Max Planck
Originated quantum theory with energy quanta
Most quoted
"The quantum theory is a theory of the elementary quanta of the cosmos and the chaos, the light and the darkness, the good and the evil, the life and the death, the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, the past, the present, and the future, the here and the now, the everywhere and the always, the visible and the invisible, the known and the unknown, the finite and the infinite, the possible and the impossible, the necessary and the contingent, the universal and the particular, the general and the specific, the abstract and the concrete, the simple and the complex, the whole and the part, the one and the many, the same and the different, the identity and the difference, the unity and the multiplicity, the order and the chaos, the harmony and the discord, all things and nothing, being and non-being, existence and non-existence, reality and unreality, truth and falsehood, knowledge and ignorance, wisdom and folly, beauty and ugliness, good and evil, morality and immorality, ethics and unethics, religion and irreligion, spirituality and materialism, God and atheism, the universe and the void."
— from The Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory, 1920
"The quantum theory is a theory of the elementary quanta of the cosmos and the chaos, the light and the darkness, the good and the evil, the life and the death, the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, the past, the present, and the future, the here and the now, the everywhere and the always, the visible and the invisible, the known and the unknown, the finite and the infinite, the possible and the impossible, the necessary and the contingent, the universal and the particular, the general and the specific, the abstract and the concrete, the simple and the complex, the whole and the part, the one and the many, the same and the different, the identity and the difference, the unity and the multiplicity, the order and the chaos, the harmony and the discord."
— from The Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory, 1920
"My original decision to devote myself to science was a direct result of the discovery which has never ceased to fill me with enthusiasm since my early youth - the comprehension of the far from obvious fact that the laws of human reasoning coincide with the laws governing the sequences of the impressions we receive from the world about us; that, therefore, pure reasoning can enable man to gain an insight into the mechanism of the latter. In that sense, it is obvious that science cannot be neutral, and cannot be isolated from life."
— from Scientific Autobiography, 1949
All quotes by Max Planck (661)
Quantum theory does not admit of a mechanical description of the world; it is not a mechanistic theory.
The principle of causality is not only valid for the macroscopic world but also for the microscopic world.
I have always regarded Marxism as a 19th-century view of life, which has been overtaken by events.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Science is a beautiful and wonderful thing, but it is not the whole of life.
The man who regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unfortunate but almost disqualified for life.
Both religion and science require a belief in God. For believers, God is in the beginning, and for physicists He is at the end of all considerations ... To the former He is the foundation, to the latter the crown of the edifice of every generalized world view.
There is no hope for the future unless we learn to think differently.
The pioneers of the quantum theory were guided by the spirit of adventure.
In the temple of science, the only priest is the scientist himself.
The ultimate aim of science is to find the truth about nature.
My conscience will not allow me to join a party that persecutes people for their beliefs.
Science cannot be stopped. It is a process that continues regardless of human will.
The harmony of the universe is evident in the laws of nature.
To follow the path of truth is to invite suffering, but it is the only path worth taking.
The quantum of action has taught us that we live in a world of discrete events.
I never considered myself a genius; I was just persistent.
The greatest tragedy of science is the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.
Physics is not complete, but it is the best we have.
The world is not deterministic; it is probabilistic.
Contemporaries of Max Planck
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Max Planck (1858–1947).