Richard Feynman was a pivotal American theoretical physicist known for his unique approach and significant post-World War II contributions.
He radically transformed quantum electrodynamics, which earned him a share of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics.
His Feynman diagrams are foundational in theoretical physics. Born in New York to Russian and Polish Jewish parents, he attended MIT and Princeton, where he introduced novel quantum mechanics methods.
Feynman played a role in World War II’s atomic bomb development, predicting nuclear explosive yields. He later joined Cornell and Caltech, advancing knowledge in superfluidity, weak force theory and quarks.
His lectures became influential books. Though widely recognized posthumously, especially for his role in the Challenger explosion inquiry, his scientific works are cornerstone to physicists.
We have made a list of the best quotes by Richard Feynman for you.
Best Richard P. Feynman Quotes
1. “Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
2. “What I cannot create, I do not understand.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
3. Is science of any value? I think a power to do something is of value. ~ Richard P. Feynman.
4. “Teach principles not formulas.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
5. There is nothing that living things do that cannot be understood from the point of view that they are made of atoms acting according to the laws of physics. ~ Richard P. Feynman.
6. “You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
7. “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
8. “Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
9. “To not know math is a severe limitation to understanding the world.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
10. “I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
11. “Scientists are explorers. Philosophers are tourists.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
12. “Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that’s not why we do it.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
Popular Richard P Feynman Quotes
13. “The only way to deep happiness is to do something you love to the best of your ability.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
14. A great deal more is known than has been proved. ~ Richard P. Feynman.
15. It is the facts that matter, not the proofs. Physics can progress without the proofs, but we can’t go on without the facts. ~ Richard P. Feynman.
16. If science is to progress, what we need is the ability to experiment. ~ Richard P. Feynman.
17. “Physics isn’t the most important thing. Love is.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
18. “If you thought that science was certain – well, that is just an error on your part.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
19. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool. So you have to be very careful about that. After you’ve not fooled yourself, it’s easy not to fool other scientists. You just have to be honest in a conventional way after that.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
20. “Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
21. “I love only nature, and I hate mathematicians.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
22. “Nature has a great simplicity and therefore a great beauty.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
23. “We need to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed. It’s OK to say, “I don’t know.”” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
24. “Know how to solve every problem that has been solved.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
25. “There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
Top Richard P Feynman Quotes
26. “I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
27. “I don’t feel frightened by not knowing things, by being lost in a mysterious universe without any purpose, which is the way it really is, as far as I can tell. Possibly. It doesn’t frighten me.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
28. “Mathematics is a language plus reasoning; it is like a language plus logic. Mathematics is a tool for reasoning.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
29. Scientific knowledge is an enabling power to do either good or bad – but it does not carry instructions on how to use it. ~ Richard P. Feynman.
30. It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong. ~ Richard P. Feynman.
31. “Everything we know is only some kind of approximation, because we know that we do not know all the laws yet. Therefore, things must be learned only to be unlearned again or, more likely, to be corrected.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
32. “The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
33. “People who wish to analyze nature without using mathematics must settle for a reduced understanding.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
Famous Richard P Feynman Quotes
34. “The world is a dynamic mess of jiggling things.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
35. “Experiment is the sole judge of the validity of any idea.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
36. “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).
37. “The exception tests the rule.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
38. “Tell your son to stop trying to fill your head with science – for to fill your heart with love is enough.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
39. “Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
40. “Einstein was a giant. His head was in the clouds, but his feet were on the ground. But those of us who are not that tall have to choose!” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
Short Richard P Feynman Quotes
41. “If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t understand quantum mechanics.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
42. “You see, the chemists have a complicated way of counting: instead of saying “one, two, three, four, five protons”, they say, “hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron.”” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
43. “Science is what we have learned about how to keep from fooling ourselves.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
44. “There is enough energy in a single cubic meter of space to boil all the oceans in the world.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
45. “Outside of their particular area of expertise scientists are just as dumb as the next person.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
46. “The electron is a theory we use; it is so useful in understanding the way nature works that we can almost call it real.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
47. “It’s amazing how many people even today use a computer to do something you can do with a pencil and paper in less time.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
48. “My rule is, when you are unhappy, think about it. But when you’re happy, don’t. Why spoil it? You’re probably happy for some ridiculous reason and you’d just spoil it to know it.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
49. “To every man is given the key to the gates of heaven. The same key opens the gates of hell. And so it is with science.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
50. “For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
51. “I, a universe of atoms, an atom in the universe.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
52. “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
53. “If all of mathematics disappeared, physics would be set back by exactly one week.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
54. “I think I can safely say that nobody understands Quantum Mechanics.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
55. “Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
56. “I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
57. “I wonder why. I wonder why. I wonder why I wonder.” ~ (Richard P. Feynman).
So these were the 57 quotes by Richard P. Feynman.
If you like these quotes and sayings, then you can also read my other popular blog posts on the topics of Mary Kay Ash Quotes and Archimedes Quotes.
