The Quotable Feynman

A treasure-trove of illuminating and entertaining quotations from beloved physicist Richard P. Feynman

“Some people say, ‘How can you live without knowing?’ I do not know what they mean. I always live without knowing. That is easy. How you get to know is what I want to know.”―Richard P. Feynman

Nobel Prize–winning physicist Richard P. Feynman (1918–88) was that rarest of creatures―a towering scientific genius who could make himself understood by anyone and who became as famous for the wit and wisdom of his popular lectures and writings as for his fundamental contributions to science. The Quotable Feynman is a treasure-trove of this revered and beloved scientist’s most profound, provocative, humorous, and memorable quotations on a wide range of subjects.

Carefully selected by Richard Feynman’s daughter, Michelle Feynman, from his spoken and written legacy, including interviews, lectures, letters, articles, and books, the quotations are arranged under two dozen topics―from art, childhood, discovery, family, imagination, and humor to mathematics, politics, science, religion, and uncertainty. These brief passages―about 500 in all―vividly demonstrate Feynman’s astonishing yet playful intelligence, and his almost constitutional inability to be anything other than unconventional, engaging, and inspiring. The result is a unique, illuminating, and enjoyable portrait of Feynman’s life and thought that will be cherished by his fans at the same time that it provides an ideal introduction to Feynman for readers new to this intriguing and important thinker.

The book features a foreword in which physicist Brian Cox pays tribute to Feynman and describes how his words reveal his particular genius, a piece in which cellist Yo-Yo Ma shares his memories of Feynman and reflects on his enduring appeal, and a personal preface by Michelle Feynman. It also includes some previously unpublished quotations, a chronology of Richard Feynman’s life, some twenty photos of Feynman, and a section of memorable quotations about Feynman from other notable figures.

Features:

• Approximately 500 quotations, some of them previously unpublished, arranged by topic
• A foreword by Brian Cox, reflections by Yo-Yo Ma, and a preface by Michelle Feynman
• A chronology of Feynman’s life
• Some twenty photos of Feynman
• A section of quotations about Feynman from other notable figures

Some notable quotations of Richard P. Feynman:

• “The thing that doesn’t fit is the most interesting.”
• “Thinking is nothing but talking to yourself inside.”
• “It is wonderful if you can find something you love to do in your youth which is big enough to sustain your interest through all your adult life. Because, whatever it is, if you do it well enough (and you will, if you truly love it), people will pay you to do what you want to do anyway.”
• “I’d hate to die twice. It’s so boring.”

Contents

1. Youth
2. Family
3. Autobiographical
4. Art, Music, and Poetry
5. Nature
6. Imagination
7. Humor
8. Love
9. Philosophy and Religion
10. Nature of Science
11. Curiosity and Discovery
12. How Physicists Think
13. The Quantum World
14. Science and Society
15. Mathematics
16. Technology
17. War
18. Challenger
19. Politics
20. Doubt and Uncertainty
21. Education and Teaching
22. Advice and Inspiration
23. Intelligence
24. The Nobel Prize
25. Worldview
26. The Future
27. Honoring Richard Feynman

Review

“Feynman, who was curiosity itself in human form, can ignite our own craving to know like no one else. For those who haven’t met him yet, you’ve just struck gold. Open these pages and enjoy the company of one of nature’s most marvelous minds.”―Alan Alda

“Everybody who met Richard Feynman has a Feynman story and it’s almost always a good one. But here is what we really want―the thoughts and confessions and insights and jokes and warnings from the man himself, all in his own inimitable voice.”―Christopher Sykes, producer of the BBC’s The Pleasure of Finding Things Out

“All evidence indicates that Richard Feynman was the most quotable physicist of all time. This collection is a vivid demonstration of his wit, wisdom, and unquenchable passion for finding things out.”―Sean Carroll, Caltech

“This unique book provides inspiring insights into the ideas and personality of Richard Feynman. These thoughtfully chosen quotations capture the genuine Feynman, giving a broader view of his character, ideas, and charm than most other biographical material that has been published. The book will be interesting to a wide audience and I expect to reread it with pleasure in the future.”―Danny Hillis, cofounder of Applied Minds and author of The Pattern on the Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work

“As this enjoyable and important book shows, Richard Feynman’s lucidity lent itself to pithy quotes of substance. His voice will remain influential for many years to come.”―Jeffrey Forshaw, coauthor of The Quantum Universe and Why Does E=mc2?

About the Author

Michelle Feynman, the daughter of Richard P. Feynman, is the editor of Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track: The Letters of Richard P. Feynman (Basic) and The Art of Richard P. Feynman: Images by a Curious Character. She lives in Altadena, California