Author of quotes: Richard Feynman. Page 1

... the highest forms of understanding we can achieve is laughter and compassion.

I easily wore the mask of a complete idiot - which I usually am, when I get to the real world and believed that there is no law of nature that says that I need to give up. I just continued to go his own way, without the slightest hesitation.

Once, when I was at Princeton, I received in the mail a box of pencils. The pencils were dark green with the words "RICHARD DARLING, I LOVE YOU! PUCCI", made in gold letters. It was Arlene (I called her Putsy). Well, it was nice, I love it too, but - you know how absent-minded and usually leave pencils everywhere: show Professor Wigner the formula or something and leave on his Desk a pencil. In those days, the additional tools we had, so I didn't want the pencils lay idle. I brought out the bathroom, a razor blade and cut off one of the pencil inscription to see if I will be able to use them. The next morning I receive a letter. It starts like this: "WHAT a THOUGHT: TRY to CUT WITH the PENCIL NAME?" Next: "aren't you proud of the fact that I love you?" Then: "WHAT do YOU care WHAT OTHER people THINK?"

I have never had this feeling nor this insane thought that they had that I'm married, because I promised to marry. I like it even in a head did not come. It wasn't that I promised something; we were together, not having bills and not being officially married, but we loved each other and were already married, emotionally. I said "Decently did the husband who left his wife after learning that she was sick with tuberculosis?"

Why bring yourself down, saying something like: "why are we so unlucky? What made us God? What did we do to deserve this?" All of these questions if you understand the reality and accept it in your heart, irrelevant and unsolvable. All this is only questions, the answer to which nobody knows. A situation in which you are, is only one of the cases that can happen in life.

This conference was full of stupid - pompous fools - and pompous fools force me just to climb the wall. In the ordinary fools, there is nothing wrong; you can talk with them and try to help. But pompous fools - fools who hide their stupidity and try to show everyone how smart they are and the wonderful with the help of such sell - I JUST can'T STAND! Ordinary fool - do not cheat; an honest fool is not bad. But a dishonest fool is terrible!

And von Neumann gave me an interesting idea: that you don't have to be responsible for the world in which we live. As a result of Council von Neumann I've developed a very powerful sense of social irresponsibility. This made me a happy man ever since.

When you're young, then too much makes you worry: what will mom say if you go there. You're worried, trying to make a decision, but then there is something else. Much easier just to solve it. Never doubt - nothing can change your mind. One day, when I went to MIT, I did it. I'm tired of having to choose dessert at the restaurant and so I decided that I would always take chocolate ice cream, and never worried about it - this problem was solved once and for all.

For example, I was somewhat surprised by the words of my friend, who dealt with cosmology and astronomy. He was going to speak on the radio and thought about how to explain what is the practical value of his work. I said it simply does not exist. "Yeah, but then we do not receive financial support for further research," he said. I think it's unfair. If you play as a scientist, you have to explain to people what you are doing. But if they decide not to Fund your research, well, that is their right.

... I understand why actually need art, at least to some extent. It brings to someone, individual, pleasure. You can create something that someone else will like it so much that this person is depressed or happy because of this damn thing you've created! <...> I understood that to sell a drawing is not to make money, and make sure that it will be in the house of the person he is really like; the person will be bad if this figure he will not.

So right away I found out something about biology: it is very easy to find a question that would be very interesting and no one would know the answer. In physics had to go a little deeper before you could find an interesting question, which people do not know.

It's not the property that we have, and the ability to create this property.

Of course, you only live once, make all the mistakes that needs to be done, learn what not to do, and this is the best, what we can learn.

The main principle - not to fool yourself. And it is the easiest to fool. Here we have to be very careful.