Derek Dahlman > Derek's Quotes

“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.”
― Niels Bohr

“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”
― Niels Bohr

“The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.”
― Niels Bohr

“There are some things so serious that you have to laugh at them.”
― Niels Bohr

“How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.”
― Niels Bohr

“No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical.”
― Niels Bohr

“Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.”
― Niels Bohr, Essays 1932-1957 on Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge (The Philosophical Writings of Niels Bohr, Vol. 2)

“Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real.”
― niels bohr

“Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think”
― Niels Bohr

“Stop telling God what to do with his dice.”
― Niels Bohr

“We are all agreed that your theory is crazy. The question which divides us is whether it is crazy enough to have a chance of being correct. My own feeling is that it is not crazy enough.”
― Niels Bohr

“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself it’s own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.”
― Niels Bohr

“The meaning of life consists in the fact that it makes no sense to say that life has no meaning.”
― Niels Bohr

“The very nature of the quantum theory ... forces us to regard the space-time coordination and the claim of causality, the union of which characterizes the classical theories, as complementary but exclusive features of the description, symbolizing the idealization of observation and description, respectively.”
― Niels Bohr

“There are trivial truths and there are great truths. The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false. The opposite of a great truth is also true.”
― Niels Bohr

“A physicist is just an atom's way of looking at itself.”
― Niels Bohr

“Every sentence I utter must be understood not as an affirmation, but as a question.

[A caution he gives his students, to be wary of dogmatism.]”
― Niels Bohr, Nuclear Physics

“You can recognize a small truth because its opposite is a falsehood. The opposite of a great truth is another truth.”
― Niels Bohr

“We must be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing mental connections.

[About describing atomic models in the language of classical physics:]”
― Niels Bohr

“Vivere est Cogitare”
― Niels Bohr

“An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field.”
― Niels Bohr

“It is the hallmark of any deep truth that its negation is also a deep truth”
― Niels Bohr

“كف عن إخبار الرب عما يجب عليه ان يفعله”
― Niels Bohr

“You must come to Copenhagen to work with us. We like people who can actually perform thought experiments!”
― Niels Bohr

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
― H. Jackson Brown Jr., P.S. I Love You

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.”
― Bob Marley

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”
― Dr. Seuss