We’re launching a new post category here on Psychology Corner: “10 Quotes By“. Each post in this category will feature ten (are you surprised?) quotes from the people I consider to be most inspirational or influential in the fields of science, culture, or civilization. The purpose of this series of blog posts is to provide the perspectives of these great men and women on different subjects to PC readers hoping that they will help support our own endeavors in understanding Life in all its complexity.
The first post in the “10 Quotes By” category is dedicated to one of the greatest minds 21st Century offered to humanity, English theoretical physicist, Mr. Stephen Hawking.
1. Life on Earth
“The life we have on Earth must have spontaneously generated itself. It must, therefore, be possible for life to generate spontaneously elsewhere in the universe.”
Alien Planet program on Discovery Channel, 14 May 2005 (Source provided by: Wikiquote.org)
2. Life in General
“Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.”
“The Science of Second-Guessing”, The New York Times, 12 December 2004 (Source provided by: Wikiquote.org)
3. His Goal
“My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.”
Stephen Hawking’s Universe (1985) by John Boslough, Ch. 7: The Final Question, p. 77 (Source provided by: Wikiquote.org)
4. On his condition – When he was 21, Professor Hawking was diagnosed with Motor Neuron disease and given only 3 more years to live. He is now 71.
“Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.”
Stephen Hawking: How to build a time machine, By Stephen Hawking, Dailymail.co.uk, 27th April 2010
5. On Predestination
“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”
In Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, pp. 133–135 (Source provided by: Wikiquote.org)
6. On Intelligent Life and Humanity
“[In the Universe it may be that] Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare. Some would say it has yet to occur on Earth.”
George Washington University Speech, 2008 (Source provided by: Telegraph.co.uk*)
7. On Religion and Science
“There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, and science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.”
In an Interview with Diane Sawyer, for ABC News, June 2010
8. On People boasting about I.Q.s – He also said that he does not know his
“People who boast about their I.Q. are losers.”
In NYTimes, Interview by Deborah Solomon, December 12, 2004
9. His advice for his three children: On Aspirations, Work and Love
“One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is rare and don’t throw it away.”
In an Interview with Diane Sawyer, for ABC News, June 2010
10. Advice to Humans
“Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious, and however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.”
Hawking’s speech: Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet, Cambridge News*, January 2012
* Links are no longer active.