Richard Feynman — "I was an average student, but I had a good teacher."
I was an average student, but I had a good teacher.
Get This Quote & Author's Image Illustrated On:
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
Kitchen
Apparel
Other
More from Richard Feynman
"There are no rules in science, only facts."
"You know, the dumbest goddamn student you ever saw can understand things if you explain them right. So if you can’t explain it, it’s because you don’t understand it."
"I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned."
"The age of ignorance is past. The age of reason is here. And it will be a glorious age, if we but choose to make it so."
"Scientific knowledge is a body of statements of varying degrees of certainty—some most unsure, some nearly sure, but none absolutely certain."
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'.
Verification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: grok
1 source checked
Understanding this quote
What it means
Humility about one's own raw talent paired with honest credit to a mentor's guidance captures something true about how mastery develops. Natural ability matters less than the quality of instruction and the relationship that ignites lasting curiosity. Acknowledging that someone else helped shape your thinking isn't self-deprecation — it's an honest account of how knowledge actually passes from one mind to another.
Relevance to Richard Feynman
Feynman was profoundly shaped by his father Melville, who taught him to observe nature and question received explanations rather than memorize answers. Despite winning the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics for quantum electrodynamics, Feynman consistently deflected genius-myths, crediting curiosity over innate brilliance. He became a legendary teacher at Caltech himself, suggesting he understood mentorship as a chain — the lesson he received was one he felt obligated to pass forward.
The era
Feynman worked through mid-20th-century America, when Cold War rivalry and Sputnik's 1957 launch triggered a national crisis over science education. Federal funding poured into STEM via the National Defense Education Act, and debate intensified about whether great scientists were born or cultivated. In that climate, a Nobel laureate crediting a teacher rather than personal genius was a culturally meaningful statement about how a nation actually builds scientific capability.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].