Great and Favorite Quotes

  • Thread starter Ivan Seeking
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In summary: I have not had the time to make it shorter.” – Blaise PascalIn summary, a conversation about collecting great or notable quotes was had. Some of the quotes mentioned include ones from Fred Alan Wolf, Arthur C. Clark, President Eisenhower, Max Planck, Voltaire, Prof. Lawrence M. Krauss, General Patton, (William) Lawrence Bragg, Bugs Bunny, Dr. Lee De Forest, Freeman Dyson, W. K. Hartmann, Arthur S. Eddington, and Richard Feynman. The conversation also included a discussion about the characteristics of Nobel Prize winners and a quote from Anthony Zee. The conversation ended with a quote from Blaise Pascal about the difficulty of making things concise.
  • #1
Ivan Seeking
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Have you any great or favorite quotes?

I don't know if this will fly or not, but I collect what I think great, or otherwise notable or funny quotes. I will post a few from my reserve; a few are already posted in the jokes thread.


Every thought that you have, and every feeling that you have, is conditioned by what you believe to be real. --- Fred Alan Wolf

“The old saying that ‘man fears time, but time fears the [Egyptian] pyramids’ is not true… One day, archeologists may even argue, that the pyramids never even existed”. -- Arthur C. Clark. On Ancient Puzzles – The Discovery Channel..

“A mummy is something that never stops giving.” – a noted archeologist

"In the counsels of Government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the Military Industrial Complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together."
---- President Eisenhower - January 1961

'If one wishes to obtain a definite answer from Nature one must attack the question from a more general and less selfish point of view.' Max Planck (1858-1947)

"Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused."

Researchers in Fairbanks Alaska announced last week that they have discovered a superconductor which will operate at room temperature. -- unknown

"I hate your thoughts, Sir, but I am ready to give up my life for your right to express them"... Voltaire in one of his letters:

People think that scientists like to understand things. Really though, scientists like to not understand things because that gives us something to do. ----Prof. Lawrence M. Krauss

Grabel's law: 2 is not equal to 3 - not even for large values of 2.

When the Baath party was finally ejected from his town, and when asked what he wanted now that Hussein’s people were gone, one old Iraqi gent responded: “Democracy, whiskey, and sexy”.

I would rather have a regimen of German soldiers in front of me than a legion of -------- soldiers behind me. - General Patton
[I have deleted the specific country referenced since Patton was being rather unkind here. Suffice it to say the reference was considered an ally in WWII]

The electron is not as simple as it looks.
-- (William) Lawrence Bragg, British Physicist(1890-1971)

I know that this defies the law of gravity, but, you see, I never studied law. -Bugs Bunny

Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances. -- Dr. Lee De Forest, inventor of the vacuum tube and father of television.

@A: Dyson, Freeman J.
@Q: We have learned that matter is weird stuff. It is weird enough,
so that it does not limit God's freedom to make it do what he pleases. ------@R: Ch. 1, p. 8, _Infinite in All Directions: Gifford lectures given at Aberdeen, Scotland, April-November 1985_; edited by the author (Harper & Row, New York, 1988).


"One thing they don't tell you about doing experimental physics is that sometimes you must work under adverse conditions ... like a state of sheer terror." -- W. K. Hartmann

“The second law of thermodynamics holds, I think, the supreme position among the laws of nature. If someone points out to you that your pet theory of the Universe is in disagreement with Maxwell’s equations - then so much the worse for Maxwell’s equations. If it is found to be contradicted by observation - well, those experimentalists do bungle things up sometimes. but if your theory is found to be against the second law of thermodynamics I can give you no hope; there is nothing to do but to collapse in deepest humiliation.” -------- Arthur S. Eddington (British Astrophysicist, 1882-1944) in The nature of the Physical World (1928)


The Doctoral student Ilse Rosenthal-Schneider asked Einstein in 1919 how he would have reacted if his general theory of relativity had not been confirmed experimentally that year by Arthur Eddington and Frank Dyson. His answer was: "Then I would feel sorry for the good Lord. The theory is correct anyway."

Fermi was asked what characteristics physics Nobelists had in common.
He answered, "I cannot think of a single one, not even intelligence."
Enrico Fermi, Italian physicist, 1901-1954 (Phys Today, Oct 1994, pg70)

I love only nature, and I hate mathematicians. - Richard Feynman (1918-1988)

Physics is to Math what Sex is to Masturbation
--Richard Feynman

What I am going to tell you about is what we teach our physics students in the third or fourth year of graduate school... It is my task to convince you not to turn away because you don't understand it. You see my physics students don't understand it... That is because I don't understand it. Nobody does. Feynman, Richard P. (1918-1988) b. Far Rockaway, New York Richard P. Feynman, QED, The Strange Theory of Light and Matter, Penguin Books, London, 1990, p 9. (1) \ Nobel Lecture, 1966.

@A: Murray Gell-Mann
@Q: Niels Bohr brainwashed a whole generation of physicists into
believing that the problem [of the interpretation of quantum mechanics]
had been solved fifty years ago.
@R: Acceptance speech Noble Price (1976)

When in trouble,
When in doubt,
Run in circles,
Scream and Shout!
Wolram at PF.com Thanks Wolram.

"[Smart Experimentalist]: 'Yeah, it is reminiscent of what distinguishes the good theorists from the bad ones. The good ones always make an even number of sign errors, and the bad ones always make an odd number.'"-Anthony Zee, Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell

"To those who say that the soldiers are fighting so that we have the right to protest: If that's what they're fighting for, then they should be glad that somebody is using that right."

