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The Quotable Feynman

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Brief Description
'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... Read More
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'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

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'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 topicsβ€”from art, childhood, discovery, family, imagination, and humour 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.

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.'

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691270449

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 April 2025

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Illustration: 20 b/w illus.

Contributors:

  • Edited by Michelle Feynman
  • Foreword by Brian Cox
  • Commentaries by Yo-Yo Ma

Audience: Tertiary education

DIMENSIONS

Width: 114.0mm

Height: 187.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 432

About the Author

Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) was a Nobel Prize-winning American theoretical physicist. His popular books included The New York Times bestseller Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?

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 and The Art of Richard P. Feynman: Images by a Curious Character.

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    The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman offers readers a remarkable exploration into the fundamental principles that govern the world around us. Drawing from his celebrated "Messenger Lectures" at Cornell, which were also filmed by the BBC, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist delves into the nature of physical laws, examining those formulated by giants such as Newton, Maxwell, and...
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