Richard Feynman — "I don't think I'm a very good teacher. I just try to explain things clearly."
I don't think I'm a very good teacher. I just try to explain things clearly.
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More from Richard Feynman
"You see my physics students don't understand it... That is because I don't understand it. Nobody does."
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About Richard Feynman (1918-1988)
American theoretical physicist who shared the 1965 Nobel for QED, developed Feynman diagrams, and wrote the Feynman Lectures on Physics. Closely associated with Julian Schwinger (co-Nobelist for QED) and Murray Gell-Mann (Caltech rival and Eightfold-Way physicist). For an intellectual contrast, see Deepak Chopra, physician and quantum-mysticism author — Feynman's Caltech 'cargo cult science' commencement address is the precise template for what he saw as misuse of physics terminology — Chopra-style appropriation of quantum vocabulary for metaphysical claims is the canonical example of what Feynman called 'fooling yourself'.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
The speaker downplays their teaching ability while revealing their actual philosophy: clarity is the only real goal. It's a humble admission that rejects performance and pretension. Good explanation isn't about technique or charisma — it's about making something genuinely understandable. The statement itself models what it describes: direct, unpretentious, stripped of ego.
Relevance to Richard Feynman
Feynman won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for quantum electrodynamics, yet became legendary as a communicator through his Caltech lectures, later published as The Feynman Lectures on Physics. He believed if you couldn't explain something simply, you didn't understand it. His 'Feynman Technique' — learning by teaching — became a widely adopted study method, directly reflecting this philosophy.
The era
Feynman worked through mid-20th century physics' most complex era — quantum mechanics, particle physics, the Manhattan Project. As science grew increasingly inaccessible to the public, Feynman became a rare bridge figure. His 1986 Challenger investigation, explained via a glass of ice water on live television, exemplified this clarity-first approach during a moment of national scientific reckoning.
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