Werner Heisenberg

Physics German 1901 – 1976 406 quotes

Formulated the uncertainty principle

Quotes by Werner Heisenberg

The act of observation itself changes the observed system.

Über den anschaulichen Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik und Mechanik 1927

The concepts of classical physics are only approximations to the truth.

Physics and Philosophy 1958

The most important task of science is to make the invisible visible.

Attributed

The world of atoms is a world of possibilities, not a world of facts.

Physics and Philosophy

The laws of nature are not laws of things, but laws of probabilities.

Attributed

The progress of science depends on the courage of the individual to question established beliefs.

Physics and Beyond

The scientist's task is not to create new facts, but to discover the existing ones.

Attributed

The world is not a machine, but a living organism.

Attributed

The ultimate truth is always simple.

Attributed

The most profound discoveries are often the simplest.

Attributed

The future of physics lies in the unification of all forces.

Physics and Beyond

The beauty of science lies in its ability to reveal the hidden order of the universe.

Attributed

The most important lesson of quantum mechanics is that we must be humble in our understanding of nature.

Physics and Philosophy 1958

The world is not a collection of objects, but a network of relationships.

Attributed

The true scientist is a dreamer, not a pragmatist.

Attributed

The greatest challenge for science is to understand consciousness.

Attributed

An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes that can be made in his field, and how to avoid them.

Attributed

When we speak of a picture of nature provided by contemporary science, we do not mean a picture of nature as it really is, but rather a picture of our relationships with nature.

Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern Science 1958

The problems of language are here really serious. We wish to speak in some way about the structure of the atoms. But we cannot speak about the atoms in the ordinary language.

Physics and Philosophy: The Revolution in Modern Science 1958

Not only is the Universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.

Attributed, though often misattributed to others