Richard Feynman — "I was also a little bit of a clown."
I was also a little bit of a clown.
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More from Richard Feynman
"The world is full of people who are trying to figure out what's going on, and they're all wrong."
"I would often go to these conferences where they would talk about the ultimate theory, and I would always say, 'What's the ultimate experiment?'"
"I was very surprised when I got the Nobel Prize. I didn't think I deserved it."
"I don't believe in miracles, because I believe in science."
"I don't know anything, but I do know that everything is interesting if you look at it deeply enough."
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 acknowledges a playful, mischievous side to their personality — a tendency to joke, tease, or not take themselves too seriously. It's an admission that beneath serious work or reputation, there was genuine silliness and a delight in humor, pranks, or irreverence. Being a clown isn't an insult here; it's worn almost as a badge of authenticity and self-awareness.
Relevance to Richard Feynman
Feynman was legendary not just for Nobel-winning physics but for his personality: he played bongos in strip clubs, cracked safes at Los Alamos for fun, and peppered lectures with jokes. He wrote entire memoirs — 'Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!' — celebrating his mischief. His clowning was inseparable from his genius; both stemmed from radical curiosity and refusal to perform false seriousness.
The era
Mid-20th century American science culture prized stoic professionalism — scientists were expected to be sober, formal figures. The Manhattan Project and Cold War elevated physicists to near-mythic status, intensifying that pressure. Feynman's open clownishness was quietly countercultural, anticipating the later democratization of science communication and the idea that brilliance and irreverence could coexist.
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