Max Planck

"All matter is energy in a relatively permanent state, just as energy is matter in motion."

"The scientist is driven by the fundamental desire to understand the world in which he lives."

"If we want to find the truth, we should look to nature because nature reveals the truth to those who truly seek it."

"The quantum postulate implies that any observation of atomic phenomena will involve a discontinuous change in the system observed."

"Scientific work is a sacred trust, and those engaged in it are the custodians of objective truth."

"Anybody who realizes that the world of science is separate from the world of human concerns makes a grave mistake."

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

"Man can only do what man can do. But if he does that, he has done everything."

"The scientist's effort to understand nature is a deeply human effort."

"The elementary act of scientific discovery is not a matter of cold logic alone."

"There is a principle in nature which is higher than any human law or convention."

"The contemplation of truth and beauty is the proper object of our existence."

"As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such."

"The greatest power is the power to understand."

"Any man who accomplishes any work of lasting importance has the strength to persist through obstacles."

"The real problem of humanity is that human beings are too clever and not wise enough."

"The physicist's task is to identify the fundamental nature of reality, not merely to describe phenomena."

"Faith is not the opposite of reason; it is the foundation upon which reason rests."

"An insight into the reality of nature comes from the integration of observation and imagination."

"The laws of physics are the canvas God laid down on which to paint his masterpiece."

"A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing opponents and making them see the light, but because opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up with it."

"The scientist must have absolute faith in his work, even when he cannot see the destination."

"Nature shows us only the tail of the lion. But there is no doubt in my mind that the lion belongs with it even if he cannot reveal himself to the eye in his full majesty."

"It is impossible to distinguish between what is real and what appears real when both produce identical results."

"The atomic theory teaches us that matter is discontinuous in character."

"What everyone is, or thinks he is, is of far less importance than what he actually accomplishes."

"The scientist who has found a solution to a fundamental problem and has achieved recognition in science experiences a satisfaction that is independent of worldly rewards."

"Beauty in mathematics and physics is not a luxury but a necessity."

"The goal is not to have a complete and final understanding, but to make progress toward it."

"In science, there are no final truths, only increasingly accurate approximations."