Portrait of Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman

Quantum electrodynamics

Modern influential 171 sayings

Sayings by Richard Feynman

The world is full of people who are trying to figure out what's going on, and they're all wrong.

Unknown — Attributed, with a typical Feynmanesque playful cynicism.
Wisdom Unverifiable

I feel that if a man has a problem, it's not solved unless he understands it.

1981 — From 'The Pleasure of Finding Things Out'
Wisdom Unverifiable

I was a little bit of a maverick.

1985 — From 'Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!'
Wisdom Unverifiable

The game is to find out how nature works.

1981 — From 'The Pleasure of Finding Things Out'
Nature & World Unverifiable

If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics.

1960s — Famous remark on quantum physics
Wisdom Confirmed

I took the wavicles—the little particles of waves—and put them in a box.

1960s — Playful explanation of quantum behavior
Wisdom Unverifiable

Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry.

1960s — Commentary on physics and nature
Nature & World Unverifiable

I was born with an ability to do mathematics, which is what they want in physics. I can think of problems and solve them. So what? I'm not very good at anything else. I can't dance, I can't sing, I can't tell jokes very well, I'm not a good administrator, I can't do anything else. I'm just a physicist.

1979 — Interview with Omni Magazine
General Unverifiable

I would like to add a third possibility, that it might be that, when we die, we just die, and that's the end of it.

1964 — Debate on the nature of reality, 'The Character of Physical Law'
General Unverifiable

I have no responsibility to be like what other people expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing.

1999 (posthumous collection) — The Pleasure of Finding Things Out
General Unverifiable

I don't believe in God. I don't believe in anything. I'm a scientist.

1981 — Interview, 'The World of Richard Feynman'
General Unverifiable

Physicists are like little children, they want to know how the world works. But they're not content to just wonder. They want to open up the toy and see what's inside.

1993 (posthumous film) — Interview for 'No Ordinary Genius'
General Unverifiable

When I was in high school, I'd read about the great scientists and I was ashamed that I was not a great scientist. I used to think, 'What's the matter with me? I'm not a great scientist.'

1985 — Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
General Unverifiable

The thing that bothers me is that I can tell that the students don't understand. They are taught to remember things, but they don't understand.

1985 — Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
General Unverifiable

I have an attitude that I'm supposed to amuse myself, and I don't have to be serious all the time.

1979 — Interview with Omni Magazine
General Unverifiable

I'm a great believer in the idea that if you don't understand something, you should try to explain it to someone else.

1981 — Interview, 'The World of Richard Feynman'
General Unverifiable

Mathematics is not a science, but a language. It's a tool for science.

Approx. 1960s-1970s — Likely from a lecture or informal discussion, widely cited.
General Unverifiable

To guess what to do, you can't be a scientist unless you have a feel for the numbers.

1963 — The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol. 1
General Unverifiable

The thing that I cannot understand is what I cannot create. And I can't create a universe. So I don't understand the universe.

1979 — Interview with Omni Magazine
General Unverifiable

If you're going to be a scientist, you don't need to be a genius. You just need to be able to work hard and be curious.

Approx. 1960s-1970s — Likely from an informal talk or interview.
General Unverifiable
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