.

The universe is a garden, and we are tending its plants.

The greatest strength of science is its ability to correct itself.

The universe is a stage, and we are its actors.

The scientist must be a lifelong learner, always seeking new knowledge.

The universe is a puzzle, and we are putting its pieces together.

The greatest beauty in science is the elegance of its laws.

The universe is a vast library, and we are reading its books.

The black holes of nature are the most perfect objects. There is no impropriety in comparing them to the perfectly black bodies of thermodynamics.

In my entire scientific life, the most shattering experience has been the realization that an exact solution of Einstein's equations of general relativity provides the absolutely most perfect description of black holes.

A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.

The pursuit of science is a matter of faith, and the scientist must be prepared to accept the consequences of his faith.

Mathematics is the only language in which one can express the laws of nature with absolute precision.

The limit to which a star can contract is determined by the mass; beyond a certain mass, no equilibrium is possible.

Science is a collaborative enterprise; no discovery stands alone.

The beauty of astrophysics lies in its ability to connect the microscopic to the cosmic.

One must be careful not to attribute to chance what is really the result of profound physical laws.

In the end, we return to the question: where does the power of the stars come from?