“I have only made this longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.“
(Pascal, 1657)

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
-Bertrand Russell

A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat which isn't there
--Charles R. Darwin

Of course we know the Iraqis have weapons of mass destruction. We have the receipts." -Dick Cheney


But I simply refuse to consider myself of the same species as those disgusting hairless hominids! Now give me that banana!
----from Hurkl at PF.com [I think]

"He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice." -------Albert Einstein [Thanks Mentat!]

'There must be no barriers for freedom of inquiry. There is no place for dogma in science. The scientist is free, and must be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to seek for any evidence, to correct any errors.'
J. Robert Oppenheimer
(1904-1966)


I want to sit with the rich dummies." Quote from my brother following a dinner discussion on the nature of light. – Artman at PF.com [thanks artman!]
 
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  • #2
Have you any great or favorite quotes?

I think the best is still the one in my signature. Jim Davis really wrote a beautiful comic strip on that day. The illustrations and words were very beautiful(I can't describe it in any other ways). I'm planning on laminating that comic strip and framing it on my wall with an expansive frame.
 
  • #3
Isaac Asimov once said:

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

Cheers.
 
  • #4
Originally posted by Bubonic Plague
I think the best is still the one in my signature. Jim Davis really wrote a beautiful comic strip on that day. The illustrations and words were very beautiful(I can't describe it in any other ways). I'm planning on laminating that comic strip and framing it on my wall with an expansive frame.

I was bummed when Charles schultz died. I thought it was fitting when they agreed not to continue the strip. There will be only one shultz. I remember reading orignial peanuts books from the 50's. They were my mom's when she was a kid. I wish I'd saved the last strip.

Would also love to have the picture of the looney toons from when mel blanc died- he played basically most of the looney toons originally. It's a picture of all the characters standing with their heads hung, and the title is "Speechless Mel Blanc 1908-1989".
 
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  • #5
Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
Have you any great or favorite quotes?

...I don't know if this will fly or not, but I collect what I think great, or otherwise notable or funny quotes...


I want to sit with the rich dummies." Quote from my brother following a dinner discussion on the nature of light. – Artman at PF.com [thanks artman!]

Oh my gosh! My quote has been included in a collection including quotes by Einstein, Feyneman, Fermi, Bugs Bunny, Hurkl, Mentat and Wolram! Cool! Thanks Ivan!
 
  • #6
Someone needs to help me with the source of this quote, and the exact wording, I am going to paraphrase what I can remember of it.

It goes something like this,

"No time is lost from a person's life that is spent gazing at the heavens."

I think it may have been said by Kepler, but I am not sure. Does anyone know this quote?
 
  • #7
"Life is like a box of..no no NOOOooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOO!"

Hell no!

i dunno, how about

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines" -anon

or

"I like cats too, let's exchange recipes" -anon


"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis,
and only enough blood to run one at a time."
-- Robin Williams

"Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment." - anon

"Go the extra mile. It makes everyone else look like incompetent slackers." -anon

"Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups." -anon
 
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  • #8
some of my favorites

If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.
Dan Quayle (1947 - )

The great tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.
Thomas H. Huxley (1825 - 1895)

If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?
Scott Adams (1957 - )

Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons.
Woody Allen (1935 - )

The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity.
Harlan Ellison (1934 - )

Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.
Thomas Sowell (1930 - ), Is Reality Optional?, 1993

Lying increases the creative faculties, expands the ego, and lessens the frictions of social contacts.
Clare Booth Luce (1903 - 1987)
 
  • #9
I was bummed when Charles schultz died. I thought it was fitting when they agreed not to continue the strip. There will be only one shultz. I remember reading orignial peanuts books from the 50's. They were my mom's when she was a kid. I wish I'd saved the last strip.

You can always wait until they reprint his entire collection, or try searching the web. There will be a fanatical fan who will show his special strips.
 
  • #10
How could I leave out this one?

Of course it is possible that UFO's really do contain aliens, as many people believe, and the government is hushing it up. I couldn't possibly comment!

Stephen Hawking: Millennium Speech at the White House.
 
  • #11
"Something in your eyes was so inviting
Something in your smile was so exciting
Something in my heart told me I must have you"
 
  • #12
Originally posted by The_Professional
"Something in your eyes was so inviting
Something in your smile was so exciting
Something in my heart told me I must have you"


um, wa wa were you talking to me?
 
  • #13
Hey, I don't swing that way. I'm all man

It's one of my fave sinatra songs heh
 
  • #14
Whewwww!
 
  • #15
Tis a crime for an uneducated man to erase a board of quotations

MP: It is my oppinion that half this house are arses

SPEAKER: sir i would ask that you withdraw that comment

MP: Verywell, it is my oppinion that half this house are not arses
 

1. What is the definition of a great quote?

A great quote is a short and concise statement that conveys a powerful message or idea. It is often attributed to a notable individual or source and has the ability to inspire, motivate, or provoke thought.

2. What makes a quote a favorite?

A favorite quote is one that resonates with an individual on a personal level. It can evoke strong emotions, memories, or values, and can serve as a source of guidance or comfort in different situations.

3. Are there any famous quotes that have stood the test of time?

Yes, there are many famous quotes that have remained relevant and meaningful over the years. Some examples include "Be the change you wish to see in the world" by Mahatma Gandhi and "The only way to do great work is to love what you do" by Steve Jobs.

4. What is the impact of sharing great and favorite quotes?

Sharing great and favorite quotes can have a profound impact on individuals and society as a whole. It can spread positivity, inspire action, and promote critical thinking and reflection. It can also help to build connections and foster a sense of community.

5. How can one find and collect great and favorite quotes?

There are many ways to find and collect great and favorite quotes. Some sources include books, speeches, movies, and social media. It can also be helpful to keep a journal or note-taking app to record quotes that resonate with you. Additionally, joining online communities or groups that share quotes can provide a constant stream of new and inspiring quotes.

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