The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.
It is not enough to be wrong, one must also be polite.
Some subjects are so serious that one can only joke about them.
Physics is the belief that a simple and consistent description of nature is possible.
The measurement we get when we measure something is not a property of the thing measured.
No paradox, no progress.
In the great drama of existence we are audience and actors at the same time.
If you have a correct statement, then the opposite of a correct statement is of course an incorrect statement, a wrong statement. But when you have a deep truth, then the opposite of a deep truth may again be a deep truth.
A deep truth is a truth so deep that not only is it true but it’s exact opposite is also true.
Our task is not to penetrate the essence of things, the meaning of which we do not know anyway, but rather to develop concepts which allow us to talk in a productive way about phenomena in nature.
Rutherford is a man you can rely on; he comes regularly and enquires how things are going and talks about the smallest details – Rutherford is such an outstanding man and really interested in the work of all the people around him.
There is no hope for any speculation that does not look absurd at first glance.
All rising curves that show unwelcome trends in human affairs will approach infinity if extended far enough, but it is we who dictate the curve and not vice versa.
Accuracy and clarity of statement are mutually exclusive.
If you think you understand it, that only shows that you don’t know the first thing about it.
If you aren’t confused by quantum mechanics, you haven’t really understood it.
Truth is something that we can attempt to doubt, and then perhaps, after much exertion, discover that part of the doubt is not justified.
A person who wasn’t outraged on first hearing about quantum theory didn’t understand what had been said.
One must always do what one really cannot.
The present state of atomic theory is characterized by the fact that we not only believe the existence of atoms to be proved beyond a doubt, but also we even believe that we have an intimate knowledge of the constituents of the individual atoms.