Dirac, Paul

"The ultimate aim of physics is to find the few simple principles that explain everything."

"Beauty in a theory is not decoration; it is a sign that one has grasped something fundamental."

"To work in fundamental physics is to participate in humanity's greatest intellectual adventure."

"The laws of nature are written in invisible ink that only mathematics can reveal."

"The fundamental laws necessary for the mathematical treatment of a large part of physics, chemistry and most of biology are thus completely known, and the difficulty is only that the exact application of these laws leads to equations much too complicated to be soluble."

"I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics."

"The task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen, but to think what nobody has yet thought about that which everybody sees."

"One should as a rule respect public opinion in its final form, but always disrespect it while it is in formation."

"In science one should not pursue the abs of high-sounding philosophy but rather get down to brass tacks."

"The effort towards good design is a very human undertaking, requiring courage and honesty."

"It seems to be one of the fundamental features of nature that fundamental physical laws are described by mathematics of great beauty and power."

"There ought to be something very simple in the world. There ought to be some fundamental principle, a kind of mathematical beauty in nature."

"A theory with mathematical beauty is more likely to be correct than an ugly one."

"It is more important to have beauty in one's equations than to have them fit experiment."

"When you are working on something difficult, you always learn a lot."

"Quiet people are often the ones with the loudest minds."

"The beauty of a physical theory often reveals its truth."

"To understand something is to understand it so completely that you can explain it to others."

"Mathematics is the most powerful language ever invented by humans."

"Physics is really nothing more than a search for ultimate simplicity, but so far all we have is a kind of elegant messiness."

"I would like to suggest to you that the simplest explanation is usually the right one."

"Work gives you meaning and purpose, and that in turn gives you real happiness."

"One must stick to the use of the simplest concepts."

"The paradox is only a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality ought to be."

"God used beautiful mathematics in creating the world."

"I want to understand the world by understanding the simplest things in it."

"You cannot work in the abstract if you want to accomplish anything."

"The scientist only imposes two things on himself: that he shall observe the truth of fact, and that he shall not lie about it."

"In theoretical physics, you don't have to go around making trouble for yourself—nature does it for you."

"Mathematics is the source of all reasonable hope."